Craftsman Professional 15 amp 10"Sliding Compound Miter Saw with Laser (21201)

Great addition to my shop

Most used tool in my shop! It's exactly what I expected when I got the high-end craftsman professional series. Good features that I didn't see on the other models. Very easy to set angle. Plenty of power. I really like the hold down features.The dust collection is iffy, but good enough.

A must have for the "IN HOUSE" craftsman

I used to do all my cutting with a circular saw ( Craftsman ) and always worried that I would cut my fingers off or make a bad cut.  I constantly complained to my wife how if I only had the right saw... how much work I could get done.  Well.... she bought me this 10 inch sliding compound saw with laser trac, and I could not be happier.  It has cut through everything with precision and has made my work timely as well as precise.  The motor is extremely strong and has never bogged down during a cut.  I would recommend this product to others as it has quality built in ( which is what I expect from Craftsman ).  Well worth the price....!!!   

precise, easy to use

This saw does it all from simple cuts to crown moulding! Crown moulding cuts are precise!

craftman 15amp sliding compound miter saw

<span>This saw works great for the price it is just as good as the other saws that cost alot more and do</span>

<span>the same thing. Glad I bought this 1 over the other brands that cost more and do the same thing. So if your thinking of buying a sliding compound saw this 1 will get the job done for you.</span>

The Miter Saw is a great deal!

After purchasing a Miter saw from *****, we saw this one at Sears that was a much better deal at the same price.  So we returned the ***** saw and bought the Craftsman and have had no issues with it.  Used for cutting composite decking material.

Great Miter Saw

This miter saw can be fine-tuned for squareness before making super-accurate cuts.  It also needs to be adjusted as such, since the slider tubes and fence will likely not be perfect "as received".  Once adjusted, the saw works great.

Craftsman Pro 15 Amp sliding compound miter saw

This product is really the best. Has plenty of power, sets up well, very smooth. Has many attachments that allow you to do a variety of projects.

Wanted something good

I wanted a good sliding compound miter saw with out braking the bank. I looked at many and ended up with this one by choice of it being on sale. I was nurvice at first because of some of the reviews i read i wanted a accureate saw. I did have to do some adjusting out of the box but every thing has stayed in place and it woorks well. I did get a better blade though for when i want to do trim an 80 tooth craftsman and i like it cuts awesome.

Certainly has the potential...

I'm an "after-5:00" craftsman. I needed a sliding miter saw to cleanly cut through 10" panels jointed with red oak boards for a variety of projects. I was able to make enough adjustments to get a precision cut when the boards are cut by only dropping the saw down and not sliding it. However, the fence on the right side of the blade is not flush with the left. it is off by perhaps two degrees. If the piece only passes the blade by an inch or two I'm OK. Otherwise the cut is not a perfect 90 degrees. When cutting anything using the sliding feature, and doing so by way of the instructions, the saw needs to be fully extended, dropped then slid back. This produces a parabolic cut which is irritating on many fronts. I also can't actually figure out what part of the machine is enabling this "curve." The only thing I can pinpoint perhaps is the way the bearings are packed. I also noticed too that the bevel stop is in fact off on this machine like others at the 45 degree mark. The other part that is particularly annoying is that the screws holding the bevel stop bracket are neither metric or english. I had to replace the screws with something that I cold adjust with an allen wrench that I could actually make fit. Over all this saws capabilities are there. It seems to be made well and the dust collection works wonders when the saw is used properly. It certainly is not a shop-worthy tool in its current condition but I hope that can change. I purchased an extended master protection agreement so this will have to go back and be revamped with a new fence and perhaps new bearings. I'm giving it four stars as I believe Sears can get this thing to 100% working condition. I'll update when I receive the unit back.

nice miter (but has some issues)

I'd prefer to express these issues privately to craftsman (but can't find a link) so i suppose they want me to do it publicly in this forum.

pic 1.)  clamp gets in the way while making angled cuts.

pic 2.)  platform extensions need an adjustment lever/knob to control height. (pic 3.)  clamping when extended causes wood (pic 4.) to rise on the laser end of the cut. (pic 5.)  so just don't clamp out past the main platform you say (pic 3. again)?  you can't because the motor hits the clamp while coming down.

