Customer Reviews

Rockwell RK7138 Shop Series 15 Amp 10-Inch Sliding Miter Saw

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The Rockwell sliding compound miter is an excellent saw for the price. It has a few quirks that keep it out of the Dewalt league, but at roughly half the price, I wasn't expecting it to be a Dewalt. And given my experiences with Dewalt miter saws, the Rockwell is not all that far from the mark. The biggest difference is that you have to work with it the same way you would work with a Dewalt that's seen about six months of professional full time use - ie. you have to check square and calibrate the miter gauge fairly regularly.

I also noted that we really need to adjust the laser - something I have yet to do because it is a pain and I didn't have the time mid-project. But when the project we bought it for is done and it gets set up in the shop, that will be dealt with too. I really don't see that as much of a problem though, given I have only once used a saw that had a pretty much perfectly calibrated laser out of the box - one that needed to be recalibrated after a couple months use. That is just the nature of lasers, so I don't really mind it not being perfect. Indeed given that I have used miter saws without lasers far more often than with, it really doesn't bother me.

The Rockwell is not without rather irritating problems though. The major problem is dealing with the guard when changing out blades. I would daresay I have never dealt with a saw that was such a pain in the rear for changing blades - including table saws and band saws. Another issue is that the fence to the right of the blade is recessed for an inch, about an inch up from the table. This makes ensuring your material really is tight against the fence rather difficult. It isn't a deal killer, but it does really annoy me. The last significant problem is that the clamp on the right isn't usable because the body of the saw runs into it. There is just no good reason for not setting the clamp further out on the fence. This won't be a problem when we get the saw set up in the shop, as I intend to recess it in the bench and extend the fence. But for portable use this can be a rather significant irritation.

All in all though, the Rockwell sliding compound miter saw is a great saw for the money. It is solidly constructed and none of the calibration problems are any different than you would expect from a higher end saws that has seen a fair amount of heavy use. There are also a few ways one can compensate - the same ways one can compensate on higher end saws that have begun having similar problems. For a $200+ difference in price, I am willing to deal with the inconvenience.

I'm so disappointed in this saw. I took a gamble because there were no reviews on Amazon at the time I bought this. I could have gotten a Ryobi at the home store for a cheaper price even after the sales taxes.

Things I don't like: 1) The knob on the front of the turning table is just a knob - it is not used for loosening or fastening down the turning table. To turn the table there is a wing nut that clamps down on the table. 2) The clamp to hold the work piece is not very reliable and is certainly not very quick or convenient to clamp down or release. 3) the miter stops are not very positive-acting or precise though I wasn't really expecting too much considering the price of the saw. 4) The user manual is truly worthless. For some of the assembly that I was not quite sure of, the manual didn't help a bit.

It does cut okay so it's usable although inconvenient. I think the Ryobi at the home store would have been better quality at a cheaper price.

I bought this saw thinking it would cut accurate miters. Was I wrong. It isn't an expensive saw so I didn't expect a lot of bells and whistles. All I wanted was something that would cut accurate miters. I spend three hours zeroing all the angles and the fence and then tried to make a picture frame. I wasn't successful. The detents are not solid. The table will move about 3/4 degree when the detent drops in place.
The rotating table is lower than the frame of the saw so the work piece is laying at an angle. I returned the saw after using it once. I do not recommend this saw to anyone doing picture frames or trim work.

Pros:
Powerful and cuts cleanly (went through some thick oak like it was butter).
Has a laser guide.
Very solid feel for most of the important parts.
Price is very good for a well built sliding saw.
Cons:
The board clamp is weak and clumsy to use.
The laser guide doesn't extend as far as I would like.
Would be nice if the table was a little larger, but that would probably bump the price significantly.

Overall I would recommend this saw to anyone except perhaps a professional. If you were depending on it for your work I'm guessing the board clamp would eventually drive you crazy. Personally I stopped using it and just hold the board in place with my hand.