[Shop-talk] Miter saw or compound miter saw

[Nolan]

> OK - here's a little more of my ignorance exposed. Aside from 
> cross-cutting
> wider boards, which isn't my main need, is there any other advantage to a
> sliding compound miter saw saw vs a chop-style compound miter saw ?

Not really.  And yes, deflection of the ways or tubes on a slider can be 
significant.  And yes, in the case of the chopsaw type (non-slider) it's 
blade size that dictates the width of the cut.  I went with a 10" slider 
because I wanted the ability to make wider cuts at an angle.  When you angle 
the blade, it doesn't take much wood to exceed the cut limit of a rigid 10" 
blade.  Being able to slide lets me use a smaller blade and smaller saw, 
which can be cheaper and easier to handle.