pic 6.)  sawdust/small wood chips get stuck inthe small "sump" area directly underneath the cutting area.  fortunately i've mounted the miter with easy to remove wing nuts so i can pick it up and flip it over to eject these pieces (weighs nearly 53lbs.  an awkward 53lbs to flip up side down i might add)

pics 7. & 8.)  just an idea - my circlular saw is a "worm drive" saw which uses a gear to redirect the torque allowing the motor to be mounted parallel to the blade (and much closer), this might allow a miter saw to angle in both directions.  get to it engineers

Good quality, handy features

This is a well constructed saw with one very handy feature.  I worked with several miter saws from Craftsman over the years when I was working as a professional aircraft mechanic.  In my experience, the larger miter saws made truer cuts and were easier to align properly for cutting wood and piping.  And this saw is the perfect size.  Plus the sliding feature allows making multiple cuts on one piece of stock super easy.  I never rely on the lasers for aligning the cuts, the platform provides all the alignment contol you need.

"Sacramento" Bruce Conklin

Great Saw, questionable laser

I purchased this saw to compliment the Craftsman 12" Compound miter saw that I already have.  The tool took a little bit of time to zero in as the bevel stop was out of adjustment and the miter stops were out of alignment.

The performance of the saw is great!  I swapped out the blade that came with the saw for a 60T Thin Kerf blade and I am getting some great performance on cutting.  The saw has plenty of power and operates smoothly.

The only re-occuring issue that I am having is the adjustment and alignment of the arbor mounted LaserTrac unit.  It hasn't been showing a true cut line no matter how I adjust it.

I would recommend this saw to anyone that needs a 12" cutting with and the ability of left and right bevels.

The baddest piece of equipment in my shop

I have owned a DeWalt 10" Miter Saw for about 10 years.  I thought it was the best!  Lately I have experienced some trouble with the switch.  Some kind of short in the trigger assembly, but it gave me a good reason to go shopping.

I stopped by my local Sears with the intention of getting a newer version to my old friend.  While I was looking around I found this Craftsman Professional 10" Sliding Compound Miter Saw.  I love Craftsman tools, so I decided to give it a try.  You won't believe the power and features this bad-boy comes with.  All the things I bought as options for the DeWalt like a work-bed extension complete with roller and stop come standard right out of the box.  If you work with crown moulding you'll love the crown dog and height guides that are etched right into the back fence.

This tool will become the centerpiece of your workshop!

Craftsman 10 inch Professional sliding compound bevel Miter Saw

I reviewed a lot of saws prior to this purchase, the new Makita and Dewalt were at the top of my list.  I purchaed this saw due to the sales price, it definitely is not a $449.00 saw.  Fortunately, I paid close to half that amount on sale.

About the saw, the sliding mechanisn is not near as smooth as on other saws (Makita, Dewalt, Ridgid) I do wonder about the longevity and accuracy of cut as the slide mechanism wears.  I had to drill out the rear fence mounting holes in order to square it with the blade.  The left side 45 degree bevel is off, I have the replacement bevel lock coming under warranty, I hope that takes care of that problem.  I spent about 3 hours reading the manual and going over the tool, I had to disassemble the saw to accurately determine what was the culprit with the bevel lock. 

The saw makes nice clean cuts, it is quiet and as other have stated it blows saw dust everywhere.  I believe that is due to having enough clearance for the bevel feature and the dust guard, the tolerance is very wide so the saw dust does not directly enter the chute.  My single bevel non-sliding Dewalt has a tighter tolerance between the blade and dust collector to solve that problem.  The handle design is very comfortable, and the saw is light and portable.  The stock blade does a nice job on trim for a crisp clean cut.  I do like the tall fence and the locking feature for it is very handy and easy to use.  The crown molding stop works well and is also very easy to set up.

Overall, I could have spent $450.00 for the the new model Makita, or $190.00 less for this Craftsman Saw...that is the big debate for me.  Is the $190.00 worth the adjusting, disassembly, placing the part order, and the unknown longevity and durability of this saw.  In the long run, no.  If the replacement bevel lock does not fix the left side bevel (it locks on 48 degress instead of 45 degrees) the saw is going back and I will purchase the Makita.

