Best 7 1/4 Inch Sliding Miter Saw – Top 4 Choices

In this world of advancing technologies and the ever-growing competition, there is a need to produce and perfect everything as much as possible. For the woodworkers, handymen, DIY’ers and trim carpenters, making precise angled cuts on timber, window casings, crown moldings, and frames is no joke at all; you need to have the perfect tools for each job. For these woody and cutting jobs at large, a miter saw comes in as a must-have tool, where regular saws lose their limits, sliding miter saws can be very helpful.

A 7 1/4 sliding miter saw can be a worthwhile addition to any workshop as well as your own toolbox, providing the extra cutting capacity to work with wide crown moldings, baseboards, and such with an added advantage of comfort portability. These are the very lightest of saws however smaller ones are also available in the market. Some permanently mounted models are portable that you can tow around when needed.

7 1/4 ” sliding miter saw  Reviews 2021

We have narrowed down a list of the best 7 1/4 inch sliding miter saws available in the market today to meet your budget & requirements both since there are not too many available in this size.

Here is a list of top rated miter saw for money as per our editors;

1. Craftman (CMCS714M1) – Ideal for Occasional User

CRAFTSMAN has re-launched a whole new range of power tools recently. This CMCS714M1 V20 is a 7-1/4 inch cordless sliding miter saw which is power-driven by a dominant motor providing a no-load 3, 800 RPM.  It runs on a V 20 battery platform, designed for skillfully plowing through 2x dimensional timber, hardwood, baseboards, and trims easily.

The sliding capability along with the 7-1/4 inch, 40 teeth carbide-tipped blade allows for a cut capacity of 8-inch crosscuts when set at a right angle, and 5.5 inches at 45 degrees. Also, this saw has a 3-5/8-inch nested crown and 3-1/2 inch vertical baseboard cutting capacity. This is a single bevel sliding miter saw with up to a 47-degree bevel for making compound and angled cuts. And it allows for 47 degrees left and right miter cuts, with 9 built-in miter detent stops for increased accuracy.

This miter saw features a lightweight design coming in at 21.8 lbs., coupled with the carry handles built into the saw’s table making this tool extremely portable. And the provided LED light gives an accurate and easy cut line to track eliminating any shadows, allowing for precise cutting.

Craftsman has also included clamps in this miter saw to hold the material in place stably for increased safety during the cutting procedure along with an included dust bag (interchangeable with a shop vac) for efficient dust collection providing a clean environment.

2. DEWALT (DCS361M1) –  Best Cordless Miter Saw

DEWALT, introduced the revolutionary cordless 20VMAX* – XR line of Brushless power tools in 2013, which comprises brushless motors and high capacity lithium-ion batteries. This DEWALT DCS361M1 is from the line of 20V Max Cordless Miter Saws working on a 20V Max Battery Pack (DCB204) which is stated to provide, 183 cuts on 2×4 pine or 275 cuts on 3-1/4 pine baseboard on average.

This is a 7 1/4 inch single bevel sliding miter saw featuring a left bevel from -3 Degrees to 48 Degrees left with an integrated XPS cross cut positioning system that provides a no adjustment cut line indication mechanism for improved accuracy and visibility. This saw has 10 positive stops on the moveable stainless steel miter detent plate to improve efficiency and ensure cutting accuracy along with an oversized bevel scale which makes bevel angle tunings accurate and easy.

This compact, lightweight miter saw weighing 31.6 lbs makes transport and storage easy. Combined with a cam lock miter handle for swift, accurate miter angles, and a precise miter system is the machined base fence support sturdy enough to maximize durability and cutting accuracy. This saw is capable of the most common cuts needed allowing for a 3 1/2 inch maximum vertical, 3 5/8 inch crown nested, and 2×8 inch horizontal cross-cutting capacity.

This one is worth your investment as it not only belongs to a renowned manufacturer but has a history of offering sturdy, superior quality saws with tons of happy customers, who can vouch how content with their purchase. Rest assured, this saw is the same as it was advertised. though it was a lightweight saw, its safety features, design, and built is of professional level.

3. Kobalt  ( SM1850LW ) – Ideal for Molding and Framing Cuts

This Kobalt 7 1/4” is a sliding compound miter saw with a potent 9-amp motor to deliver a maximum of 5,000-RPM of power which is useful for a variety of woodwork jobs and ideal for molding and framing cuts. This die-cast aluminum miter saw is lightweight weighing only 21.9 pounds, making it easily moveable from the storage point to the job site.

