Milwaukee 6955-20 12-Inch Sliding Dual Bevel Miter Saw with Digital Miter Angle Fine Adjust

Reviews of Milwaukee 6955-20 12-Inch Sliding Dual Bevel Miter Saw with Digital Miter Angle Fine Adjust

1.) Great saw
Reviewed by: Westley Rosenbaum
Rating:
I am a rough and trim carpenter and I got this saw about 5 months ago. I have used many different 12" sliders from the new Makita, new Bosch, new DeWalt. This is the best one I have used.

Let me start by saying this saw DOES HAVE A 0 DEGREE BEVEL POSITION STOP!!!! Do not get discouraged by all of the other comments on here that say it doesn't, because apparently they don't know how the saw's bevel adjustment handle works. It has 2 positions. You can pull it all the way up, allowing you to move it to any degree you wish, OR if you pull it halfway up, it will click into your various detents INLCUDING 0 degrees!

I will start with the weaknesses, which aren't much:

First, as mentioned by one of the other reviewers, the right side of the fence does not slide. This is due to the fact that when the saw is beveled to the right, the motor housing gets in the way and hits the fence. You can remove the upper part of the fence on that side, but then you are left with just about a 1 inch auxillary fence, so when you use a right bevel you will always have to support the workpiece on the left side and have the right side being the cut-off end. Kind of discouraging, but you will just have to make your cuts accordingly.

Another weakness (but small) is again already mentioned, no clamp is included for the workpiece. I have never used one before because I have always been set up with a stand that provides plenty of support, but for those of you who use one often, it is something to check into. I'm not sure if they even make one for it... ? Neither of these weaknesses were enough for me to lower the rating to 4 stars, though.

Now the good stuff, the strengths:

Dust collection. I do not know why one reviewer put this down as a weakness. Maybe he was expecting a miter saw to collect all of the dust? I do not know of any tool that will do this without the use of some sort of shop vac. I will agree with D. Trelford that it collects about 50% of the dust. Compared to any other miter saw out there, it does excellent!

Deflection. With larger crosscuts requiring you to extend the saw all the way out, a steady hand with an even amount of force throughout the cut will provide no deflection. Of course with any 12" slider you might expect a very minute bit of deflection when fully extended, but this saw is very sturdy. When browsing saws next time you're at Home Depot or where ever it is you go, fully extend this saw, try forcing side play on it, and compare it to the others. It does a great job and takes quite a bit of force to move it side to side. If you get this saw and down the road sometime you witness any wandering cuts, I would be willing to bet it's due only to a dull blade and not any play in the rail slides. It is that sturdy. A poor example of side to side play I have witnessed is in the new Bosch slider. I could skew my cuts a good 1/16" when cutting some 12" trim, and that was with a brand new $140 CMT blade.

Digital angle readout with micro adjust. This works very well. You can be in "free" mode and swing any angle you want, or you can engage in "micro adjust" mode. It is easy to switch between the two and there are even dircetions printed on the saw right next to the locking knob. Once you do it once or twice it is a breeze. As with almost any saw, when you tighten down on that odd angle, that force of the screw turning clockwise and tightening against the table might cause it to move off of your mark a fraction of a degree. This almost never happens with this saw, and even if it does it's MAYBE a 1/10 of a degree. And if it happens, so what because you've got a digital readout so you know exactly where you're at. It's easy to adjust, and if you're zero'd in on 44.7 degrees and you have to change it for a back-cut on a cope or something, you can dial back in exactly where you had it at 44.7. I found it to be very useful and it didn't get in the way or seem "gimmicky" to me at all.

All around sturdy. As I mentioned it performs well when sliding, it is also very sturdy when adjusting the bevel. You do not have to hold the weight of the saw up like most saws when you unlock the bevel. The table also swings very smoothly yet feels robust at the same time.

Lighter than expeceted. Don't get me wrong it still has some weight behind it, just doesn't feel so much like a ton as compared to some other 12" sliders out there.

