Author Topic: Makita LS1019L miter saw mini review (Read 55828 times)

Oldwood · « **Reply #30 on:** October 18, 2017, 11:03 PM »

Thanks Josh

Steven Owen · « **Reply #31 on:** October 19, 2017, 12:11 PM »

Quote from: nms on October 05, 2017, 08:40 AM

Quote from: John1102 on October 01, 2017, 01:46 PM
I am interested in this saw however I have seen some reviews by individuals such as the wood whisperer that state the saw doesn't stay square co-planer as the blade is slid forward. The link below is from his video on his Instagram account. I am wanting to get this saw but not if it can't cut square I am curious what others will say on this subject or makita dealers who carry the saw.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BX1ZVFMhTzS/?taken-by=woodwhisperer
Quote from: RKA on October 02, 2017, 08:53 PM
6:15 in the video

This is unfortunate. Why does it seem so difficult to find an accurate SCMS for a decent price?

This Makita seemed like a contender, but I'm not satisfied with the accuracy issues.

I feel like there would be more side to side deflection with the way the rails are oriented on this vs the typical side by side layout in Kapex and others.

The Dewalt 780 is the only affordable Miter Saw left on the market that doesn’t have this issue. It’s only a matter of time before Dewalt decides to discontinue the 780. People would hate on the DW 780 and DW 782 because they clock in at 52 pounds. The heavy duty simple and clean aluminum rods keep the saw straight and don’t allow it to drift out of alignment.

The DW 717 is not machined to the same quality level as the DW 780. You see a lot of 780’s used in Cabinet and Pipe fitting shops because of their accuracy.

timbozi · « **Reply #32 on:** October 21, 2017, 02:14 PM »

Does anyone know of way to check for the parallel issue in store? Without making a cut.

RKA · « **Reply #33 on:** October 21, 2017, 06:04 PM »

A simple 12” square should do. But if the blade isn’t 90 degrees to the fence it will be harder to tell.

Set the square with the long leg against the blade and short leg against the fence. Pull the saw out away from the fence. If a gap emerges or the blade starts to jam against the square, it’s not dialed in right.

Or you can use a bevel gauge. If you can set it to match the angle between the fence and blade. You might need an extra set of hands to hold the saw head Dow and hold back the guard while you tighten the bevel gauge. Now it doesn’t matter if the miter is set dead at 90. Then pull the saw away from the fence and observe a gap or binding against the bevel gauge and blade.

Oldwood · « **Reply #34 on:** October 21, 2017, 07:04 PM »

I tried 3 saws they all had the same problem. We did not think it was worth opening more boxes as we felt they would probably be the same. I like the saw and Makita service said they were aware of the problem and will call me when they know if or when it might get resolved.

I decided to wait bit and see what happens. I am not without a saw so I will use my old Hitachi for a while longer.

As RKA has already said hold a square against the blade when it is at the back of it's travel then draw the saw forward while holding the square tight to the back fence. If the blade wants to climb your square hold it on the other side and it should pull way from the square and give a indication of how much it is out.

Hope you can find a good one I think it could be a good saw.

Gerry

Michael Kellough · « **Reply #35 on:** October 21, 2017, 09:07 PM »

The test is simple (checking if bade is parallel to travel)

With the saw at one end of it's travel, place a hard square edge block of wood (heavier the better) gently against the fore and aft teeth on one side of the blade. The block should touch same shaped teeth if the teeth are alternate ground.

Then push/pull the saw to the other position. If the block of wood didn't move you have to do the test on the other side of the blade.

If the block still didn't move the saw tracks and blade are parallel.

glass1 · « **Reply #36 on:** October 21, 2017, 11:34 PM »

I own the dewalt dhs790 and have used many, I guarantee that my blade is not perfectly parellel yet it’s a great saw. The dewalt suffers from this issue just as many others do. Some saws parellel issues are unfixable others are. The dewalt saws tubes can be an be twisted. The Makita LS1019L blade can easily be set parellel. Just loosen the 2 allen set screws in the bar connecting the rails at front. Actually I could explain it but most on this site simply will not understand how, but it’s easy peasey. One will need a piece of wood todo so. Just pm if I anybody is really interested.

chileodell · « **Reply #37 on:** October 30, 2017, 04:57 PM »

Quote from: glass1 on October 21, 2017, 11:34 PM

I own the dewalt dhs790 and have used many, I guarantee that my blade is not perfectly parellel yet it’s a great saw. The dewalt suffers from this issue just as many others do. Some saws parellel issues are unfixable others are. The dewalt saws tubes can be an be twisted. The Makita LS1019L blade can easily be set parellel. Just loosen the 2 allen set screws in the bar connecting the rails at front. Actually I could explain it but most on this site simply will not understand how, but it’s easy peasey. One will need a piece of wood todo so. Just pm if I anybody is really interested.

