LS1219L 12" Dual-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw with Laser

I am a full-time builder of 20 years and have owned and used a variety of miter saws over the years. I've personably always owned DeWalt miter saws and have used other contractors' Makita saws and always liked them, but wasn't sure how they would hold up for my particular work. I, like many others, was interested in this saw because I liked the small footprint in my garage workspace compared to my DeWalt, knowing also that I would be transporting the Makita to/from the job site at least half the month. My decision after extensive research came down to this saw or the Bosch axial glide. You should know I was extremely hesitant to purchase this saw -- from Amazon, for sure, based on some of the reviews and unboxing/shipping mishaps photos on here; but also, based on reviews elsewhere online, which indicated this saw might have a manufacturing problem with regards to zeroing it out and getting accurate cuts when the saw is fully extended (having to do with the slide bars not being coplanar to one another, it seemed). I decided to order the Makita anyway (the Bosch looks nice and is less expensive as of this writing, but I just felt the Makita might be the better bet over time based on my knowledge of Makita's heritage). Amazon's return policy helped make that decision. And I couldn't be happier that I ordered it. Maybe I was just lucky, but my saw arrived in an undamaged box with an undamaged saw within. The packaging was robust and they had styrofoam and padding where it should have been to protect it from rough shipping and handling. Maybe they changed this packaging system since those negative reviews? I don't know. I just know mine came totally intact. Putting the saw together took all of five minutes, and then checking/adjusting all the tolerances took another hour or so, with only minor adjustments needed to get it perfect. The saw fences were perfectly aligned and plumb out of the box, as was the the head's/blade's squareness to the fences -- all the way out to 15". That's amazing! The zero-degree bevel was a half degree off, but the adjustment for this was painless and quick (the instructions tell you exactly how to adjust this, and it requires the same Allen key that changing the blade requires -- handily stored in the tool itself). Once the zero-degree bevel was adjusted, each 45-degree bevel were perfect as well. The table was about perfectly flat as well, and I could only barely slide a sliver of very thin paper under my straightedge in a few spots on the right side of the table. Use feeler gauges if you're keen. I didn't bother. I'm a carpenter and woodworker, not a machinist, so for me, the paper method worked fine. I tested it outside of the usual squares and straightedges, too, using actual 2x and 4x material and checking the material after a cut. Perfect and accurate cuts once adjusted! What can I say other than I am thrilled with the saw and also with how it arrived. Per negative reviews: Yes, the tall fences cannot be slid out (only removed) for large bevel angles. That's not an issue for my work: I don't cut large crown. My work involves wide pieces of trim, wide fascia and wide pieces of hardwood, so the tall fences come off for large bevel angles and that still leaves plenty of fence for 2x material. Needing tall fences for 4x material in my line of work may indicate the need for me to have a more precise miter station and/or to joint and plane the material better. Your common material usage will determine if the fences are an issue or not. They are not for me. Also common in negative reviews was some play in the saw head when extended all the way out. Well, I figured there would be at least some play in this Makita (all my older DeWalt sliders had some small degree of play as well). But I have zero play in the blade and saw head when the saw extends. Zero. It's surprisingly stiff through its range of motion. Maybe this will loosen in time? I don't know. Couple these tolerances with good sawing techniques on my part, and proper transporting practices, and I expect this saw to deliver excellent cuts for years. And yes, as other have noted, the detent plate is a concern of mine (it's aluminium). I'll have to wait and see how this holds up. I think NOT being aggressive with adjusting the base's angle should help considerably. Time will tell. At least Makita will send a new one if it looses accuracy. And then it takes all of ten minutes to install the new one and square it up. No big deal for me, personally. And yes, this saw is heavy and will be a mild burden to move to/from the job. It's a 12" sliding compound-miter saw: they are ALL heavy. If weight And transport are concerns and hefting 65 pounds is a burdeos, I would say look for a smaller saw and don't knock a 12" slider saw for what it is. What else is there to say? Despite the several online criticisms of this saw and its packaging and shipping, I ended up with what I had hoped for and what Makita has built its name around: a quality tool that should last years before it needs any repairs. It's a great saw! Things I needed to see and use to really appreciate and which set this saw apart: I really love the detent override switch at the thumb, and the bevel adjustment knob is a fantastic solution to not having to reach behind the saw to make adjustments. And of course, the footprint is incredibly small in my garage. It easily fits on a 24" miter station. Angling the saw over to 60 degrees when not in use, and it doesn't protrude past the station at all. Nicely done, Makita! And Amazon, for the fulfilment and shipping!