Lights. I was just using my saw on a remodel and I had the saw set up in a room with unfinished lighting. I was cutting trim that was very dark (hard to see the pencil mark) and on a dreary day with little sunlight, those lights helped out a lot. Unlike one of those lasers. Now that's a gimmick to me. What if you are using a Freud thin kerfed blade or a Forrest Chopmaster with a full 1/8" kerf? Does the laser only ride on one side of the blade so it doesn't matter what size kerf you have anyway? No because what if you want to cut the other side of the line, then you're just suppose to guess how thick the blade is? Then there's some lasers that shine on both sides of the blade. Easily adjustable? Plus when you slide your piece and your pencil mark hits the laser you can barely see it! And for those of you who don't have the best eyesite to begin with... well it's just something to consider. Screw the laser, I'd rather trust my eyeball seeing the blade hit my pencil mark.

Adjustable Dado cutting ability. Not that you would use this often but it is a neat feature and I'm suprised there aren't more saws out there that offer it. I think some Hitachi's and Makita's offer this too. On this one there is a little steel plate that swings to interfere with an adjustable screw to adjust the depth of cut. Not a deal breaker or anything, but it did come in handy when I had to whip together a mini door jamb for an attic crawl space.

Of course all of the other things such as cutting capacity with bevels and miters, large fence, constant power. All in all, awesome saw. If you're like me, you like to thoroughly check into a tool (especially the more expensive ones such as these) as much as possible before making a decision. Hopefully my two cents have helped. I think this is a great saw for the price and I have had no complaints. All of the 12" sliders are around the same price with exceptions of Rigid, Masterforce, etc. One miter saw I have not used is the Festool Kapex. I wish I could help out with that one, but I haven't used it so I don't know how it compares. But at $1,300 I don't know that I'll ever come across someone that has one. But even that saw seems to have too many gadgets and moving parts.

2.) Awesome tool!
Reviewed by: mikey01h Ga
Rating:
I have been using a Hitachi C10FS for many years now and have been very pleased with its performance. I have no complaint with my Hitachi but have had on occasion the need for a 12" capacity. I had previously looked at the Hitachi 12" slide miter at Lowes, but was unimpressed with the gadgets and the saw seemed to flex and wander. The quality was also lacking in the Dewalt, and I had pretty much decided on the Makita LS1214, and was prepared to purchase one when Milwaukee came out with their 6955-20. Home Depot had them in stock so I was able to evaluate the fit, finish, stability and check out the flex, wander and general quality of the saw. I was very impressed. Although the saw was manufactured in Taiwan and not in the US, the quality seemed every bit the standards I have come to expect from Milwaukee on their previous domestically produced tools.

Strengths:
Very sturdy and accurate.
Makes 60 deg right cuts and 55 deg left cut capacity.
Digital fine adjustments for miter cuts.
Adequate dual lights on ether side of blade.
Constant Power Technology (resulting in smoother cuts).
Easy to read positive miter stops.
50 deg bevel left and right.
Large fence.
Depth paw stop for switching back and forth from full to partial depths.
Direct drive
No unnecessary gadgets.

Weaknesses:
Dust collection (as with all miter saws).
Right fence does not slide.
No vice clamp.
Expensive.

This saw is top notch! Smooth, very powerful, accurate and very well-built. I mounted this saw on a Ridgid miter stand and can setup and take down in seconds. Everything was well adjusted from the factory, only a minor adjustment of one of the bevel angle indicators needed to be corrected. The digital readout has proven useful, especially on those not so square, stain grade joints that must be perfect. The motors Constant Power Technology has a different feel when cutting, but performs flawlessly. I am glad they decided to forgo the laser gimmick in lieu of the dual lights which proved to be more valuable than I had anticipated. The depth paw stop has proved very handy a couple of times already, when having to switch back and forth from full to partial depths on a job.
I have some Milwaukee tools that are over 30 years old, only having to replace rotting electrical cords or brushes. I would not be surprised to find this tool falling into the same category...



3.) Versatile and precise
Reviewed by: T. Sparrow
Rating:
I've been using this saw now for about 9 months, and have been very pleased with consistently accurate results. However, given the 12" thin kerf blades combined with some play in the slide and hinges, you need to make sure your hand applies balanced pressure on axis with the cut to make sure the desired cut line remains true.