HI Glass and Josh F. I purchased this saw and am trying to adjust the rails. Which way are you inserting the wood to align them? I have tried but am not having any luck.

glass1 · « **Reply #38 on:** October 30, 2017, 06:51 PM »

The square or block method only checks for square or angle accuracy, sorry wood whisperer but I am surprised by your lack of understanding. It does not matter the angle that the miter saw is set to to check if the blade is parallel to the rails. Take a 12" wide board put on saw with the saw in fully retracted position make a plunge cut lift head up to fully extended position and plunge down and finish cut. The cuts should perfectly or nearly perfectly line up. some saws can never be adjusted some can. pm me for more detail its to hard to explain it a post.

chileodell · « **Reply #39 on:** October 30, 2017, 08:18 PM »

So after taking a frustration break I was able to align the slide rails as described by Glass1. Now the saw is tracking perfectly straight. I am ecstatic because I loved everything about the saw and didn't want to have to return it.

dustymc · « **Reply #40 on:** November 03, 2017, 06:26 PM »

@glass1 I made an account just to say THANK YOU! I got a new saw today, it was about a quarter-blade off on the plunge-slide-plunge test, took maybe 5 minutes of diddling with the arms to get it where it's supposed to be.

glass1 · « **Reply #41 on:** November 04, 2017, 08:07 AM »

No worries. Have fun cutting. It’s a great saw.

Steven Owen · « **Reply #42 on:** November 04, 2017, 03:17 PM »

At least Makita has an adjustment for the rail. I had to exchange the Dewalt 782 twice to get one that squared up correctly.

Job and Knock · « **Reply #43 on:** November 05, 2017, 05:11 AM »

Quote from: glass1 on October 05, 2017, 01:23 PM

My Makita ls1019l is solid side to side. The old Dewalt dw708 had stacked slide rails it was solid as well.

Hmmm... My old DW708 had a tendency to twist in cut noticeably on long one-sided dust cuts (where I was adjusting a mitre cut). I believe that's why DW changed the design to a side by side rail arrangement on the DW718. The big Makita (LS1214) was better than the DW708 in that respect (we ran them side by side for couple of oak panelling jobs)

Quote from: glass1 on October 05, 2017, 01:23 PM

I like the Makita better than the kapex in every way except for the large bevel scale on the kapex and
the Makita weighs 10 lbs more.

I have issues with how miniscule the bevel scale on the Makita is - and the effect that will have on ultimate accuracy and repeatability of cuts. One of the best features of the Kapex is those large, easily read scales. Makita need to learn that we aren't all 25 year old hotshots with razor sharp eyesight.

18 months on with a 110 volt Kapex doing mainly oak, ash and maple and it still hasn't fried, yet. Must be doing something right

glass1 · « **Reply #44 on:** November 05, 2017, 08:02 AM »

Really. I found the 1019 much more solid than the kapex. No doubt the 1014 and 1214 were solid saws that gave years of use and abuse. The only 2 things on those saws that was lacking was no 60 degree miter and no bevel past 45.
The only 2 things I like about the kapex over the 1019 are the bevel scale and the weight. Everything else the makita takes it, flat table, better blade guard, standard blades, 60 miter both ways, more power, no carpal tunnel trigger, no leaky arbor, miter detent override, dust collection, and more than likely that pesky motor issue, and of course price.

Cochese · « **Reply #45 on:** November 07, 2017, 08:59 PM »

Would anyone be able to tell me how similar the corded vs 36v versions are? I can only find the cordless one at a store nearby to look at and try out to see some sort of indication of if I would enjoy the corded one.

sheperd80 · « **Reply #46 on:** November 10, 2017, 08:38 AM »

Quote from: Cochese on November 07, 2017, 08:59 PM

Would anyone be able to tell me how similar the corded vs 36v versions are? I can only find the cordless one at a store nearby to look at and try out to see some sort of indication of if I would enjoy the corded one.

Same here. I toyed with the cordless and liked it but found a few features that were deal breakers for me. The bevel locking knob is a horrible idea, and the button to bypass the 0 stop is in a bad spot so bevel adjustments are gonna be a constant pain. Also the fence wings being removable instead of sliding makes no sense. Sad, i was hoping this might be the next great saw.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

todd_fuller · « **Reply #47 on:** December 22, 2017, 04:06 PM »

To help add knowledge of the adjustment process, I was able to get my saw pretty close today.

