Craftsman 12" Compound Miter Saw (21217)

Powerful and accurate...

...at least for the few times that I've used it. I bought it with one specific project in mind and that project was a success so I can say that this was a good purchase. Out of the box I would strongly recommend that you check the settings for the accuracy of the blade, the 90 and the 45. The instructions in the manual were very helpful. Once adjusted, the cuts were very precise and clean, especially in the 4x4 stock. The included blade is very good, but I did invest in more material-specific blades. For the price, provided it gives me a few good years of use, I would recommend this saw.

Craftsman 12" miter saw

<p>I bought this saw 2 weeks ago for around the house prodjects.  Nice cutting job glad I bought it.  Don't bother connecting to sawdust bag.  I've been cutting wood for the past two weeks and the bad is still empty.</p>

Great saw for the price.

<p>I bought this 12&quot; miter saw to replace my old 10&quot; saw.  I was looking for something that would allow me to easily cut and miter some 5&quot; crown mouldings.  This saw was way more than what I was expecting.  It has a built in laser to allow you to quickly see where you are cutting.  It also is a compound miter saw allowing you to quicly change either the table or the saw head to different cutting angles.  It is solid and has a nice large cutting area.  The handle grip is comfortable and allows easy access to the power and safety switch that must be pushed to allow the saw to work.  The laser also has its own power switch on the top of the handle.  It comes with a 12&quot; saw blade.</p>

It works hard for the money

<p>This miter saw is my first miter saw purchase. I wanted a good product with a 12&quot; blade that would be simple to use, and would last for a long time. So I purchased this one. I redid my deck using this saw cutting 4x4's, balusters, and 2x4's all in one chop. All of the boards were cut straight, and the saw worked well. The Laser trac system was not the reason that I bought this saw, it was just an add on. I don't get the best of luck with it, if I wanted to, I could adjust it to be spot on perfect, but I mostly make a sacrificial fence, and I line up my boards with that. If I had more money, I would by the Pro model with sliding ability, but for my first, this will do.</p>

Craftsman 12 in. Miter Saw with Laser Trac System

<p>Great saw for the money!!! laser needs to be recalibrated...but overall, a great saw</p>

Great saw, all the bells and whistles.

Too much lateral arm movement in this saw

<p>The arm on the saw will deflect laterally 3/32 of an inch with minimal effort (single finger pressure) and 5/32 of an inch with modest effort.&nbsp; This is after tightening everything that can be tightened and adjusting everything that can be adjusted.&nbsp; This lateral drift not only takes the saw out of the set angle, but will also cause a curved cut.&nbsp; To achieve an almost square cut, I adjust the fence so the saw is slightly out of square to the left.&nbsp; Then, while executing the chopping motion, I pull the saw to the right.</p> <p>Any saw boasting a laser should allow the laser to be precisely aligned to the blade.&nbsp; Otherwise, the laser is just a gimmick and the only way to achieve precision is to drop the blade on the line.&nbsp; The manual contains no instructions for adjusting the laser - only warnings about staying away from the laser.&nbsp; Adjustment screws do exist if you remove the laser assembly cover.&nbsp; However, the adjustments are very crude and it takes considerable ingenuity to line the laser to the blade.</p> <p>If you are interested in making precise cuts for fine woodworking, stained moldings or picture frames, this saw is inadequate.&nbsp; If you are doing decking, painted moldings (where you can fill the gaps with putty) or frames, the saw may be acceptable.</p> <p>I will be looking for a miter saw with a much more rigid arm.</p>

Disappointed

<p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As a very big fan of Craftsman tools I only looked one place to purchase my miter saw.&nbsp; The saw is very sturdy and strong.&nbsp; Good motor.&nbsp; I am an engineer who designs electric motors for a living. I understand alignment, machine tolerances, etc. . .</p> <p>I have been fighting&nbsp;this saw&nbsp;for over a year now trying to get it to cut a 90 degree angle. I have given up on it now.&nbsp; It is so poorly machined that the fence will not adjust any further to get a 90 deg angle.&nbsp; I will look at another manufacture, with higher quality control,&nbsp;when I purchase another saw.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>I wish that someone had wrote the review that I am writing before I purchased mine.&nbsp;If this saw had been&nbsp;inspected at my plant, and it got thru quality control, someone would no longer have&nbsp;a job.</p>

Disappointed

Do not buy this saw if you plan on using it outside or if you plan on cutting boards longer than 12 feet. I am very disappointed with this saw for the following reasons: 1. I used the saw to build my deck, however when it was nice and bright outside, it was almost impossible to see the laser, making it very difficult to cut accurately with the laser. This made each cut take more time to line up. What is the point of having the laser on a saw like this if you can only use it in your basement? 2. I used the clamp to hold the 2&quot; X 6&quot; decking boards down and eventually pulled the round aluminum clamp mount out of the saw. I see they have corrected this problem on their newer 12&quot; saws with changing the location of the clamp to a different location to keep this from happening. The saw cut well hundreds of times on my deck and has a good motor. However the laser problem and the clamping bracket problem were very significant. If Sears would fix the ultra weak laser and the weak clamping mount problems, they would have a very nice saw.