I've been doing everything from fine trim work, to basic framing, and even cross cutting countertop (in two passes, with some creative clamping). I haul this thing in and out of a portable stand constantly for storage purposes, and have never had a problem with the stops going out of calibration with all the pushing and shoving in and out of the utility shelving where it rests.

The makeshift dado stop is nice, and swings out of the way when you need to bounce back and forth from a full cut to a dado cut - but realistically the accuracy of the dado cut is really only good for notching studs and the like, there's too much play for finish work.

As many have pointed out, you may want to modify the right side fence so it too can slide back and forth, rather than stay fixed in one position as it is out of the box.

Dust collection is pretty good, but if you're doing anything with MDF nothing is going to help with airborne dust unless you have an extraction system, and this saw's rectangular flange doesn't come with a vac adapter. I called Milwaukee this morning, and they tell me a vac adapter will finally be available in Aug 09, and the part number will be 48-03-0200. It will probably be the same adapter that's included with the non-sliding UK version of this tool, MS305DB.

4.) milwaukee bevel miter saw
Reviewed by: Peter Stein new jersey
Rating:
One of the best saws made. Smooth slide, true accurate cut, good lighting, good dust vacuum. I've had 2 other brands before this Milwaukee, they simply don't compare. Worth the money paid.

5.) Leader of the pack
Reviewed by: WFS foreman royal oak, MI United States
Rating:
I didn't like the base of the Dewalt I had access to at the shop. So I did a lot of research. This baby promises everything and I did receive. Compound miters are soooo much cleaner our shop will save money on wood filler. If some people out there need a laser to guide them, I'm sure it's out there. Our shop Dewalt had one added for $20. The ease of using the arm to do compound cuts is as easy Sesame Street. By the way, the detents are perfect. Quality product!

6.) Excellent Saw
Reviewed by: BigBri
Rating:
I love this saw! Very powerful and VERY accurate. I'm used to my P-C 10" dual LASER saw, but I have nearly forgotten about that saw since I bought this one.

I kinda miss the lasers, but the power and sliding mechanism raised the bar for what I expect in a miter saw. There are bright-enough work lights, a nice trigger, and an EXCELLENT read-out for miter angles.

You'll need a Wixey box to be sure it's square up and down, but the adjustments are easy and sure. It's hard to think of anything that would make this saw better. Nice saw, nice price.

7.) great
Reviewed by: tool king lancaster, PA USA
Rating:
Quite simply the finest miter saw ever built. I have used them all (no joke), and nobody else even comes close.

8.) Great Saw
Reviewed by: Author, Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts Georgia Mountains
Rating:
This is the best sliding miter saw I have ever used. I bought this saw to replace a Makita sliding miter that finally died. My local Home Depot had just received these and had them on sale for $499. When I went to check out, the saw rang up at $649.99 but I showed the manager the sales tag that had it listed at "499.00" and they sold the saw to me at that price. The manager quickly tore up the $499.00 tag. I am a home builder/remodler and use the saw every day. It it not much heavier than the Makita but cuts much better. The lights on the saw are a great feature. The saw does not come with a clamp but I never use one. I have used this saw doing everything from making cabinet to making columns. I highly recommend it.

9.) Great Saw At An Unbelievably Low Price
Reviewed by: Howard Cohen
Rating:
Very pleased with my purchase of the Milwaukee 6955-20 saw. Home Depot just lowered the price from 649.00 to 499.00 and if you purchase by May 6th they will give you an additional 75.00 off with an in store coupon. I purchased mine for 424.00 this past weekend.

10.) sale at home depot
Reviewed by: av8tor st paul, mn usa
Rating:
I just thought I would let people know I purchased this saw yesterday (1/12/10) at home depot and paid 299.99 for it, it's not even signed for that amount but is an unavertised special. I haven't tried the saw yet.

11.) Great but
Reviewed by: Florida Kev Sunshine State
Rating:
After web group tip I located this product at Home Depot for $500. It was not on sale, and not all Home Depots had it- so not sure what HD is doing with this product. I visited 3 HDs before I found a store that had them in stock. Saw worked great right out of the box.

