B&Q Macallister sliding mitre saws
Fred
I'm probably going to get in trouble for even thinking of buying one
but here goes ;)
I can't afford a branded saw, so I was thinking of buying one from
B&Q. Looking at some old posts some people love them, some people hate
them.
From what I can remember someone said that some saws use blades with a
non-standard bore, which makes replacement difficult or expensive.
IIRC the Macallister red eye (from B&Q) was a standard bore, which was
a plus point.
It also had two lasers one for 90 degree cuts and one for 45 degree
cuts? I don't know what you did if you wanted to cut 60 degrees! but
people seemed to think the laser alignment was not very accurate. Can
it be adjusted?
I've been to B&Q and it looks though they are halfway through
replacing these with a new "Macallister laser precision" range. I'm
not sure if these are actually a step backwards. I think they only
have one laser, not two, now but that may not be a big concern?
I can't find anything about these saws online. Why don't b&q put the
specs on their web site or make a special Macallister web site?
Looking at the boxes, I thought the bore size of the blade had
changed. Why would they do this? Is it no longer a standard bore? (I
can't remember what size it was/is, I'll have to read the box again,
next time I go). If so, that's a big disadvantage.
The pricing is strange: some of the smaller saws cost more than the
big ones. Why would that be? I did think a big saw would be more
versatile but I think it weights 20kg and is very bulky to carry
upstairs. I think one post suggested getting a smaller, lighter, one
to carry about. Do you know the weights of any of the others? What is
a good blade size for general purpose use?
I imagine I would mainly use it for skirting board and architrave to
begin with.
Why is B&Q's other own brand performance power, even cheaper?
TIA
The Medway Handyman
> Hi,
>
> I'm probably going to get in trouble for even thinking of buying one
> but here goes ;)
>
> I can't afford a branded saw, so I was thinking of buying one from
> B&Q. Looking at some old posts some people love them, some people hate
> them.
Have a look at the Wickes range. Not Makita/Bosch/DeWalt but better than
B&Q IMO.
--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
David WE Roberts
"Fred" <fr...@no-email.here.invalid> wrote in message
news:6sir2699rtpt1hepr...@4ax.com...
> Hi,
>
> I'm probably going to get in trouble for even thinking of buying one
> but here goes ;)
>
> I can't afford a branded saw, so I was thinking of buying one from
> B&Q. Looking at some old posts some people love them, some people hate
> them.
<snip>
As with all things the brand is not consistent - some variants may be good
and others bad.
FWIW I have a McAllister from B&Q and it has done me O.K. (after changing
the coarse blade - about 4 teeth - for a reasonably fine one).
I don't use the laser. I'm not sure what value it adds.
I draw a line on the timber and check the blade runs true along it before
cutting.
I also check the blade is 90 degrees to the bed now and then with a square.
I am using it for fairly crude things like cutting 2*4 and joists but it
seems fine.
Each model will vary in value and performance.
Have a look at what Screwfix offers online - they sometimes have good deals.
Cheers
Dave R
--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
js.b1
full extension which may not be adjustable out.
What width are you cutting?
Non Sliding...
Makita MLS100 will do 136x60, about £100 from Lawson, may be similar
on Tooled-Up, reviews on Screwfix.
Sliding...
Bosch PCM8S will do far wider, about £200 from Tooled-Up, check around
for reviews.
I have not used either saw (or the above suppliers), but to say
branded is expensive is not always true; they are not cheap but they
are known to give a reasonable cut with parts backup. The test for a
mitre saw is making a hexagon picture/mirror frame, cheap either
create a curved cut or one where the angles simply do not meet up - it
is a difficult task, but a good test.
If it is to do rough work then the Argos saw (Challenge?) was
recommended some time ago, not sure if it is still stocked/available.
The cheap end is a highly variable area - the same saw can be
rebranded or even slightly modified, once you get into sliding saws
quality really does count. Most saws say factory setup, that appears
not always true from many reviews of many saws (Makita included).
NT
The 3 biggest issues with these things are
- sideways movement of the saw head - reject any machine with any
noticeable movement
- plastic bases bend in use, misaligning cuts - avoid
- blade quality can make anything from perfect cuts even with
laminates to cruddy cuts with burn marks and a tendency to push the
workpiece sideways
If you must buy cheap, you can test 2 of the above points in many
shops, find one that passes those 2 checks
There are other issues too, but you cant have it all from a cheap one.
NT
John Rumm
> I'm probably going to get in trouble for even thinking of buying one
> but here goes ;)
>
> I can't afford a branded saw, so I was thinking of buying one from
> B&Q. Looking at some old posts some people love them, some people hate
> them.
Have you looked at decent ones second hand? Nice ones turn up on ebay
from time to time.
Lawson do some SIP ones. which are apparently not too dire.
> From what I can remember someone said that some saws use blades with a
> non-standard bore, which makes replacement difficult or expensive.
> IIRC the Macallister red eye (from B&Q) was a standard bore, which was
> a plus point.
