# How much wall and table space should I alocate for my miter saw?



## Bearcreek (Jul 22, 2009)

Right now in order to save money in my new shop I am going to be using my Dewalt 12" compound slide as my miter instead of making the big purchace of a radial arm saw. How much wall space should I alocate for my miter saw? Right now my saw is on a Dewalt stand w/extensions. I want to get my miter out of the floor and get it on the wall where I can (at the point in time) replace it with my radial.

The side of the wall that my 10' door is on is 25' long. Would you all put it right in the middle of that wall?


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## Danxt (Jul 13, 2009)

IMHO...
I would skip the radial arm saw all together and stick with a good miter saw.
I am also in the process of building my miter saw table... I was planning on making it with about 8' to the left of the blade and 8' to the right of the blade. Mine is situated so that my 8' to the right would end at a wall, but my 8' to the left would allow me more room (up to about 25') if I ever needed it. I figured that for extra long lengths, I would just use a freestanding roller to help support the end.

As for the RAS... I have worked with several over the years, and have found them to be unreliable at best, and downright dangerous at worst.
I have never worked with a RAS that would stay in proper adjustment for miters, or that would hold a consistent depth of cut for non-thru cuts. If you have a miter saw and a table saw, I can't think of anything you would NEED a RAS for.


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## Jim Tank (Apr 28, 2009)

My mitre saw is on one of the assembly tables and floats around as the different jobs dictate. If I build something that will mostly be stationary then it takes up too much space and there is a tendence to pile stuff on the wings. Keep the assembly tables cleared and the mitre saw is never more than a step or two from the project.


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## red (Sep 30, 2008)

Mine has always floated around the shop were ever it was needed. As for the radial arm saw, give it a lot of thought. I bought one and never really used it for much at all. It was a big waste of money for me. 

Red


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## Gus Dering (Oct 14, 2008)

I would set it up with at least 9 ft on one side and 8 ft on the other.

I think the most important thing to do is set it up with a measured stop. Bolt the saw tight to the deck. It makes cutting so easy and accurate you will never look back.

Beisemeyer makes a good stop to fit on your table.

http://www.deltaportercable.com/Products/AccessoriesDetail.aspx?ProductID=13595
I am very happy with this set up


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## Bearcreek (Jul 22, 2009)

Gus Dering said:


> I would set it up with at least 9 ft on one side and 8 ft on the other.
> 
> I think the most important thing to do is set it up with a measured stop. Bolt the saw tight to the deck. It makes cutting so easy and accurate you will never look back.
> 
> ...


WOW...I would be too!! Are those standard kitchen cabinets or are those custom built?


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## Gus Dering (Oct 14, 2008)

The cabinets were shop made. This is my cabinet shop.

I can't stress the point enough that your chop saw station should be set up with a measured stop. There is no comparison to the accuracy and speed compared to measure , mark and cut. Not even close.


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## Julian the woodnut (Nov 5, 2008)

If you are setting up a stationary setup, I agree with gus. The stops make cutting accurately a breeze.


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Bearcreek said:


> The side of the wall that my 10' door is on is 25' long. Would you all put it right in the middle of that wall?


Good advice from the other members, and good ideas. I would build a long cabinet, as shown in some of the pictures, but I would mount it on locking casters so that you can move it around later. That way it can be rolled up to the wall, out of the way, but you can also change locations at will. 
As for a radial arm saw, they are a good unit, and definitely have their uses, but there are a lot of used machines on the market, and some of them are at a very good price.
Depending on what you are doing a good cross sliding compound miter saw will do many of the jobs that a radial arm saw will do, but a radial arm saw has rip capability which a cscms does not.
as in most cases the equipment you buy depends entirely on what type of work you are doing, and hugely on personal preference.

Gerry


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## scribbles (Mar 2, 2009)

Whatever you do, try to decide what length of lumber you will be working in your shop. My shop now is setup were I normally use 12' lengths, so my miter saw table is 12' one way and 6' the other. You can make any cut on that size table. But I also made my shop so I could run 16' with moving a couple things around. First thing first think of what lumber you will be handling.


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