12.) Crazy Price
Reviewed by: Esther Huang
Rating:
Just went to home depot got this saw for $360 out the door. Haven't opened it yet but for 360 and all the good reviews,

13.) Waited A Long Time For This One!
Reviewed by: James Ringe St. Germain, WI USA
Rating:
As a Home Improvement Contractor, I use these types of saws daily for multiple applications.

When it came time to upgrade miter saws I did a ton of research on the various models that were available. Reviews from online articles, tool magazines, talking to other professionals on the job to get their input.

I had all but settled on the Bosch 12" sliding Miter Saw about 3 months ago, when I heard the rumor that Milwaukee was right about to run this saw out. So I waited. Again-(I had heard this rumor before)

When I first saw the press release on Milwauke's website, I was excited. The $699.00 price tag didn't matter much as you expect to pay for quality, and the 12" Dual Bevel Sliders are pretty much running in that neighborhood. (There are some retailers that are trying to get like $770.00 for these saws so be careful and make sure they aren't gouging you.)

After selling a couple of deck jobs I made some calls and found that our local Home Depot had just got the saws in that morning.

I will say that I was surprised when I picked up the box, it was considerably smaller and lighter than I had expected it to be. I got the saw back to the shop and pulled it from the box. The first thing I noticed is that there is not a hold down or workpiece clamp that comes with the saw. Not sure if they make an add on package or what. But a hold down clamp is nice and I missed it during my test runs. Once unboxed, I promptly mounted it my stand. Again very light for a saw of this size which is cool because I move my saw around allot.

All of the factory settings were accurate. Square to the table, square to the fence....etc. Real happy with that. The digital miter gauge is pretty cool, but is not really necessary for most everyday uses. The detents are deep and accurate, and the miter scale is easy to read.

I like the depth of cut setting allowing for groving and rabbiting. This is real simple but functional which is what it needs to be and no more.

I would have liked a Zero Stop on the Bevel because it is a bit disconcerting after cutting and angle to make sure you are back to zero, but I can live past that.

The blade that came with the saw was adequate and the saw cut smoothly and accurately.

I again, while testing was missing a workpiece clamp and for the most part that is the reason why I only gave the saw a 4 out 5. It would have been nice to have and you expect it with a saw for 699.00 honestly.(When you buy a cadillac....)

The dust collection is real good. Only finer particles get through, but I felt the dust bag is a bit small because it can be filled up with only a few small cross cuts. It could have been a bit bigger and hey why not put the Milwaukee Logo on it?? It seems kind of cheap that they didn't do that. Not a biggie but again for 70.00 you would expect it.

The constant power technology that keeps the saw at an even RPM during tough cuts works great. It is a bit strange when you first fire up the saw and make a cut because it is idfferent from other saws. You can really tell the consistent power thing, it is just hard to quantify how.Try it out and you will see what I mean. The soft start and brake is nice and overall the saw is real smooth.

Overall it is a great saw. It is the most powerful on the market, and it is accurate.It is the little things that keep it from being perfect. Retrosepctively, I am glad I waited to buy this saw, and I would recommend it to others highly. But Milwaukee has to get better at the little things in the future. They are putting out allot of new innovative things lately, and my hope is that they are not skimping on the details to flood the market with these innovations. My experience with Milwaukee is that they are "tools for life" and I hope that this saw lasts as long as my other Milwaukee tools have.