Arrived true! Blade is dead on square. Dust system definitely works better than dewalt or others. Laser was off a smidgeon but took minutes to correct. Last miter I'll ever need

This miter saw is the best more saw I have ever used and I have used a bunch of other saws in the past. This is a pricey saw but well worth it. It's not going to be a portable saw because it's on the heavy side. Mine is setup to be permanent at a miter saw station I built. Just buy this saw you won't regret it.

I just love this saw. The soft start is really nice. You don’t realize this is a big powerful saw when using it. It glides smoothly on the rails. There is minimal deflection of the blade, unlike some saws. The laser is very accurate, and works well enough for most tasks. You can swap the laser to either side of the blade with minimal effort, really nice touch. You need to spend some time dialing in the miter and bevel stops. Get a digital level and an accurate square, and that will help. The rails on my saw were also out of alignment, which created curved cuts. You need to loosen one of the set screws on a rail and twist them into alignment… this adjustment isn’t in the manual, but it’s necessary for some of these saws. A dial indicator comes in handy for making this adjustment. There are a couple videos on YouTube on how to align the rails. Overall an amazing beast of a saw, highly recommend getting one and putting some time into calibrating it. It’s worth the effort, as it cuts smoothly and accurately once tuned up.

This saw is amazing and has the best features on the market, when you get it set up correctly. Many negative reviews are from people who were not able to get the saw calibrated. All saws can be calibrated but it is not a straightforward process. - The saw does not come square at 0 degree setting in any of the directions it is adjustable. A plastic square gauge is provided with the saw, it is completely useless. You must use a 6 in machinist square and follow the adjustment procedures for the miter and the bevel angles. It is easy to adjust correctly with the correct tools. - The rails on MOST if not all saws are not parallel with each other from the factory. They must be adjusted to achieve parallel to get the sliding feature to function correctly. This is the number one complaint that I read about this saw when researching the purchase. Many reviews claim you can not fix this problem, this is FALSE. The adjustment involves loosening the set screws at the end of the slide and using a lever to twist the two rails. It is a trial and error process but completely achievable to the get the rails parallel. AFTER the adjustment the carriage slides more freely on the rails and the blade travels in a completely straight line. - The laser cut line is weak and practically non-functional because it can not be aligned. I am retrofitting the saw with a shadow line lighting system from the cordless saws. This is not a necessary feature, but its sad that the included system doesnt not even work correctly. - After complete calibration and adjustment the saw cuts well, cuts fast, and is quiet with the soft start motor. The dust collection when connected to a vacuum is excellent and the only dust that doesnt end up in the bucket is large pieces which is not a problem for health and safety.

Good, high-quality miter saw. I definitely recommend it.

SEE VIDEO. Bought brand new back in January. It has sat boxed and unopened in a safe location until ~2 weeks ago, when I was finally ready to install in onto the miter station I'd been working on. I noticed right away, when pivoting the saw left along the circular axis, there is a clear grinding noise of metal on metal, and the saw will not pivot without a decent amount of force. I reached out to Makita for warranty, and they requested I take the saw to an approved service center, and then they provided a link to find a service center near me. I live in a a large urban area with ~1 million people, and the closest service center is 107 miles away from me. I responded in email that I will not be making a 214 mile round trip journey to fix a saw that shouldn't have passed QA, and asked if they had an alternative option to fix said saw. That email is now 8 days old with no response. I'm sure my defective saw is an outlier, however, now that I see how difficult it is make good on a warranty through Makita, it has guaranteed I will no longer buying any Makita products going forward.

So, I bought this to replace a 25 year old 10" Makita miter saw that has been great, but it is just wore out. I opened up the box and this thing was huge compared to my old one. I was concerned but was outfitting a new shop so built the miter bench to fit the saw. This thing was fantastic from the first time I used it. Never been a fan of laser alignment. Seems they were always too thick of a line to be accurate. This one was thin and precise right out of the box. Saw was very well set up right out of the box. Angles accurate, square, everything you want. Not completely sure about the dust collection just yet as I haven't got it set up yet, but so far, I'm a fan.