DELTA 36-255L 12-Inch TwinLaser Miter Saw

by Delta

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

While laser guides for miter saws have been available as aftermarket add-ons for a few years, this saw is one of the first we've seen from a major brand to incorporate lasers in the design of a saw. The saw itself is the same excellent 12-inch compound miter saw Delta has been selling without a laser. It has a powerful 15 amp motor, a sliding fence, integrated dust collection, and a comfortable grip. The tool is solidly constructed and designed to stand up to rigorous professional use. The laser system used on this saw works a little differently than some of the available aftermarket systems. Instead of making a single laser line on the lumber showing where the cut will be, this system projects two lines to show the material that will be removed by the kerf of the saw blade. So, as the saw is beveled, the space between the lines gets wider to accurately reflect the extra material taken out by the blade coming in at an angle. The lasers can be adjusted to match the blade you're working with. We were big fans of Delta's original 12-inch miter saw, and the addition of the twin laser system makes it that much better. --Brian Trinen

From the Manufacturer

Delta 36-255L 12-Inch TwinLaser Miter Saw

See all Product Description

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 27 x 23 x 19 inches ; 65.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 65.6 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00006K00A
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 36-255L
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,219 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid and accurate, October 10, 2003

By 

A. Helfer (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DELTA 36-255L 12-Inch TwinLaser Miter Saw (Tools & Home Improvement)

I bought this saw to replace a starter model Craftsman 10" miter saw that I had for about five years, which was fine for simple cuts but which never could handle a compound cut, no matter how I tried to square it up.

I actually bought a DeWalt 705S before this Delta, but the DeWalt has a serious engineering flaw that revealed itself almost immediately once I started using the saw -- see the reviews on this site (including mine) that address the poorly engineered miter locking system on the DeWalt. After returning the DeWalt, I spent some more time shopping around and reading more extensive reviews. After checking out the saws, I chose this Delta.

The Delta has been a joy. Simply put, it is built like a tank. Still, with aluminum fabrication, it is not noticably heavier than comparable saws.

Mine required some minor adjustments to the positive stops on the 90 degree and 45 degree bevel, but everything else (lasers, blade to fences, etc.) was dead on from the factory.

The action is smooth and has a solid feel to it. Many of the tensions are user adjustable, so you can customize the action to your liking.

The saw has rubber feet that keep it stable even if it isn't bolted down. (Contrast that with the DeWalt 705S, which slides all over the place if you don't mount it.) Delta also has a clever system that allows this saw to be mounted on 2x4s for worksite use.

I replaced the 40T carbide blade that came with the saw with an 80T ATB Freud blade, which does wonderfully. Changing the blade on this saw is a fairly simple matter, requiring the same size wrench to loosen the blade guard and the arbor screw; an adequate wrench is included with the saw. (The DeWalt had Torx screws.) The 40T blade itself makes pretty clean cuts and would probably suffice for framing work, but it's a bit too drastic for trim work.

Changing the blade to one with a marginally thinner kerf required an adjustment to the left laser, which was easy to make. The lasers live up to their billing, painting lines across your stock that show exactly what the blade is going to remove. It makes it easy to line up your marks precisely without doing the old pull-the-blade-down-duck-and-check-the-mark routine.

The extension table and sliding fence were simple to install and are nicely machined. I agree with the reviewer who suggests the clamp for fine work, though; the surface is fairly slick and, as a result, the blade can make the wood slide to the side a bit if you're cutting a 45 degree miter.

The cookie cutter Porter Cables are also nice. But, as it's the same saw, why not take Delta's two-year warranty instead of PC's one-year warranty?

I would buy this saw again in a heartbeat.

And take note that the reviewer who claims below that the product number is misleading apparently does not understand that the 36-255, like the 36-255L, is not a dual bevel compound miter. The laser is the difference. I do note, however, that the "technical details" on this site at the time I'm writing this misstate the plug type. It is a two-pronged plug, not a three-pronged (grounded) plug. The motor also has externally accessible brushes, contrary to the technical details (see p.19 of the manual).

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Accurate as They Come, December 28, 2003

By 

James Webb (Wauconda, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DELTA 36-255L 12-Inch TwinLaser Miter Saw (Tools & Home Improvement)

Santa left this under the tree. What a wonderful gift it is! This saw is solidly built, has tight and smooth movement, and the positive stops and miter lock are firm and right on the money. Those looking for that elusive "perfect" 45 degree miter might find it here, the stops on the left and right are equally acurate. The saw is quiet (for a miter saw) and the horizontal handle and trigger are comfortable to use. The blade that comes with the saw is adequate for rough work. I still stick with five stars, reasoning that Delta includes this blade to keep the price of the saw reasonable and to allow the user to choose the blade she or he really wants without feeling bad about putting aside a nicer blade. If you buy the saw for chopping 2X stock, the blade is fine; but, this saw is capable of so much more - including extraordinarily precise and clean finish work. After being outfitted with a Forrest Chopmaster blade (a blade that will transform even the most miserable saw) this Delta really came into its own. So far, it has done very well with padauk, mahogany, oak, maple, and walnut. It has also done an excellent job with one of the more splintery of materials - rift-sawn red oak plywood. All of these materials are cut with the accuracy and finish one gets from a well-tuned cabinet saw. The lasers are great. After adjusting them to "fit" the new blade, it is possible to routinely cut stock down the center of a .05 mm lead line - on the first try. I couldn't be happier.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent accuracy, December 8, 2002

By 

John Halsey (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DELTA 36-255L 12-Inch TwinLaser Miter Saw (Tools & Home Improvement)

I ordered the TwinLaser Miter Saw back in early October, when I first read about it. It took nearly two months, but it finally arrived. The package arrived in great shape, and the saw was nicely padded inside. Assembly of the fence was simple, in fact the saw was ready for use right out of the box since the fence extension is optional. But the true test was how the lasers performed. This saw has a toggle switch for the lasers near the main power switch. When you turn on the lasers, you see two 1/4" dashed red beams across your work. The dashed light is caused by the clear plastic blade guard having 1/4" cut-outs, apparently for the light to shine through. As you start to pull the blade down towards the work, and the blade guard starts to retract, then the beams shine solid unobstructed lines. This turns out to be really handy, since the red beams are very bright, and it can be difficult to line them up with any pencil marks. But the perforated laser beam lets you see both the laser line and your pencil line for easy alignment. After my first cut, I found the right-hand laser was off by about 1/16". Each laser has independent allen screws for adjustment. It took about 1 full turn of the screw to get the laser aligned for perfect cuts. Overall, I'm very pleased and think the lasers will eliminate a lot of trial and error practice cuts to get it just right.