The thing that is important on these sliding bevel saws is the sliding mechanism and the bevel design, they have to be sturdy, easy to use, accurate, and hold up to use.  A lot to ask for, but that is what they have to do.

I would rank this saw a few steps above the Ryobi, it has larger diameter slide tubes, and the location of the motor is where it should be, up out of the way.  The laser works in lower light conditions, it gets washed out in sunlight...no big deal.  If you really need a sliding bevel saw do yourself a favor and spend the extar cash and go for something else.  If you really don't need the cutting capacity of a slider you won't get hurt with the other Craftsman line of non-sliding Miter Saws.

Craftsman needs to go back to the drawing board and refine this saw, the saw does have potential.

Heavy duty, quality and pretty much ready to go.

Heavy duty, high quality and ready to go for the most part. This is more of a shop tool than a portable tool because of the size and weight, but I don't know how this can be changed without reducing the quality of the tool. It is cumbersome to carry around, but my customers are impressed when I break it out. My other complaint is that it comes with a 40 tooth blade. This blade is more like what I would expect in a chop saw, and not in a saw for fine miter finishes, and the 60 tooth blade that I bought to go with it was $60. When combining the price of the saw, the price of the extended contract, the price of the blade, and the tax will really add up fast. We can't do anything about the tax, but Sears could most definitely extend their warranty and put the propper blade of a saw that is promoted for fine finish work.

Now that that tirade is over. I love the saw. Ready to go right out of the box. (After slight assembly). My cuts are true and square and miters are on the mark. I did have to adjust the laser a little, but it was easy enough to do. I love the duel bevel that keeps me from having to turn crown molding upside down, backwards and whatever other nonsense I sometime have to do to ge the miters right. Since I install cabinets the sliding feature is a real desireable feature too. I'm using my table saw less and my compound miter more.

Cool saw

Rick

This Craftsman miter saw has improved my handyman performance.

What a difference a quality tool makes. the first job I took on was to remodel a bathroom. Taking out a wall and adding a new built in closet to the adjoining room. I also added a walking platform in the attic to allow me to upgrade the electrical wiring. A large section of the floor had to be replaced due to water damage and the saw made precision cuts for the replacement floor joists and supports. Easy to use and professionally made. I know I made the right decision with this new saw!

great saw at a reasonable price

I bought an entry level craftsman miter saw with a single bevel but was very frustrated having to flip either the saw or the board for inside vs outside cuts. I decided to take the jump and go to a top quality saw.My first impression was that this saw was very solid and the build quality was first rate. It is a fairly heavy saw, but it needs to be mounted to a stand or workbench. It will slide on the mite angles if not mounted. The positive locks are firm and the motions for both the bevel and slide are very smooth but may need some adjustment out of the box.The saw can be adjusted in just about every aspect of use. I found the slide motion to be very smoth and I like the ability to adjust the tension on the motion. Also the bevel motion was alittle tight out of the box but can be adjusted with ease. For the most part the saw was set up perfect out of the box, sqaure to the miter and fence.The only complaints I have with the saw is the positive bevel stop is off and is really 46* not 45 but if I use the lock the gauge is set right at 45* The owners manual is not clear at all on adjusting the positive stop. It says it can be done but doesnt give clear instructions on how to do so. Other than that I bought a better finishing blade for my trim and have laid about 300 LF using the saw and love it.I read some of the previous posts and was concerned with the quality I would be getting. I am very happy with the purchase and feel there arent many saws that can compare to this one for the price and bang for the buck it delivers.

Poor cuts

This is not a professional level saw. It's a chop saw at best. I started with the regular 10" craftsman. After fighting with it for weeks and returning it multiple times, I "upgraded" to the "professional" miter saw. I've already returned this saw once because it wasnt cutting straight and I'm going to return it a 2nd time and trade for the Dewalt. If you want precision cuts, don't buy this saw. It's fine on 2x4s for frame construction, but if you want angles to line up right, this saw won't do it. The bearing surface on the slide is horrible. If you pull it all he way out, iit cuts a parabola instead of a straight line. Poorly done, Craftsman.