I put a steel plate on the bed and put my magnetic dial indicator base with a 0.01mm dial indicator on the plate. I wanted something stable so it wouldn’t influence the measurement. I indicated on the blade near the centerline. Initially it was off by 0.4mm front to back. I moved the saw to the mid point and loosened the set screws. The idea was to move the rails to the point the midpoint was indicating 1/2 of the runout. In the end, it didn’t take as much effort to move the rails into position but it would be easier with a helper to check the runout and tighten the set screws once it’s close. I was able to get it down to 0.1mm over the travel. IMHO, that’s close enough for woodworking.

Ostap · « **Reply #48 on:** January 28, 2018, 05:07 PM »

This thread helped me to finally understand why I can't get my old crappy sliding miter to cut straight -- yes, blade and rods do not align with each other. Will see if I can find a way to fix it.

Looking at the ls1019l schematics, loosening, adjusting and re-tightening the #169 can only change the rotary tension/preload of the rods. In theory the rods should held parallel by back arm #208 and #169 should provide only a stop for the sledge. Additional stiffness by it should be only a bonus.

I'm glad if playing with the #169 helped you guys, but Makita should have provided stiffer rods so that the saw would cut straight even without #169 attached.

Ostap · « **Reply #49 on:** January 29, 2018, 02:27 PM »

Spent today an hour or two to tune up my old miter.

I used a precise digital angle box to measure rod parallelism and it worked really well. I attached it to a piece of steel that was wide enough to reach both rods and measured the angle in one end of the rods and compared it with the angle in the other end.

As it turned out, my saw has set screws only for one rod, another rod is held in place with tightening pins

Well, what can you do...
As I could not loosen the rods fully, I connected wide-pad 1.5m long bessey clamps to both end of the rods. It gave me huge leverage to precicely and gently bend the rods to the position. Then tightened screws again, readjusted the fence (which now is in expected position) and voila. All the tuning without any test cuts. The result -- saw has never cut better.

With understanding the root cause of my miter problem, I now appreciate and understand why Kapex has the "stupid" centered handle to carry and plunge.
While I significantly improved my miter for now, I do not expect it to stay adjusted for long time. It is not designed to be adjusted and my tuning was pure vandalism. What I will do though, is stop using the carry handle and always use the leftmost part of the main handle for cuts (both handles are off center). Hope it helps.

Michael Kellough · « **Reply #50 on:** January 29, 2018, 05:03 PM »

Quote from: Ostap on January 29, 2018, 02:27 PM

Spent today an hour or two to tune up my old miter.

I used a precise digital angle box to measure rod parallelism and it worked really well. I attached it to a piece of steel that was wide enough to reach both rods and measured the angle in one end of the rods and compared it with the angle in the other end.

As it turned out, my saw has set screws only for one rod, another rod is held in place with tightening pins Well, what can you do...
As I could not loosen the rods fully, I connected wide-pad 1.5m long bessey clamps to both end of the rods. It gave me huge leverage to precicely and gently bend the rods to the position. Then tightened screws again, readjusted the fence (which now is in expected position) and voila. All the tuning without any test cuts. The result -- saw has never cut better.

With understanding the root cause of my miter problem, I now appreciate and understand why Kapex has the "stupid" centered handle to carry and plunge.
While I significantly improved my miter for now, I do not expect it to stay adjusted for long time. It is not designed to be adjusted and my tuning was pure vandalism. What I will do though, is stop using the carry handle and always use the leftmost part of the main handle for cuts (both handles are off center). Hope it helps.

Love the way you put that! "If you can't make it perfect, make it adjustable" is the mantra I try to go by. If the manufacturers followed that we wouldn't have to resort to adjustment via pry bar.

chrisfrantzdale · « **Reply #51 on:** March 21, 2018, 08:57 PM »

This is a side topic relating to this saw but has anyone had issues with the amount of slop in the detents? I haven't used this saw but using the Makita LS0815F I've had problems with the detents. If you loosen the miter-adjust knob and move the saw into any of the detent positions there is maybe 1/2 a degree of slop at each detent. If you jiggle it around there's that much play before you lock it down with the knob, so you could be out +/- 1/4 of a degree or so. Kapex has zero slop at the detents, old Hitachi is close. Has anyone experienced this with the LS1019LS?