>
> It also had two lasers one for 90 degree cuts and one for 45 degree
> cuts? I don't know what you did if you wanted to cut 60 degrees! but
> people seemed to think the laser alignment was not very accurate. Can
> it be adjusted?
Its probably not enough use to be worth the effort. You can offer the
blade to the line with the saw not running anyway, and see exactly where
you are going to cut.
> I can't find anything about these saws online. Why don't b&q put the
> specs on their web site or make a special Macallister web site?
> Looking at the boxes, I thought the bore size of the blade had
> changed. Why would they do this? Is it no longer a standard bore? (I
> can't remember what size it was/is, I'll have to read the box again,
> next time I go). If so, that's a big disadvantage.
Note that Axminster do adaptor rings that can be inserted into some
blades to bring the bore down to a non standard size.
> The pricing is strange: some of the smaller saws cost more than the
> big ones. Why would that be? I did think a big saw would be more
Was one a chop saw and the other a slider?
> versatile but I think it weights 20kg and is very bulky to carry
> upstairs. I think one post suggested getting a smaller, lighter, one
> to carry about. Do you know the weights of any of the others? What is
> a good blade size for general purpose use?
For shifting about and site work, some of the 8" sliders can be very
versatile and not to hefty. Although it pays to go for a better quality
machine when going for a slider.
If getting a chop saw, then 10" is a realistic minimum to be useful. (8"
chop saws will do 4x2 - but only a straight cut usually)
> I imagine I would mainly use it for skirting board and architrave to
> begin with.
Skirting really needs a decent quality slider, since you will be needing
a decent quality bevel cut capability - something the poorer saws are
not so good at.
for external mitres anyway - internal skirting joints ought to be scribed:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Scribed_Joints
> Why is B&Q's other own brand performance power, even cheaper?
even crapper?
General FAQ on mitre saws:
http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/powertools/mitresaw.htm
--
Cheers,
John.
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stuart noble
> Skirting really needs a decent quality slider, since you will be needing
> a decent quality bevel cut capability - something the poorer saws are
> not so good at.
>
I did some 12" skirting recently with a £30 circular saw set at 45 degs.
You need some kind of jig/sawboard arrangement for the baseplate to
follow, and two hands to operate the saw, but something clamped on to a
workmate works well enough.
NT
> On 02/07/2010 12:28, Fred wrote:
> > I can't afford a branded saw, so I was thinking of buying one from
> > B&Q. Looking at some old posts some people love them, some people hate
> > them.
> > It also had two lasers one for 90 degree cuts and one for 45 degree
> > cuts? I don't know what you did if you wanted to cut 60 degrees! but
> > people seemed to think the laser alignment was not very accurate. Can
> > it be adjusted?
Normally the laser aligns with the blade, or does if you adjust it,
then its lined up right for all cuts in all positions.
> > Looking at the boxes, I thought the bore size of the blade had
> > changed. Why would they do this? Is it no longer a standard bore? (I
> > can't remember what size it was/is, I'll have to read the box again,
> > next time I go). If so, that's a big disadvantage.
>
> Note that Axminster do adaptor rings that can be inserted into some
> blades to bring the bore down to a non standard size.
other brands ditto, and its not too hard to make your own adaptor
rings.
NT
mike
decent. I've had the non-sliding variety from there for a few years
now and it's been fine. The B&Q own-brand power tools I've had have
been pretty poor.
or, if that doesn't work:
fred
<fr...@no-email.here.invalid> writes
>Hi,
>
>I'm probably going to get in trouble for even thinking of buying one
>but here goes ;)
>
>I can't afford a branded saw, so I was thinking of buying one from
>B&Q. Looking at some old posts some people love them, some people hate
>them.
>
>From what I can remember someone said that some saws use blades with a
>non-standard bore, which makes replacement difficult or expensive.
>IIRC the Macallister red eye (from B&Q) was a standard bore, which was
>a plus point.
>
>It also had two lasers one for 90 degree cuts and one for 45 degree
>cuts? I don't know what you did if you wanted to cut 60 degrees! but
>people seemed to think the laser alignment was not very accurate. Can
>it be adjusted?
>
>I've been to B&Q and it looks though they are halfway through
>replacing these with a new "Macallister laser precision" range. I'm
>not sure if these are actually a step backwards. I think they only
>have one laser, not two, now but that may not be a big concern?
>
years ago when I needed to do a lot of framing and couldn't justify the
cost of a better one.
It's heavy enough not to flex but you've got to check every angle you
set with a trial cut as the scales aren't 100% and the detents on the
main axis are out too.
The 10" blade has a standard fixing (25mm I think) and has 24 teeth,
it's been fine for all the framing and the bit of mdf
skirting/architrave I was doing.
All in all, it has served its purpose and saved me lots of time but it
is not without its limitations.
Btw, the 2 line laser on this one has been dead accurate and very
useful, saved me ages on lining up, particularly useful in trimming a v
slightly oversize piece by a mm or 2.
--
fred
FIVE TV's superbright logo - not the DOG's, it's bollocks