A chop saw is a great piece of kit that makes cutting angles easier than ever. Having a chop saw on-site will improve your work rate and your ability to cut perfectly straight and angled mitre cuts.
Finding the right product can be an uphill task, yes they all do the same job but the quality and price tag of chop saws are still miles apart.
With DeWalt and Makita being the prefered brand on-site, many brands can rival their engineering, quality and work efficiency rate.
Choosing The Right Chop Saw
If you are just going to be using your chop saw for trims then you do not need to spend 100’s of £’s on the latest and greatest chop saw brand.
Some cheaper brands will suit plastics and softwood trims and can be more mangeable because they are more portable.
If you’re going to be cutting roofing rafters or large joists then you will need a bigger model capable of cutting larger timbers.
When it comes to roofing you need a decent chop saw because once you find your angles your machine is easily set up and ready to go.
You will also need bevel and miter cuts to help with rafters, beams and valley cuts.
- Roofing and conservatory fabrication
- General building tasks
- Household trims and architrave
- Door linings and thresholds
- Flooring and skirting boards
- Spindles, newel posts and bannisters
Types Of Cuts Using Sliding Chop Saws
A good chop saw must cut both bevel and
This process makes your work rate much faster because your saw is setup and ready to go, once you find your angles.
The Best Chop Saws
For a chop saw to be featured in this section it must be smooth with safety triggers to avoid accidents while offering the best engineering for the price being advertised.
With such a huge variety to choose from, selecting a chop saw can be touch and go if you do not have the experience.
- Quality product
- Price vs quality
- Smoothness
- Safety triggers
- History
- Capability
#1 Tacklife Sliding Chop Saw (Best Choice)
The Tacklife sliding chop saw is an all-round typical chop saw. It’s a great piece of kit that’s smooth and easy to use with many safety benefits.
We chose this model because the price is right at around £120 for a product that cuts delicate wood, plastics and metal profiles.
With a 23cm cutting length and a 60mm height, this version will suit small tasks such as trims, architraves and medium timbers.
Tacklife Sliding Chop Saw Details
- Brand: Tacklife
- Sizing: 60mm cutting depth and 23cm length
- Cutting types: Mitre & bevel cuts 0°~45°
- Blade Included: Yes – wood
- RPM: 4500
- Materials: Wood, plastic & metals
- Safety: two-part safety trigger
#2 Evolution Sliding Chop Saw
Evolution Power Tools have engineered a solid chop saw that can be used for timbers, small joists, decking board and so on.
It’s a medium-sized sliding saw that performs well on-site or general DIY at home.
This model also comes with their tungsten carbide tipped cutting disc that will cut through anything you put under it.
The Evolution chop saw feels great to use and surprisingly smooth when cutting due to its high piv
Evolution Sliding Chop Saw Details
- Brand: Evolution Power Tools
- Sizing: 73mm cutting depth and 30cm length
- Cutting types: Mitre & bevel cuts 0°~50°
- Blade Included: Yes – Tungsten Carbide blade
- RPM: 2500
- Power 1600W
- Materials: Wood, plastic & metals
- Safety: two-part safety trigger
#3 DeWalt Chop Saw 110V
The DeWalt chop saw is a serious piece of kit, it cuts extremely well through all materials. The base block is heavy and the movement is extremely easy to manage, it cuts both large and small profiles with precision.
The locking system is tight and oversized so you can precisely cut up to 60° bevels and mitres. Another great feature is its time-saving angle system, you simply pull the trigger and adjust the saw to your desired angles.
The engineering level that has been put into this model has evolved over many years, making it one of the best chop saws around. If you own a workshop or do all your work on-site then this should be a piece of kit you should invest in.
DeWalt Chop Saw Details
- Brand: DeWalt
- Sizing: 110mm cutting depth and 303mm length
- Cutting types: Mitre 0°~60° & bevel cuts 0°~50°
- Blade Included: Yes – standard
- Power: 110V
- Materials: Wood, plastic & metals
- Safety: two-part safety trigger
Best Chop Saw Stand/Bench
If you are on-site or you do not have a workbench then a chop saw stand is a must.
A stand will help support your materials so you are not balancing and using the floor as a stand.
A chop saw stand takes a few minutes to set up and you have a workable platform that is safe and will improve your work rate.
#1 Evolution Chop Saw Stand
The Evolution is a sturdy but sensible priced stand that is universal so it will fit Makita, Dewalt, Evolution and Bosch chop saws.
You can pay upwards of £200 for a branded stand that does the same as the Evolution type chop saw stand.
Evolution Chop Saw Stand Details
- Brand: Evolution Power Tools
- Materials: alloy
- Limits: 150kg – 3 metre lengths
- Universal: Suitable for all chop saws
- Sizing: 1.8 metres x 1.10 metres
Chop Saw Safety/Checks
If you have never used a chop saw before then you must adhere to these safety issues. Most chop saws will kick back, especially when cutting plastics or aluminium.
Follow these simple measures to take when using a chop saw around the home or on-site.
- Goggles and safety equipment is a must
- Check the teeth of the circular saw before cutting
- Always cut on a flat surface
- Allow enough either side of your saw
- Be sure you are using the right circular wood/metal
- Your wood/metal must be held against the backplate
Start the saw away from the material you are cutting because this is the main cause of kickback.
If you start the saw when the cutting teeth are sitting on or stuck into your piece of wood or plastic, then you will lift the material into the back of the saw plate.
Because the saw has not got up to cutting speed you will find the saw kicks back and pinches your material.
This can break your circular saw teeth or put a strain on its motor.
Always remember to start the saw at its set point and then bring the circular saw down onto your material and let the circular saw do the work.