# question for angus - miter saw



## wombosi (Apr 22, 2008)

hey angus,
how are you man?

well, i had loaded up my amazon cart with about $1K in power tools.

went to order today and the miter saw had shot up in price by about $80!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007J8CG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

was $369 just yesterday. it's now more expensive than it's successor, with the laser, which i don't want.

question is, is it still worth it at $440?
do you think after i order it it will go back down within 30 days and i can get a refund through amazon?

seemed much, much more appealing at $369, i must say. but then again, maybe just say what the hell and get it anyway.

thanks bro.


----------



## angus242 (May 1, 2008)

WOW 

You're not gonna believe this but I just bought that saw with the laser from Amazon in January for $363 AND got a free 2 1/4 hp router to boot. If the laser version is cheaper, get it. After I trued the blade, the laser is actually dead on but there's an on/off switch on it so you don't HAVE to use it. I admit, I rarely use the laser myself but it's nice to have if I want it.

Like I've said in previous posts, you need to check Amazon often because their prices change daily...and as you've seen, sometimes hourly. I'd check back a few times over the next couple of days to see what it's at. It's definitely worth the cash...either way. 

Now about that saw....it's SO worth it!!!! I also bought a Freud Diablo 80 tooth blade. I use the saw for finish work and I cannot tell you how well it works. I am 100% satisfied. It has allowed my finish carpentry work to be perfect! Look at my molding miter. It's perfect. Even better than the cabinet maker did on their door miter!


----------



## wombosi (Apr 22, 2008)

thanks buddy.
yeah, that molding is brilliant.
did the other guy do the door just above it? 
that couldn't be your work...

well, bit the bullet today. ordered a hitachi finish nail gun, makita 2400 compressor, milwaukee sawzall, and the hitachi miter saw.
i feel like an idiot for not ordering a few days ago and getting it for $369.
paid $439 for it, but hoping within 30 days it will go back down.
it's still $150 cheaper than the builder's store here.

also got a rubber hose, a speed square, and other miscellaneous stuff.

need to go to the store for the nails, and maybe a quick release.

going to get the panasonic hammer drill on ebay.

thanks again.
b

by the way, what stand do you use for the saw? do i have to get the hitachi stand, or can a universal one work? that "stablemate" looks nice.

how is the stock blade on the miter saw? good enough? carbide, right?


----------



## angus242 (May 1, 2008)

_by the way, what stand do you use for the saw? do i have to get the hitachi stand, or can a universal one work? that "stablemate" looks nice.
_Universal will work. Home Depot just had this one on sale for $99. 
http://www.markandleah.com/reviews/ridgid_msuv.php
You might check some of the local stores around you. I think they were selling out of what they had and that was it.

_how is the stock blade on the miter saw? good enough? carbide, right?_
Don't know. I took my saw out of the box and instantly changed the blade. If you're not doing any finish work, it will most likely do OK.

The cabinet door came that way. Actually, you can't tell in person. I didn't even notice that miter until I took the picture and zoomed in. So the door's not that bad, the molding is that good!

Good luck and enjoy your purchases!


----------



## wombosi (Apr 22, 2008)

hey again man.

picked up a box of nails today.
2.5" angled finish, galvanized "brads", made by bulls-eye fasteners.
cost almost $50. box of 4,000.

i'm wondering a few things: did i get ripped off? should i get genuine hitachi brand? 

would these nails be suitable for say, building a picket fence? would the nails be big enough to hold the pickets in place? would i want the double-dipped galvanized for that? something with a bigger head?

i haven't actually seen these nails yet, because i don't want to open the box until i'm sure i'll need them.

i got the long length because i need to do trim through 5/8" drywall and the 2" doesn't seem long enough.

also picked up some quick connect valves for the compressor hose.

thanks man.