14.) Milwaukee Knows Tools
Reviewed by: D. Trelford Scottsdale, Arizona
Rating:
This is my third miter saw and I'm pleased to report that the manufactures are finally getting it right. This saw has a lot going for it like a 5 1/4" tall fence so cutting wide crown moulding in position is no problem. It has a 13 1/4" cutting capacity for 3/4" material. It is solid and well balanced, which is a prerequisite for any kind of accurate work. I like the work lights. (there are two of them, one on each side of the blade) While they aren't much help in daylight they sure come in handy as the sun sinks slowly in the west. I was also pleasantly surprised at how useful the digital readout was. I have found numerous times when I needed to tweak my cut by just a degree or two and the readout allowed me to do just that with consistency. The readout is also lit from behind by a soft green glow so it's easy to see in dim light. In fact I found myself wishing this saw had a digital readout for the bevel angles too! Speaking of bevels, the single wide lever in back for adjusting bevel angles is a thing of beauty and works like a charm. My saw is now permanently positioned on a dedicated "miter saw" table where I use it for woodworking in my shop, as opposed to rough carpentry work. I'm so glad Milwaukee didn't put one of those stupid laser gimicks on this unit, they aren't accurate and nobody uses them after the first week. This saw has many fine points and only a couple things that I could find fault in. First is that I was expecting the dust collection to be better than what it is. Milwaukee says it collects around 75% but in reality it is closer to 50%. Still it's better than all the other saws out there. Second is that there's no supplied miter clamp or hold down. I don't always use one but when I do it's nice to have. It should have been included. And third isn't really a concern with this particular saw but with all 12" sliding miter saws. You need to use a very smooth/straight arm motion in order not to flex the guiding rods or blade when making sliding cuts in order not to have a rough edge. It seems to be more pronounced with the larger 12" blade. This is no concern when using smaller 10" blades or when making a chopping cut with this saw. All in all this is one fine machine and other than my minor gripes with dust pick up and the non existing hold down, I'd have to say that it is worthy of a home in your shop.

15.) Nearly perfect
Reviewed by: Digital Dude Virginia
Rating:
We've used this saw for about 2 weeks now and have had a chance to become very familiar with it. The build quality is top-notch and it will power through anything you put in its path. The weight of the saw is a non-issue, despite what some of the reviewers have said. I've you've used a quality built 10 inch miter saw or SCMS in the past, then you won't notice much of a difference at all when toting around this 12 inch Milwaukee. The rubber hand grips on the sides of the saw's base make for comfortable carrying, and the handle on the rear of the saw allows you to bear some of the weight of the saw into your hip when carrying it.

The fine adjustment feature is something that would be hard to live without after having used it. It allows you to fine tune your angles to the tenth of a degree, and recreate that angle again and again without having to do any guessing.

Milwaukee decided to put lights on this saw instead of a laser; they did the right thing. The lights are recessed up into the saw's housing, so they're out of the way. They have an on/off switch, so you aren't burning the bulbs up in the midday bright sun, but early of the mornings and late in the evenings you can turn them on to help you see your marks better. Having used a sliding compound miter saw with a laser before, I can say they're really not all that helpful and they don't save as much time as one would think. The line from the laser is a little fuzzy and often times will conceal your mark so that you can't see it. Many times a laser actually makes lining up your cut harder instead of easier.

The high fences are awesome for larger crown mouldings, and the compound bevel has detents at all the important angles so you know you're on the right angle, without having to guess. The bevel mechanism on this saw is easy to adjust; you can set your bevel while standing in front of the saw, without having to move to the side of the saw or rear of the saw to set it. Just reach over the top, pull back on the bevel release lever, move it to the angle you want, and push the bevel release lever back into the locked position and you're good to go.

The only minor complaint we have with this saw is the way you lock the saw into position for transporting and for using the saw for standard miter cuts on narrow material. It uses a thumb screw to lock the saw in place to the rail. While we see no evidence that this would be a problem, having experienced thumb screw mechanisms like this on other tools and leads us to believe that eventually the thumbscrew will weaken or strip out, making it impossible to lock the saw in place. We're giving it 4 stars for this. If it were not for this, the saw would be absolutely perfect in every way. I hope on future releases of this saw, Milwaukee will come up with a lever, latch, or some type of pin type locking mechanism to lock the saw in place.

16.) a professional's tool
Reviewed by: Geoff Washington, DC
Rating:
This is my fourth miter saw, and the best yet by far. My previous slider, a Bosch 10", was a good saw, but dust extraction was a huge problem - the design permitted clouds of dust to rise into the air, making it impossible to use in a customer's home, even with dust extraction. The Milwaukee, in contrast, is superb - the support arm is designed to channel the dust back into the bag and the bulk of it is captured. It would have been nice, though, it they had provided an adapter for the rectangular exhaust port to attach to a shop vac. The digital readout at the front is gimmicky and not all that useful, and the lack of a 90º bevel stop is a serious flaw. Also, a hold-down would have been an occasional help. On the other hand, the high fences allow you to cut crown molding in the standard manner instead of flat, which is a huge time-saver and which makes fine-tuning the cuts much more amenable. Also, the dual headlights, the light weight and relatively quiet soft start motor are all very convenient. It's not a perfect tool, but is still a quantum leap in technology and well worth the cost.