It is a single bevel compound saw with positive miter and bevel stops to provide accurate placement of most common angles. The 45° left bevel and 45° left and right miters in this saw allow for versatility to your cutting with a maximum crosscut capacity of up to 2 x 8 inches. The tall aluminum fence provides enough support, while a clamp holds the material in place for accurate miter, bevel, and compound cuts.

This compact miter saw features a smooth dual slide rail system with linear bearings for an accurate cutting procedure by the side of a spindle lock which allows for safe blade changes, while the vertically-mounted laser guide projects a pre-cut line indication for particular alignment and increased accuracy. There is also a 1-1/4-inch vacuum port for dust collection with a perfect wet or dry vacuum to provide a cleaner job site.

4. Ryobi 7 1/4 Miter Saw – Ideal for Crown Molding and Trim

Revolution begins with Ryobi. Ryobi has introduced a whole new range of power tools utilizing advanced technologies and superior ergonomics to deliver high performance and a premium user experience and this 7-1/4 inch 25 pounds sliding miter saw is a new edition to the Ryobi miter saw family.

With a 10 amp power motor, it can deliver a maximum RPM of 5,350; it is designed to make angled cuts with the 7-1/4 inches carbide-tipped blade of up to 45° on boards all the way up to 6 inches wide, and has maximum crosscut dimensions of 1-1/2 x 10 inches at a right angle; 1-1/2 x 6 inches at a 45-degree angle.

This saw features an LED cutline pointer that helps illuminate the workspace and make for easier accurate cuts and a quick action lever on this saw offers you the ease to lock in on any angle combined with positive miter stops for all common crown molding angles and equipped with a comfortable horizontal D-handle for supreme visibility along with the electric brake to bring an instant halt to the blade for added safety, allowing anyone to become a meticulous craftsman.

Since it is a sliding miter saw, the sliding head maximizes the capacity for up to 10 inches on wide boards at zero bevel miter stops located at the most common crown molding angles: 0°, 15°, 22.5°, 31.6°, and 45° (left and right) and miter range from 47° left to 47° right to accommodate the most diverse cuts as the miter detent override also provides quick-action lever bypass with one simple motion.

How to cut 4 x 4 using a 7 1/4 inch miter saw?

A miter saw blade is designed to make vertical cuts across a board at a right angle or swivel sideways for miter cuts; however, the cutting capacity may depend upon the type of saw being used.

Compound Miter Saw

Compound miter saws have more or less the same capacity as fixed miter saws. The blade of a compound miter saw can tilt in place as well as rotate, so the cuts that both miter and bevel boards are called compound miters.

Sliding Compound Miter Saw

The sliding compound miter saw blade and motor are mounted on side rails so you can pull the blade across the board allowing you to cut wider boards than does a miter or compound miter saw, although the thickness a saw can cut does not change.

You won’t get through a 4×4 in one cut with a 7-1/4 inch miter saw. It’s not just a 4×4 you can’t cut; you can’t even cut a 2×4 unless the saw is a sliding one, although most 7-1/4 inch sliding saws state to have the maximum crosscut capacity of up to 2-inch x 8-inch. In simple words, the 7 ¼ inch blades are not large enough to go through a 4×4 in one single pass. To cut the story short, you will need a 12-inch miter saw to cut a 4 x 4.

The Ultimate Buyer’s  Guide Regarding 7  1/4 Sliding Miter Saw

If you are looking for a 7 1/4 inch sliding miter saw, there are a number of factors that you need to consider before making any decision. Based on your requirements and budget, you can opt for a simple single bevel cordless model if you are a contractor or go for a high-end product if you need it for professional woodworking.

Following are some of the main features and factors you must look into before buying a 7 1/4 sliding miter saw.

The first and foremost thing to consider for a miter saw is the power of the motor which it is plowing on. For cutting larger boards or tougher materials, you will need a more powerful miter saw. On the other hand, if you are a DIY’er or a homeowner looking for some casual trimming job low powered saws should be considered. In most other cases, a sliding miter saw with a motor power of around 12-15 amperes is usually sufficient; although DIY’ers can settle to even lower power. Also, miter saws with powerful motors tend to be costlier so the budget restrictions also come into play.

