1. Posted: May 15 2007

   Excellent saw - lightweight, yet well made. I also bought the 80 tooth Makita blade and used it a lot this past weekend cutting moulding and baseboards. This combo worked very well; angles were right on the money right out of the box. As others have mentioned, there is a bit of a kickback when the motor kicks in as you start to lower the blade, but it's no big deal. The only way it could be better otherwise would be if it had a dual bevel, but that's twice as much money, and more weight.

2. ( 8 of 8 found this review helpful ) Posted: Apr 27 2006

   I purchased this miter saw to use for general stick framing carpentry and for simple small-trim trim carpentry. I move all my tools via truck to a different job site each day, so portability was important to me. Previously I was using a Bosch 3915 (stolen) which was a great saw in all respects, but it was large, heavy and feature laden; and best suited as an in-shop woodworking saw or for extensive on-site finish carpentry jobs. The Makita LS1040F is small and light; and it has plenty of power. It was accurate out of the box and in my experience it stays accurate with heavy use. It comes with a decent 40T carbide Makita blade suitable for framing work. It is quite spartan and toy-like compared to a higher end Bosch. It has a relatively small platform and it will just barely cut 2x6 nominal lumber at a 90 degree miter angle. The plastic kerf plate and miter angle indicator stand out as cheap plastic parts. The dust bag gets in the way because it is positioned too low and too horizontal. I haven't really used the florescent light, although it might be useful if you were sawing lumber in a dark hallway somewhere. The light seems to be of decent quality and design, but I'm not sure if it is worth the extra $20. I very much appreciate the built-in carrying handle at the top of the saw. For the money this is an very good lightweight, portable, accurate compound miter saw.

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