17.) PRICE ALERT ......$299 at Home Depot !!!!!!
Reviewed by: Wonder Why North Carolina
Rating:
You would be Certifiable to buy this fine Saw for $649 from Amazon when you can get the very same saw at Home Depot on Sale for $299 !!!

Yes...I did not stutter.... $299 at Home Depot..... or there are now hundreds of them posted on Craigsli*t by folks trying to make a quick buck!

18.) Amazon pricing?
Reviewed by: T. Moody USA
Rating:
I recently purchased this saw at Home Depot for $649. Amazon has raised the price from a competitive $649 to $758 (as of today) over the last 3 weeks. I will update my review with more use.

19.) Good saw but could be better
Reviewed by: Tom and Marie Brandt
Rating:
We have 5 sliding compound miters in my kitchen and bath remodeling business and added a 6955 about 5 months ago. Luckily I don't have to go in the field everyday, but I keep tabs on which saws leave the shop first and most often for jobs. The first month we owned it, the 6955 was used constantly and was the first out the door. But as time went on and the newness wore off, the Milwaukee tended to be the 4th or 5th out the door with the workers migrating back to the 2 Ridgid 1290LZA's, a Dewalt DW718 and a Bosch 5412 before sulking about having to take the 6955. I personally feel that the Milwaukee is a very capable saw that is for more suited for rough framing than fine finish work. I just find there is alot of undefinable "flex" in the 6955 that leaves my cuts less than completely accurate sometimes, and I have heard a few of my guys echo that opinion. It is a "feel" thing that I just can't explain. The other thing is the lack of an integrated work clamp which is very handy for crown molding work and other tasks. I like the built-in worklights and think it is the best saw in this class for dust collection, although that isn't saying much since all of them are essentially poor at this task, unless you have a vacuum collection system attached. My favorite? Personally, I like the Bosch and the Ridgid about equally.

Features of Milwaukee 6955-20 12-Inch Sliding Dual Bevel Miter Saw with Digital Miter Angle Fine Adjust

This Milwaukee dual-bevel sliding compound miter saw offers accuracy, power and ease of use. It includes a miter angle digital readout that provides repeatable accuracy to 0.1deg and fine adjust with detent override makes it simple to dial-in precise miter angles. Amps: 15, HP: 3.3, Blade Diameter (in.): 12, Bevel: Dual, Speed - No Load (RPM): 3200, Total Positive Miter Stops: 12, Max. Degree Miter Cuts - Left: 55, Max. Degree Miter Cuts - Right: 60, Total Positive Bevel Stops: 9, Max. Degree Bevel Cuts - Left: 48, Max. Degree Bevel Cuts - Right: 48, Arbor Size (in.): 5/8 or 1, Blade Included: Yes, Wrench Included: Yes, Dust Bag Included: Yes

1.) Miter Angle Fine Adjust with Detent Override - makes it simple to dial-in precise miter angles;
2.) Miter angle digital readout ; provides repeatable accuracy to 0.1-Degree;
3.) Dual integral jobsite lights; fully illuminate the work piece and cut line from either side of the blade;
4.) 15.0-Amp, 3.3-Max horsepower direct drive motor - provides increased power for high performance cutting in hard lumber;
5.) Integral dust channel - captures 75-Percent of all dust and debris cut by capturing dust near the cut on both sides of the blade and directing it to the back of the saw;

Package Height x Length x Width: 32 in. x 32 in. x 22.7 in.
Package Weight: 76.6 lbs.

Accessories for Milwaukee 6955-20 12-Inch Sliding Dual Bevel Miter Saw with Digital Miter Angle Fine Adjust