Any miter saw available in the market is usually designed around a specifically sized blade. Therefore, you should be clear about what blade size you want. Generally speaking, bigger blades can make cuts deeper and faster but they take more space; still, the difference in size is not that enormous. Once you have bought a sliding miter saw, you have a fixed blade size and you can only modify the shape and/or size of the cutting edge of the blade.

If you are a contractor who needs to move the saw around frequently, you might need a portable 7 1/4″ sliding miter saw. As a rule of thumb, lightweight sliding miter saws are more portable sometimes featuring a handle to carry them around. However, this advantage of portability comes at the cost of sturdiness and durability. The more durable a miter saw is, the more heavy and costly it will be.

Also, many portable saws in the market are offered in cordless versions but their power is relatively lower than the corded versions although exceptions can be found elsewhere. If you are a professional worker who will be extensively using the miter saw, you should go for a sturdier option albeit compromising portability. On the other hand, a DIY’er might only use the saw once in a blue moon and should not be bothered with durability.

Therefore, while choosing a sliding miter saw for yourself, give good thinking about your portability and durability requirement and select the optimum according to your needs.

One of the prime factors to decide your choice of a sliding miter saw is your requirement of accuracy in molding and cutting. Depending on the nature of the job, the requirement of accuracy varies widely. For a professional carpenter working with delicate trims and molding, accuracy cannot be undermined.

While a DIY’er can settle for low accuracy miter saw for his/ her deck extension work.  Having a cut line marker is one of the measures of how accurate a miter saw is. You can choose to get one without a cut line marking mechanism (less accurate), with a laser marker, or even a shadow line (Pro mechanism).

Easy to operate a miter saw comes in handy when handling hefty jobs on the worksite. Obviously a professional wouldn’t want to spend hours going through the manual to understand how the saw works. So it’s best to find the one, that is easy to operate as well as have visible miter and bevel readings and upfront control mechanism and can smoothly replace the blade.

Another important thing to consider is the bevel and miter adjustments. Most of the sliding miter saws have a single bevel design, i.e., their blade can tilt only in one direction. Depending on your work requirements, you may opt for a single or double bevel design. The extents of angles up to which the bevel, as well as miter, can rotate define the cutting ability of a miter saw. This cutting capacity can be fully utilized through various positive stops on predetermined angles that are frequently used and locks for quick and easy adjustment.

Usually, a high-quality sliding miter saw has larger angle ranges and more positive stops for quick and accurate adjustments. When looking for a 7.25-inch sliding miter saw, you should take into account your requirements, have a cost to benefit analysis of accuracy, consider the bevel and miter adjustments and choose the best suited for your needs.

Some saws have awesome laser guides or XPS positioning with an LED light that helps make precise, accurate cuts by placing the red laser line on the material showing correctly the cut-in line. It is a useful feature but not every miter saw has it and those who have are not really accurate, some even failed to work during daylights. But Some miter saws like Dewalt’s with XPS positioning works wonder. Professional woodworkers don’t necessarily need them but surely this could be very supportive for a beginner.

Although not directly related to the cutting ability of a miter saw, the dust collection mechanism is the most important accessory system of a sliding miter saw. Almost all of the models available in the market have a dust collector port to sweep the sawdust to keep the work area clean and prevent any health hazard from breathing it in. In most cases, this dust collection port can either be connected with a dust collection bag or can be attached with a vacuum hose.

There are miter saws available with tubes/hoses to blow air at the cutting edge to move the sawdust in certain directions thus avoiding any obstruction of view of the surface being cut. Although this system cleans the work surface, it spreads the sawdust all over the area. This issue can be resolved by getting a dust collection hood (sold separately) which keeps a very large quantity of sawdust.

People Also Ask

CONCLUSION

In this review, we have compiled the best 4 quality sliding miter saws which are dedicated to providing you a great cutting experience. These miter saws are good for any type of woodworking, floor fitting, frame fixing, cupboards installing, or crown moldings. It is always important to keep a quality miter saw that can provide you accurate cuts depending on your needs. So choose the one that fits your needs and requirements, we hope this review on 7 1/4″ sliding miter saws will help you to decide on your final purchase.

GOOD LUCK!!