If you’re eyeing on a saw that doesn’t require you to flip over your material, then the Makita LS1019L 10-Inch Dual-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw is a must-try due to its fantastic design and features. Whether it’s straight cutting or beveling, a double-bevel sliding compound miter saw typically has more advantages and convenience over those that aren’t.
With that said, I will review this miter saw to let you know its pros and cons so you’ll know what to expect.
Makita LS1019L 10-Inch Dual-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw
As a dual-bevel sliding compound miter saw, this style of miter saw is best used for general woodworking tasks such as crown molding, cutting baseboards, and the like. It is also more convenient to work on your material thanks to the dual-bevel mechanism.
Specifications
This miter saw is a 10-inch model with a 5/8-inch arbor size, which delivers 3,200 RPM with its 15-amp direct-drive motor. The capacity of the saw is 6-5/8 inches for crown molding and 5-1/4 inches for baseboard, meaning it can work for a single pass when working on 4×4 dimensional lumber.
At 90 degrees, it can make 12-inch crosscuts. Its bevel capacity is up to 48 degrees for left and right while up to 60 degrees on mitering. The weight of the entire unit is 57.9 pounds.
Quality
The tool is backed by a 1-year limited warranty from Makita so you can take it to an authorized service center for repairs or replacement without charge. With that said, many quality features make it durable for long-term use.
When it comes to stability, this saw has an aluminum base that keeps it safely and securely in place for the operator. Furthermore, it has a guard system that’s designed for its vertical cuts, aside from the direct drive motor (less maintenance) mentioned above. It also has a soft-start feature that prolongs gear life.
Usability
The Makita LS1019L sports many convenient features. For example, it has a laser guide that helps with accuracy. It also has an electric brake which speeds up your tasks when working with repetitive cuts, especially if you need to meet a daily quota.
For easy flush operation against a wall, its 2-steel rail sliding system will make your work easier without consuming a lot of space in the work area. Due to the see-through blade guard system, you will make fewer mistakes since you can see the line of cut and the blade while working on your material. Added to the list of convenient features is a bevel lock at the front of the unit.
Should You Buy the Makita LS1019L?
If you desire total convenience when working on materials, the Makita LS1019L is the miter saw for your needs. Due to its convenient features, such as a rail sliding system, see-through guard, and laser guide, you will finish your tasks in no time, allowing you to be more productive at work. This will work best for job site use, woodworking, and similar tasks.
Aside from that, because of its laser guide, it is more suitable for jobs that require precise accuracy, so it is most likely that you’ll buy this tool if you work on a professional level.
If you are still unsure about the decision, go through the below list of the pros and cons of the tool.
Pros of the Makita LS1019L
Let’s start with the pros.
It has a laser guide.
The laser guide is a much beloved feature for any miter saw since it helps you to make your cut as accurate as possible. Gone are the days of starting anew to redo cuts because of poor estimates and measurements – the laser guide will help you to save time. Laser guides are also tool-less ways of getting the right measurement for your material so you don’t have to keep your hands full when working on it.
There’s an electric brake.
An electric brake is yet another cherished feature not just in a miter saw, but in most power tools in general. An electric brake stops the saw from spinning excessively so you can make repetitive cuts much faster than if you would with a unit that doesn’t have an electric brake. This will save serious time and increase productivity overall.
It has a convenient rail sliding system.
Due to the 2-steel rail sliding system, you can perform flush operations against a wall and save tons of space on the job site. We all know how difficult it is to have many tools and machines in a work area so if you want to reduce your tool footprint and work more efficiently, having a dual-bevel saw like this one would be incredibly beneficial.
It has a great dust collection system.
With an included dust bag, due to the dual dust collection ports, you will worry less about the time spent in cleaning up your work area.
Cons of the Makita LS1019L
On the other hand, while it has good points, the product does have some minor drawbacks.
Sometimes there are packaging issues.
Although this is a case-to-case basis, some batches have had damaged packaging, although this wouldn’t affect the overall quality of the miter saw. Likewise, if you are meticulous with packaging then you might find this to be a con to consider.
The rail and the motor might not be parallel.
This might seem like a serious problem at first, but you can quickly fix it by loosening two screws on the aluminum part and tightening them after twisting a bit. There are guides online on how to perform a quick fix for this one.
What Are the Alternatives to the Makita LS1019L?
The DeWalt DWS780 12-Inch Miter Saw is a worthy pick, with 3,800-RPM of speed from a 15-amp motor. Its unique XPS crosscut positioning system helps maintain accuracy and convenience while it has a good belt drive design for vertical cuts. The miter detent plate is made of stainless steel with 10 positive stops for easy custom cutting.
Like the Makita pick I mentioned above, it also has a convenient dust collection system, which can capture up to 75% of work dust. And since this is a 12-inch double bevel sliding miter saw, you can use it for much bigger projects, such as deck building.
If you want a similar dual-bevel unit with a laser guide, the Metabo HPT 10-Inch Sliding Miter Saw is for you. This unit also has a 15-amp motor and even an LED work light for accuracy even in darker areas. Due to the upfront bevel lock, you can make bevel angle adjustments quickly.
This model is also lighter in weight at 24.5 pounds so moving it from one area of the job site to another will be a breeze. It has a 5-21/32-inch max cutting width, a 45-degree bevel (left), and a 52-degree miter (left and right).
If you want higher speed, the Bosch CM10GD Compact Miter Saw (read my review) is for you, since it delivers a powerful 4,800 RPM. As a miter saw with a 10-inch blade, it has up to 52 degrees (left) and 60 degrees (right) for its miter angle. Weighing 60 pounds, it is slightly heavier than the Makita LS1019L I mentioned above.
Among this saw’s convenient features include the bevel lock lever and range selector so you can choose the settings properly without losing grip on your material. It also has a crown/chop lock for easy nested crown molding and base molding.
Summary
For the serious woodworker who wants to increase their productivity, the Makita LS1019L is worth the investment due to the plethora of convenient and time-saving features.
It might have some packaging issues, but if you’re not very concerned with that, the miter saw has a lot of power and usability to boast which will make it especially useful on a job site