Mitre Saw for Skirting and Architrave?

paperclap

Hi all,

I’ve got skirting, architrave and door stops to do for 4 rooms and 6 doors. Soft wood door stops and MDF skirting and architrave. Will also be building some built-in units and cupboards, so could be handy there too…?

I do have a saw and mitre box. Also have a circular saw. But, is it worth just getting a mitre saw? Is it far superior for the job?

Being a DIYer, I don’t need the best of the best. I’m new to mitre saws in general, and don’t know a great deal about them.

A bit of a concern of mine is actually storage. All my other power tools (circular saw, router, sander, etc) all have their own storage boxes, and are small enough to tuck somewhere in the house. Seems mitre saws can’t really be stored in a box, as they’re just too big? I have a wooden shed, not a lovely brick insulated one. So, concerned if it’s left there, it’ll rust.

Had thought one of the entry levels from Makita:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-mls100n-2-255mm-electric-single-bevel-mitre-saw-240v/754xj

https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-ls1040n-2-260mm-electric-single-bevel-compound-mitre-saw-240v/336hg

Any thoughts? Any experience with the above mitre saws?

Thanks!

FreeBear

As long as you can get decent straight cuts with the mitre box, a mitre saw is not really necessary. For occasional use, one of these is OK - https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/draper-550mm-precision-mitre-saw/ (shop around, you can pick them up much, much cheaper).

Also worth mastering the art of scribing skirting. It sounds much harder than it actually is. But once you've done it a couple of times, it is easy to get (almost) perfect joins. The hardest part is planning the sequence of joints around the room.

tacpot12

The other option is to buy a good electric mitre saw, and then sell it on eBay with the invoice. It might cost a little more than the manual mitre saw, but it will be quicker and easier to use. I bought and used the manual mitre saw that FreeBear posted when I did the skirting and architrave in my house. It's quite a large unit itself, although smaller than an electric one. Be careful if you have an old house and are fitting tall skirting boards; you need to check that the boards will go under the saw you are considering. My boards were slightly too big, and cutting the first cm or so had to be done by eye. 

jusferbrowsing

Just before we tackled our skirting and architrave my dad presented us with an electric mitre saw... best thing EVER.
Great for cutting laminate floors... and decking... and shed making... and so much more.

GrubbyGirl_2

I know nothing about mitre saws but can tell you that when storing items in the shed that must not get damp I use pallet shrink wrap to seal it up.  Perfect for keeping things bone dry and not expensive

paperclap

This is the thing. Technically, I could use a regular saw and mitre box… or a precision mitre saw (£50)… but for £200, the job could potentially be done faster and better. Have it for years to come on other jobs too.

I very much doubt the internal and external corners of this house will be bang on 45 degrees. So having the precision of the mitre saw might just be the ticket.

But, the most important thing is the max cross cut, surely? As that’ll determine what you can actually cut. One is 130mm, which might be enough. The other is 95 x 90.5m’n – what’s that all about?

chris_n

For £200 you can get a sliding mitre saw and not have to worry about the depth.

GDB2222

Why £200 for a sliding mitre saw? 

https://www.diy.com/departments/scheppach-210mm-mitre-saw-5901215985/4046664129950_BQ.prd

Norman_Castle

paperclap said:

This is the thing. Technically, I could use a regular saw and mitre box… or a precision mitre saw (£50)… but for £200, the job could potentially be done faster and better. Have it for years to come on other jobs too.

I very much doubt the internal and external corners of this house will be bang on 45 degrees. So having the precision of the mitre saw might just be the ticket.

But, the most important thing is the max cross cut, surely? As that’ll determine what you can actually cut. One is 130mm, which might be enough. The other is 95 x 90.5m’n – what’s that all about?

Of the two you linked to the one with the smaller cutting width is a compound mitre saw. 

I bought a Rexon sliding compound mitre saw about 15 years ago which works well but is rarely used as the only place I can store it makes it difficult to access. I've also never taken it when working somewhere else due to its size and weight.

As above, do you need a Makita? For DIY work there are cheaper options including used.

danrv

paperclap said:

A bit of a concern of mine is actually storage. All my other power tools (circular saw, router, sander, etc) all have their own storage boxes, and are small enough to tuck somewhere in the house. Seems mitre saws can’t really be stored in a box, as they’re just too big? I have a wooden shed, not a lovely brick insulated one. So, concerned if it’s left there, it’ll rust.

Same here although I have single garage and no shed.
I manage to do skirting fine with a portable circular saw and Workmate. Also easier to do this outside with long lengths, whether it’s a with a mitre saw or circular. 
I haven’t needed to do any architrave yet but this should be ok too.

tacpot12

Scribing could halve the numnber of mitre cuts oyu need to make, so it's worth doing from that perspective as well. As has been stated, few rooms have square walls so scribing will often give a much better result than two 45 degree mitres.