Double Miter Saw - vertical vs. horizontal cutting stroke

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astraios

astraios

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Time to explore possible solutions for double miter saw (hopefully my wife won't see this post because she forbid me to buy new equipment until 2012 ;)

Hopefully someone has experience with both systems - vertical vs. horizontal cutting stroke.

I am leaning to horizontal cutting stroke mainly because of cutting width (5.5 - 6"), so I can introduce some really beautiful new moldings. But most important thing for me is cutting quality. If there is no difference between the systems than the answer is simple.

I am considering Cassese SC969 and ITW (Alfamacchine) T200P, but I am open to suggestions (keep in mind that I am in E. Europe so no Pistorius :(
 
One thing I recall from looking at them is the horizontal ones wasted less moulding then a vertical cut. This is only 1" per pass, but sometimes that 3" of waste requires the use of a second stick of moulding. I know that I was talking with a moulding company and he told me that the cost savings of that 3" was enough to pay for the saw in less then a year.

BTW, I have a Pistorius and love it.
 
One thing to think about is where any chipping will occur on the frame being cut. The chipping usually occurs on the last part of the moulding corner to be cut, as this is where any mis-allignment pressure or pressure from bending warped moulding will exert its force, which can cause the moulding to break apart before the blade has a chance to pass all the way through. With a verical cut, as the width of the blade passes down through the back of the moulding, the chipping tends to be on the outside bottom corner of the corner. With a horizontal cut, the last part of the moulding to be cut is the top of the corner, which is where the chipping then occurs. This is certainly the more visible area.

That said, I like my horizontal double mitre saw the best. I've been told by others that horizontal gives them a better cut, and I see no reason to disagree. I just have to pay extra attention to the sharpness of my blades so that I don't get much chipping on the top corner.
 
I am with JBW. I have a Brevetti Prisma CE double mitre saw and, after I got the hang of it, it is a great machine. yes, it will chip the top rear edge of moulding especially those wretched square ones with 2mm of concrete compo on them but this can be overcome by trimming a sliver off and is minimised by using good, sharp blades.

If money were no object I would have the big upright Valiani which cuts vertically and clamps every which-way to nearly eliminate chipping. Sadly, my budget won't stretch that far.
 
I went with the Brevetti Prisma Maxi when I decided to upgrade. Capacity was a primary factor (3"h x 7"w). There is the chip out issue, but it is minimal as others have pointed out. I was cautioned at the time about parts availability vs. the Pistorius, but it has not been an issue.
 
With a horizontal cut, the last part of the moulding to be cut is the top of the corner, which is where the chipping then occurs.
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There is the chip out issue, but it is minimal as others have pointed out.
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.... is this more in a sense "could happen" or "happens every time"?

Maybe someone can confirm if Cassese «Raised Blade Stroke» system (blades travel higher than in other saws) eliminate this problem.


I didn't even consider Brevetti ... thanks for the info. It could be a good option especially I am near the Italy.


f money were no object I would have the big upright Valiani which cuts vertically and clamps every which-way to nearly eliminate chipping.
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I didn't know that Valiani manufactures mitre saws. Is there maybe a web link to get some more information?
 
Been using a CTD DMC70 horizontal double mitre saw. No clamps, manual stroke. Gets a true cut, but as others mentioned need to watch for chipping on upper outside edge. Sharp blades, no problem. Otherwise, slow the stroke down to finesse the end cut works well. Cuts through wide 5-6" moulding like butter. Most important is the machine needs to be calibrated precisely to get consistently good cuts.

Great machine.
 
I think I may have got the name wrong. The saw I was thinking about is sold in Australia by the same people who sell Valiani but is made by Alfamacchine - also Italian.

http://www.alfamacchine.com/dmsales.asp

I have seen it in action, in fact my local supplier uses one for their chop service and the results are superb- perfect mitres and exact length every time.
 
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