Disappointed

Do not buy this saw if you plan on using it outside or if you plan on cutting boards longer than 12 feet. I am very disappointed with this saw for the following reasons: 1. I used the saw to build my deck, however when it was nice and bright outside, it was almost impossible to see the laser, making it very difficult to cut accurately with the laser. This made each cut take more time to line up. What is the point of having the laser on a saw like this if you can only use it in your basement? 2. I used the clamp to hold the 2&amp;quot; X 6&amp;quot; decking boards down and eventually pulled the round aluminum clamp mount out of the saw. I see they have corrected this problem on their newer 12&amp;quot; saws with changing the location of the clamp to a different location to keep this from happening. The saw cut well hundreds of times on my deck and has a good motor. However the laser problem and the clamping bracket problem were very significant. If Sears would fix the ultra weak laser and the weak clamping mount problems, they would have a very nice saw.

12 in. Miter Saw with Laser Trac System

Excellent saw for the price. You will be hard pressed to find one comparable with all the same features for an equal or lesser cost.

good saw

It worked great right out of the box , Very good for the money Used it to build a very good lookin g set of bunk beds nice straight cuts.

12" Saw

I had purchased a 10&quot; saw on Black Friday and used it for the first time 1st week of Feb. I found the laser was off 1/8&quot; on about 10&quot;'s. Since the laser was not Adj. I returned it for a 12&quot; saw. When I got it home the laser was off by about 3/8of an Inch. I don't know if the laser is suppose to be adjustable or not as there are no instructions in the manual. Not wanting to return again I was able to adjust it to my satisfaction in about 45 minutes. Every other aspect of the saw was right on the money. It would be nice if Instructions to adjust laser were included in the Manual. Even though I got it close I probably will still eyeball the blade with my mark

12" Saw

I had purchased a 10&amp;quot; saw on Black Friday and used it for the first time 1st week of Feb. I found the laser was off 1/8&amp;quot; on about 10&amp;quot;'s. Since the laser was not Adj. I returned it for a 12&amp;quot; saw. When I got it home the laser was off by about 3/8of an Inch. I don't know if the laser is suppose to be adjustable or not as there are no instructions in the manual. Not wanting to return again I was able to adjust it to my satisfaction in about 45 minutes. Every other aspect of the saw was right on the money. It would be nice if Instructions to adjust laser were included in the Manual. Even though I got it close I probably will still eyeball the blade with my mark

Great Product!

Bought this to replace a 3 yr old Tradesman saw that the motor went out. Already had a stand from my old miter saw and this saw fit perfectly on the stand, bolt holes and all! Easy to set up (as I have found is the case with just about all Craftsman products). Laser was right on track with the blade - no adjustment required. I like the larger dust port also - my old saw had the smaller port this one has the 2&quot; port which fits right on the hose for my shop vac.

Great Product!

Bought this to replace a 3 yr old Tradesman saw that the motor went out. Already had a stand from my old miter saw and this saw fit perfectly on the stand, bolt holes and all! Easy to set up (as I have found is the case with just about all Craftsman products). Laser was right on track with the blade - no adjustment required. I like the larger dust port also - my old saw had the smaller port this one has the 2&amp;quot; port which fits right on the hose for my shop vac.

21217 12-inch Compound Miter Saw

I compared this side-by-side to a similar Dewalt in the store. While the Dewalt had some nice features and was prettier looking (and was heavier), the lower price ($140 less on sale) and some additional features on this Craftsman made the sale. It's done well on moderate to heavy work while re-doing a house and deck the last 6 months. Only problem was the laser was misaligned out of the box and took about 15 minutes to align; it now works perfectly and I have no problem seeing the laser in all conditions. The blade has stood up well, even when making dozens of 4x4 cuts at a time. I also like the larger exhaust connection that connects nicely to my shop vac when doing longer jobs.

Worked Great

Good Saw &amp; great price, I needed a miter saw for the project of making old school wooden window screens, cuts were clean, easy to use, no mess, laser was bright no problems there, and I have 7 more screens to make, after that, I will enjoy all the honey do's my wife has to offer.

Worked Great

Good Saw &amp;amp; great price, I needed a miter saw for the project of making old school wooden window screens, cuts were clean, easy to use, no mess, laser was bright no problems there, and I have 7 more screens to make, after that, I will enjoy all the honey do's my wife has to offer.