Makita LS0714 Sliding Compound Miter Saw Review

Makita LS0714

Makita LS0714 Quad 10 Amp 7-1/2-Inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw

Contractors who do really high-end work need really high-end tools. If you’re working with 8″ hardwood crown molding that’s going up in a government building, then nothing less than a 12″ dual bevel sliding compound miter saw will do. For the rest of us, especially those of us who do cabinetry and furniture-making, and maybe a little crown for our friend’s dining room, we fit right into that little niche between over-the-top and bare bones.

The Makita LS0714 Quad 10-Amp 7 1/2″ Sliding Compound Miter Saw fills that niche quite well. It’s extremely light – under 30 pounds and a little over two feet wide – and perfect for projects where portability is a plus. It has standard miter stops and a decent one-way bevel range, and a 12″ slide ensure that we can flat-cut any crown we want. Although it’s small, it’s extremely powerful: 10 amps generate more than 150% the RPMs of the fastest 12″ saw for slices so clean you’d think they were laser-cut. And did I mention it’s less than 30 pounds?

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Powerful performance in a compact design

The Makita LS0714 has so much to offer that it’s hard to believe it’s only a 7 1/2″ blade. Even if you have a larger miter saw, don’t be surprised if this becomes your primary saw. Instead of using this one for the portable jobs, you’ll just use the other one for the really big jobs. Here are some of the features that will make this saw your favorite:

  • Precision cuts with no effort
  • Good range of miters and bevels for any job
  • Extremely portable
  • Versatility for larger jobs

Note that although this is a 7 1/2″ saw, it has a 5/8″ arbor and will accommodate the more common 7 1/4″ blades. You just need to adjust the saw depth a bit to cut all the way through.

Tons of power for beautiful cuts

Larger saws usually run on 15 amps, and you’re wondering if this Makita LS0714, with a 10-amp motor, really has enough juice to get the job done. Well, my calculator says that 12″ blades have 2.5 times the area of a 7 1/2″ blade, so you’d expect a smaller motor to cope well with a blade that has less than half the mass. It certainly does so, and more. Not only does it reach the standard speeds for a 12″ blade, but the Makita LS0714 runs at 6,000 rpm under no load. Faster speeds mean smoother cuts, and these cuts are like glass. With two solid rails, you can count on a steady slide as well for a jitter-free cut.

Adjustable angles for all purposes

OK, I’ll be honest. Cutting crown on the flat isn’t the easiest thing in the world. However, it’s not impossible, and they’ve got charts to help you. But you’re probably not buying this saw for ceiling crown. You’re probably buying it for baseboards, cabinets, furniture, and other projects where 2 1/4″ clearance is the norm. If so, you’ll find the Makita LS0714 to have everything you need. You can swivel the miter from 47 degrees left to 57 degrees, right, and there are 9 preset stops at 0, and 15, 22.5, 30, and 45 on both sides. Note that this is a compound miter, not a dual compound miter, and your bevels can go up to 45 degrees on the left only (and 5 degrees on the right). But did I mention it’s only 30 pounds?

Portable – Take it everywhere

The Makita LS0714 really ought to come with a carrying case because the first thing you’re going to want to do with when you take it out of the box is run around with it, just because you can. That 104-degree swivel and 50-degree tilt are all brought to you by a tiny, 28.9-pound machine. It’s a little over two feet long for easy carrying capability. Take it upstairs, take it to the basement, take it to the jobsite, all in a day, no sweat. Plus the dust collection works quite well, so you can use it in the house without making your family evacuate.

Length and width make up for the height

True, the Makita LS0714 doesn’t have the largest table on the market. But if you’re worried about longer stock, don’t be: there are two included extension wings that you can add to either side as needed for extra length with miniscule effect on the overall weight. In addition, the slide is almost a foot long – 11 3/4″, or 8 3/8″ on a 45-degree miter – so you can cut big stuff. You just have to lay it down flat.

Customers feedback

As you might imagine, the Makita LS0714 isn’t the most popular saw because of its blade size. A lot of people worry that it doesn’t have the capacity they need to cut larger stock. However, folks who have gone ahead and purchased it are in love with this saw. It earned 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon, and when people talk about it, you hear the same sentiment repeatedly: I wasn’t sure about it, but now it’s my favorite saw.

  • “The overall quality of the machine is first rate. All the movements are silky smooth and it was perfect out of the box. Even the dust collector works, capturing the majority of the sawdust.”
  • “Its sliding mechanism is extremely smooth with no play. It gives you cuts up to 12″ wide which are perfectly straight with no ‘climbing’ effect.”
  • “As a finish guy I rarely need to cut anything over 2″ thick; I cut moldings on the flat. This saw is perfect; you’re crazy to consider anything else.”
  • “The saw is completely assembled and out of the box everything is dead on; you only need to adjust the cutting depth.”
  • “This “little” gem is exactly what this 1st time home owner / avid do-it-yourselfer remodeler needed.”

Customers have so many positive things to say about this saw. In fact, there are only two complaints that pop up: one, there’s only one clamp and it’s kind of fidgety, and two, you have to cut crown on the flat because of the limited height. If you’re used to a saw that has preset stops at all the crown angles, you might have a little trouble switching to a flat system. However, with a little patience, a protractor, and a big angle chart printed out and taped up behind your saw, you’ll be a pro in no time, uh, flat.

How to get one

The Makita LS0714 is one of those rare tools that sells for pretty much the same price across the board, so don’t pay more than $450 anywhere. Amazon’s got a great deal considering they have FREE SHIPPING.

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