John1102 · « **Reply #52 on:** March 22, 2018, 09:06 PM »

Can you post a photo of the screw adjustments on the makita LS1019L?

bananacat · « **Reply #53 on:** March 25, 2018, 11:22 PM »

I noticed my saw was a bit off after 2 weeks of work. Musta got bumped or slid off a tiny bit. Now its back to normal after adjusting the screws on part #169 from the diagram and every so gently fiddeling and checking each cut. Rinsed and repeated the process until it was aligned again. Did not take to long to adjust properly. Chopped up a few 2x12 cut off pieces i had laying around garage and got it cutting fine, dandy and straight as a arrow in no time at all.

Glad we have this option and know how to fix it now. I really am loving this saw. So are my crew and co-workers.

Just signed up to say Thanks a million!

IOTrav · « **Reply #54 on:** March 27, 2018, 03:13 PM »

Hey Guys,

After reading this thread I bit the bullet and bought an LS1019L saw. I've never been afraid of calibrating tools and doing a little extra to make an average tool do the job. I just could not bring myself to spend 3x money on the Kapex no matter how bad I wanted it.

Short story is I was able to get the LS1019L just so close to working but I just can't quite seem to get it spot on. If I cut a 12" wide board and then put that cut end of the board on a flat surface I get just a little rocking which drives me bat **** crazy. I think I am adjusting this thing correctly but if someone would just post a couple of pics or short video showing exactly how to calibrate that would be aces. I think I am doing what @glass1 is suggesting but just not 100%.

Thanks everyone.

CumminsDiesel · « **Reply #55 on:** March 28, 2018, 03:14 AM »

The more I read about this saw,the more I want the Kapex!

Now I understand why Kapex cost 2 or 3 times more than any other miter saws: pure engineering!

CumminsDiesel · « **Reply #56 on:** March 28, 2018, 03:20 AM »

Quote from: bananacat on March 25, 2018, 11:22 PM

I noticed my saw was a bit off after 2 weeks of work. Musta got bumped or slid off a tiny bit. Now its back to normal after adjusting the screws on part #169 from the diagram and every so gently fiddeling and checking each cut. Rinsed and repeated the process until it was aligned again. Did not take to long to adjust properly. Chopped up a few 2x12 cut off pieces i had laying around garage and got it cutting fine, dandy and straight as a arrow in no time at all.

Glad we have this option and know how to fix it now. I really am loving this saw. So are my crew and co-workers.

Just signed up to say Thanks a million!

And because part #169 is NOT designed for adjusting,
adjusting it every time gives more room for the next errors.

CumminsDiesel · « **Reply #57 on:** March 28, 2018, 03:26 AM »

The bevel adjusting just crazy and unsafe: https://youtu.be/d8alXyFXTxQ?t=10m39s

jokout · « **Reply #58 on:** May 02, 2018, 10:21 PM »

Quote from: glass1 on October 14, 2017, 01:53 PM

Just loosens the 2 screws that attach the front bar to the rails than the bars can be adjusted til the blade is parellel and hold and retighten. May take some trial and error.

I know this is an old thread but I have to give a nod and a big thanks to Glass1!
Recently picked up the cordless version of this saw, XSL06 PT, and ran into this same issue on 2 consecutive saws! After several hours trying to make either workable, I was ready to write this saw off as a miss and go back to my old Bosch slider, 20# heavier and the size of an aircraft carrier, but I really liked this saw so much I didn't want to return it! In a bit of "what do I have to lose", I tried the Glass1 fix on the XSL06 rails and I was shocked how easy AND effective this is! This is NOT a big adjustment, it is more of a "tweak" to the rods, I actually over compensated on the first go and caused the same issue on the opposite side of the blade, again a fine adjustment! After a little trial and error, the chop cut and slide cut align perfectly!
Re-squared the saw again with a square and then fine tuned it using the 5 cut method on 12" and I called it good enough at .0003" for all 5 cuts!
Really love everything about this saw, excellent ergonomics, power, dust collection, weight and footprint, and now accuracy!
Thanks again to Glass1!

Cheers

glass1 · « **Reply #59 on:** May 31, 2018, 04:14 PM »

I am glad that the saw is working out.
Some thoughts on this saw. I do like it as the table is flat, tons of power, compact, smooth rails and motor, great dust collection, 60 degree both directions, detent override, excellent capacity as it can cut 5 1/2” vertical, once dialed in it has been accurate, and more. Some things not as good as kapex, weight, not as elegant bevel adjust and small scale and awkward bevel detente pin, laser not as good and no shadow line like others.