----------



## angus242 (May 1, 2008)

I'm not expert on nails but $50 sounds high, although they're galvanized so that may be the added cost. Genuine Hitachi is not needed.
Also, I don't do fences so I can't legitimately answer the double dipped question. I know galvanized outside is a good thing. As for the nail head size, you can't adjust that. If you bought a 15ga nail gun, you get 15ga nails. Just make sure the length is what you need for the project. 2+" for interior trim work is fine. I doubt 2" is small enough for a picket fence. You need to be careful when air nailing something like a fence that you don't use your hand to clamp the picket to the rail and then proceed to run a nail into your hand. I've seen the "hand-as-a-clamp" thing go all wrong. Perhaps a bit of exterior wood glue to help hold the pickets in place? 
Maybe throw a question up in the Landscaping or Carpentry forums about the fence.

Sorry


----------



## wombosi (Apr 22, 2008)

thanks buddy.

well, received all the tools today, minus the makita compressor, which comes tomorrow.

pretty impressive service from amazon.

one thing, though.

just set up the miter saw.

i noticed on the bottom plate, next to where it all as all the miter stops, there are some fairly heavy scratches that look like they've been there awhile. i feel like i just bought a used saw. not sure it's worth the time and hassle to return it or exchange it. is this common to happen during shipping?

there's a little section with some decent gauges on it, if you run your finger over it it's all bumpy. not horrible, though.

pain in the butt.

haven't yet made a cut with the saw, just trying to figure out all the stops and screws and bevels. the dual bevel adjustment seems a little crude, somehow. but what do i know?

got the milwaukee sawzal, and hitachi 15 gauge finisher nailer.

both seem cool. can't wait to shoot some nails tomorrow. the "bump fire" thing seems extremely dangerous. i dind't realize what that meant until i saw the gun.


UPDATE: called amazon. they're sending me a replacement miter saw on monday. in the meantime, the guy said it's fine if i use this one. UPS will pick it up for the swap on monday.

definitely a lot of hassle on the phone, but amazon has always been very good to me like this. of course if they hadn't shipped me a friggin' scratched saw....


----------



## wombosi (Apr 22, 2008)

awesome man.
just dropped $90 on amazon. got a refund, and another replacement saw overnighted to me.

amazon is great.

sorry to message you like this, but since i haven't done 20 posts yet, i can send a PM.


----------



## angus242 (May 1, 2008)

:thumbsup:


----------



## skymaster (Jun 6, 2007)

Finish nails will not hold fence pickets, you need common nails.


----------



## wombosi (Apr 22, 2008)

thanks skymaster.

hey angus...

so, got the mac2400 up and rolling today. arrived in perfect shape. i broke it in as directed. works beatifully but actually much louder than i though it would be based on reviews. still basically have to shout to carry on a conversation within about 20 feet of it.

anyway, shot a few nails with the hitachi finish nailer. took me awhile to realize that the "no mar" nose piece was clipped onto the magazine. i had already marred the hell out of the door trim, unfortunately.

the depth setting is very hard to get right. is this done strictly on the gun, or on the compressor too? the gun says 70-120 psi. does that mean at 120 the nails will be set deeper, or is that strictly controlled by the gun? is it also affected by what you hit? it seemed like just going into drywall it wuld sink way deep, but if you hit a stud, it barely sank at all.

the gun seems nice. i think the "air blast" button is absurdly located. even in the 5 minutes i used it, i probably hit it five times and each time scared the crap out of myself. 


big question.

i still need to do window trim and baseboards, paint those, and a final coat rolled out on the walls.

at what point should i sand the hard wood floor? i assume staining the floor will be the absolute last thing to do. 

should i sand now, then install baseboard? or install all trim, then sand, then paint trim and wall, then stain floor?

thanks man.

oh, and i decided to return the milwaukee. getting a panasonic hammer drill/sawzall combo that works out to same price or cheaper than getting the panny drill and milwaukee separately. 

thanks.


----------



## angus242 (May 1, 2008)

The PSI setting is basically whatever you set the gun to. However, if your gun is set to 120 but the compressor is set to 70, you see the problem there. What I do is set the compressor to whatever the gun's max is and then use the gun to regulate. 

