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Aug 15
2008

Answers: No clamp with newest Milwaukee miter saws & more

Posted by Chris in woodworkingtoolsMilwaukeeAnswers

Chris
 A lot of questions have been going around the woodworking community wondering why the newest Milwaukee miter saws (The 6955-20 and 6950-20) do not include the very much standard hold down clamp. Another question is why the right fence does not slide, while the left one does.

Not knowing these answers myself, I decided to send an email to Milwaukee, and see if I would get an answer.

I did, and here is what they said.

"The clamp is not included because the vast majority of professional finish carpenters (our target user) do not use clamps.
Regarding the sliding fence, while the right fence will not slide, it is easily removable."

So we got a straight answer about the clamp, but no real answer about why the right fence does not slide.

I am a finish carpenter, and use a miter saw for a lot of my daily work; while I agree that a clamp is not used very often, they are very useful when they are needed. It is nice to know you have that option if you need it, and at times can keep your fingers safe. At the price you are paying for the saws, it seems to me a little silly to exclude a relatively cheep accessory, that also adds a bit of safety.

The right fence not being able to slide is a bit weird. They say it is easily removable, but what if you are cutting base standing up, and sharing the saw with someone who is cutting crown lying flat. You would be taking the fence on and off the whole day. From what I have been hearing, there is a "hack" you can perform to solve this problem, but why should we have to do it.

If you already own this saw, let us know if you agree with Milwaukee. Also be sure to add you review in our power tool reviews section.

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Comments (4)

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gary
regarding a hold down, As a professional myself I do not regularly use a clamp but to say never is a bit scary. I don't do just one thing on a job and there are times when a build in hold down is very helpful and as this writer suggests a safety issue. I have seen this saw at Home Depot and it looks good but I would have to use it a bit to be able to compare it to my favorite miter saw.
gary , Sunday, 17 August 2008 1:52 AM
right fence hack
BobZam
I looked over this saw today. All you have to do to allow the right fence to slide, is cut off a small tab on the saw. If I bought the saw I would probably cut it off, if the fence slowed me down too much.

Looks like a real winner.
Bob , Wednesday, 20 August 2008 2:44 AM
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0
Yesterday a fellow carpenter on our job site came in from Home Depot with a brand new Milwaulkee miter saw. Well today I had to go check it out for myself. He had already cut off the tab mentioned above, freeing up the right fence, which now slides just fine. As for the saw itself, very nice. The lever in back to adjust the bevel with three positions is very easy to use. One of these positions accesses the positive stops. The markings are very easy to read. But nicest of all is the digital read out for the miter and a micro adjustment to the tenths of a degree. The owner is very happy with his purchase.
Daryl , Thursday, 21 August 2008 1:14 AM
Owner: Jesse Merickel Construction
0
Exhaust on the saw works great, however when cutting large crown or other larger molding the fins get in the way. It would also be nice if the slide on the saw were to go back another 1/4". We love the digital read for the miter for fine tuning finished cuts,and the rubber grips for carriage are a nice touch. We would recommend this saw to any professional millworker, but there is always room for improvement.
jesse merickel , Saturday, 23 August 2008 1:17 AM

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