LS0816F 8-1/2” Slide Compound Miter Saw

A well made piece of equipment, I have always like Makita, most of tools are Makita:), shipped in good time and very well packaged. A high quality design and functionality, due to it smaller foot print it is m easy to store and carry to job sites, the cutting accuracy is spot on as well. It will and has cut through anything I have thrown at it with ease, nice power...

The saw was extremely disappointing. I purchased it after having used a DeWalt 8 1/2 inch sliding miter saw for the last 20 years or so. Unfortunately, DeWalt no longer makes that model, and there are not a lot of choices for that size of sliding miter saw. However, I have owned Makita tools in the past and so I was hopeful. Here are the things that were disappointing. After getting used to the deWalt table lock system, where you just push the handle down and it automatically locks at any angle ; to have to twist two or three turns on the Makita to lock, It is annoying. This isn’t the case if you’re using one of the detents however, if not you will be getting a little bit of a workout with this. The detent for 0 or 90 degree cuts is fairly sloppy. You cannot assume that it’s true. I had to calibrate the fence and the. Calibrated the little plastic arrow and pay attention that it’s not off by a degree one way or the other. Then twisting the lock knob to secure it. The grip orientation being in a pistol grip, puts your wrist in a little bit of an uncomfortable position compared to Dewalt saws where the handle is sideways for more ergonomic use. I’m not thrilled with the fact that you can only cut an angle up to 47° left or right, previously my DeWalt would cut 50° to left or 60° to the right. The fence being as tremendously low as it is is something that can be resolved with a wood or other sacrificial fence but it’s still a little cheesy. These failings are annoying when you use the saw 25-50 times a day, especially if you need to frequently change the angle of the table. Here are the things that I do like about it. I like that it only has a 10 amp motor so it is less prone to tripping a breaker. I like that it has adjustable supports on both sides and on the right side it can be used as a stop for repeat cuts. It does cut smoothly. I like that you can adjust the dado/partial cut function or bypass it very quickly with the flick of a switch. It is nice to have a full 12 inch cut capacity if you’re cutting at a 90° angle. It is very light compared to my Dewalt. I realize most people are not comparing this saw with a 20 year-old DeWalt 8 1/2 inch miter saw. However, many of these features have been used in most modern saws in my experience, so it is a little surprising that Makita has not adopted more of these features. It is not a cheap saw, and therefore it really should be better. This review is brought to you by a 30 year professional carpenter.

The bevel graduations for your degrees are so small and close together you need a magnifying glass to even get close to say 22.5° besides that the saw is incredibly light, smooth slide and great cut capacity for a compact saw.. I’d like to see a larger miter ability but you can have it all I guess. If I’m doing crown I would definitely rather use a 12” saw with taller fence. This saw has plenty of power. Great soft start motor so you don’t get that jolt of instant torque.. the LED shadow line is great as you can turn it off or on with a switch… cuts 11” LVL’s like butter with zero bogging of the motor. The stop and out rigger supports are a bit flimsy but that the cost to get a light saw…If you don’t need a 80lb 12” saw I would definitely recommend this as the pros out weigh the cons.

This saw is not perfect. But…. With the right attitude it can do everything you need it to do. I’m not sure of any other saw this size that can cross cut 12”. That’s a big deal to me personally. I’ve been using this saw for about 4 years now and I don’t think I could go back to a 10” definitely not a 12”. It can cut wide crown if you play with it a little. For the space it takes up in my truck I’ll take a couple extra seconds of set up. I very much like this saw.

Good quality tool and easy to operate

Great saw!

Husband loves it! Should have looked at voltage!! Had to buy a transformer!

Amazing piece of equipment

Adjustments were out. Doesn’t track true straight