Miter Saw Fence Question LS1214

Re: Miter Saw Fence Question LS1214

kneale brownson

No trouble with my Dewalt 12-inch

Re: Miter Saw Fence Question LS1214

Johanna Johanson

I have a Makita 1014 - the fence has always been dead on straight and the turntable is accurate.

Re: 12'' Accuracy

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

I think the 12" Makitas were designed for job-site use where "close enough for govmint work" was OK but not in the wood shop. My LS 1211 had a slight variation between the two work faces that I solved with a mallet and wood block; been straight ever since.

The biggest issue I had was the accuracy of the cuts with the stock thin-kerf blande the liked to wiggle a bit in hard wood. Solved that with a couple of full kerf blades that took all the wiggle out.

Re: Miter Saw Fence Question LS1214

Jack Dover

There were accuracy issues with a couple of saws, although with cheap ones. My current 12" DeWalt refuses to cut a 45, but its fence is dead straight and square cuts are almost square. At some point I just figured that chop saws are a carpentry tool for jobs where a 1/64" off isn't a big deal. So now I use a chop saw to break down material to a rough length, and precise squaring is done later, either on a table saw or on a shooting board.

Re: Miter Saw Fence Question LS1214

John Jardin

John, I went through exactly the same thing 20 years ago with my LS1213. The one piece casting was off so I replaced it with a nice straight fence. This has allowed me to add various stops to it and increased the accuracy. Overall, the Makita machine is a great saw.

Re: Miter Saw Fence Question LS1214

Paul Blackwell

I have a 12" DeWalt saw, and it's dead on square and the 45 is also on. Don't remember exactly how it's done, but there is an adjustment to set square which involves moving the saw in relation to the fence, not moving the fence.

Had same problem with LS1220

Tim Greif - West of Chicago™

My Makita LS1220 is not a slider, but has virtually the same fence and subfence as your 1214. Mine had bent, becoming ever so slightly concave. I'll be willing to bet you had a kickback somewhere along the line. I'm convinced that's what happened to me. When I called the factory to ask about how a cast aluminum fence could have bent, that's the first question the tech guy asked me - "did you ever have a kickback?". When cutting pieces with small cutoffs, there's a reason they say don't raise the blade back up until the blade stops. New fence assembly was about $80 and restored the saw to perfect alignment. Still have it and still like it. Just be careful about those cutoffs. If I were you, I'd just replace the fence.

Re: Miter Saw Fence Question LS1214

Grant Smith

I can chime in here to offer what I do with mine.

I too have this saw, haven't had any problems with accuracy. When I bought it, I swore I wouldn't take the machine out of the shop. It wasn't long before I broke that rule. Indeed, as of this writing, it is at a good friends house to complete some trim work. Anyway...

My fence is still straight, and I would likely use the block and mallet approach if it needed straightened. If I broke it, then I would buy another if it was reasonable.

In my shop, the saw is usually bolted to a long table that has built in custom height fences left and right I made just for the saw to make things better and straighter. Every time I bring the saw home and replace it in its specific spot, I use my long 6' level to align the machine with the fences front to rear. I then bolt it down fairly snug until the saw table and fence tables are also vertical in alignment.

I have often used a long level to align things (though not to bend). Sometimes a clamp or two to hold things while I make adjustments to get things perfect.

Haven't had much trouble with it over the 8 or nine years I have owned it, despite asking more of it than it should have to give.

FWIW,

Grant in Iowa

Re: Here is the fence you seek LS1214

Grant Smith

Here's a fence that I think you seek and it is reasonable:

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwitv7f7vsLwAhUR--MHHUBVDGwYABAMGgJ5bQ&sig=AOD64_04Cp4fckFz5Cot2-r_0ry-tKP53Q&ctype=5&q=&ved=0ahUKEwiJ-bH7vsLwAhWNGs0KHbIODrUQ2CkIuAQ&adurl=

Regards,

Grant in Iowa