As for the depth gauge, it starts with common sense. Drywall is obviously not as dense as lumber. The gun isn't smart enough to know what it's shooting in to. It just shoots at the set pressure. Until you get the hang of things, if possible, try a few sample nails on a piece of scrap trim first. If you have a piece of 2x4 and extra piece of trim, shoot a few nails to adjust depth. I've been using the same gun for 3 years so I just know what it's gonna be. Also having some nail sets will be very handy:
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-58-93...d_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1210993441&sr=8-1
Better to not go too deep than blast through an expensive piece of trim.

When to sand floors is a question that will give you multiple answers. I don't think there's really a correct answer. Some will wait but that makes the sanding towards the baseboard trim hard and sometimes uneven. There's sand first but then the possibility of damage exists. Since you asked, I like to sand BEFORE base trim is installed. I feel it gives a much better finished look at the end. Of course, you need to protect your wood floors while finishing your project. Here's how I do it. 
I use a layer of rosin paper, layer of cardboard and then a layer of lauan or Masonite...all taped at the seams. The floor must be perfectly cleaned before any of this goes down. A small piece of debris stuck under this will cause havoc.

Sorry about the sawzall. I personally would always have a corded sawzall. Cordless is very convenient, until it's not powerful enough 
I still say you would be best with the Makita drill/impact driver kit (the 1.5Ah) and then a corded sawzall and corded hammer drill. For as little as you'd use the hammer drill, (I'll say it again) you'll save yourself the fatigue of using a very heavy cordless drill. :whistling2:

Good luck
Angus


----------



## angus242 (May 1, 2008)

I thought this was funny. I was checking Amazon for a tool for myself this morning before I head off to work and I noticed your saw, today, is now over $500 and NO free shipping! :wacko:


----------



## wombosi (Apr 22, 2008)

haha. awesome.

good grief, though. a bit absurd.


----------



## urbanfarmer (May 19, 2008)

angus242 said:


> I thought this was funny. I was checking Amazon for a tool for myself this morning before I head off to work and I noticed your saw, today, is now over $500 and NO free shipping! :wacko:


Correct me if I am wrong, but the saw appears to be $369 again, and with free shipping.


----------



## angus242 (May 1, 2008)

Amazon's prices can change hourly.


----------



## krankykitty (May 16, 2008)

Scmolze-

Ok, so the pros may possibly disagree with me, but as a dyi'er, this is how it do the floor, trim, paint thing...

1) remove all baseboards, etc, and sand, stain and finish floor.
2) wait until the end of time for the floor to dry. ok, it's not really that long, but i try to give it like a week. and since doing a whole room doesn't happen overnight for me, it may be the next weekend til i get back, so it's ok. but the point is this, when you read the directions on whatever you use to finish the floor (i like polyurethane) it will usually say so long til another coat (if needed) so long til light traffic, so long till moving furnitue back, and so long til "done." lol well... i live in a humid area, and weather can effect times, so i just add a couples days because...
3) i now install plastic sheet over that entire floor, masking up a bit from the floor, where the baseboards will cover
4) mask over doors and windows
5) i was going to say spray ceiling then walls, but you said roll, so paint the walls...
6) then paint the trim... BEFORE i install it with finishing nails (note, plastic still on floor) actually, i paint it early on so it is nice and dry by this point, but you get the idea
7) touch up trim in place
8) gently pull back plastic, install previously painted baseboards, and touch up
roll plastic all toward middle of room and remove

now, you may get a small drop of paint on that floor, BUT, if you see it fall, and you are quick, a damp rag will take it right back up. note i said "touch up trim" this is mainly filling the finishing nail holes, then a quick swip of paint to hide that. don't overbrush, or it will look like crap.

like i said, the pros probably have ways they like better. but sanding a floor without trashing your baseboards can be tough to do (and still getting all the edges is a royal pain in the a**.) and then trying to paint those baseboards in place??? yuk. I like nice looking work, but way too tedious to do well.

just my take on it


----------

