12-inch sliding compound miter saw
- Very high capacity
- Dials in fine adjustments
- Superior dust collection
- Lights on each side of blade
- Five-year warranty
- Noisy
- Heavy
- No laser
- No clamp for work piece
- Right fence doesn't move
Among 12-inch, sliding compound miter saws, the Milwaukee 6955-20 earns top marks for build quality, dust control, capacity, nice controls and smooth, accurate cuts with a soft-start motor. The digital readout and fine adjustments (with detent override) make settings precise to the nearest tenth of a degree. The saw can crosscut 13.5 inches, and vertical capacity for baseboard and crown molding is also excellent (6.5 inches and 6.625 inches respectively). For use in bright light where most laser guides get blurry, the Milwaukee's twin work lights illuminate both sides of the blade. The main drawbacks are the saw's noise and 76-pound weight. If you don't need this much crosscutting capacity, consider the 12-inch DeWalt DW716 (*Est. $400), which can crosscut a nominal 2-by-10 and weighs about 20 pounds less.
We found the best reviews of the Milwaukee 6955-20 at publications aimed at builders and woodworkers. Taunton's 2010 Tool Guide ranks this saw at the top of its class, and more detailed print and video reviews at Fine Homebuilding (published by Taunton Press) fill in details. Popular Woodworking and Tools of the Trade compare the Milwaukee with the more expensive Festool Kapex as well as other 12-inch sliders, and Wood Magazine names the Milwaukee a top tool. We also found detailed single-product reviews at the Journal of Light Construction, NewWoodworker.com and About.com. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.) Builder magazine's survey compares Milwaukee with other power tool brands, and contractors discuss the 6955-20 at a Journal of Light Construction forum. Two video demonstrations are also useful for getting a sense of the saw at work.
| Milwaukee 6955-20 12-Inch Sliding Dual Bevel Miter Saw with Digital Miter Angle Fine Adjust | |
(64 reviews) |
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Our Sources
1. Taunton's 2010 Tool Guide
The Milwaukee 6955-20 earns top ranking among 12-inch compound sliding miter saws tested at Fine Homebuilding. The review praises the outstanding dust collection as well as the fine build quality, digital miter adjustment with detent override, and scales that are easy to read. It's heavy but "well-balanced and easy to carry."
Review: 12-in. Sliding Compound Miter Saws, Kit Camp, November 2009
2. Popular Woodworking
The Milwaukee 6955-20 earns the Editor's Choice award based on tests comparing it with five other dual-bevel 12-inch, sliding compound miter saws as well as the pricey 10-inch Festool Kapex. Editors like the Milwaukee's build quality and dust collection, and praise the digital readout, fine-adjustment knob and detent override, but they note that the saw is noisy and lacks a laser guide.
Review: 12-in. Sliding Compound Miter Saws, Robert W. Lang, December 2008
3. Tools of the Trade
Based on job-site use by 20 boat builders, the Milwaukee 6955-20 earns praise for its scales and controls as well as its large vertical capacity, but it loses points for lacking a laser guide.
Review: Tool Test: Sliding Miter Saws, Joe Youcha, August 2008
4. Wood Magazine
Editors of Wood Magazine name the two 12-inch Milwaukee miter saws top tools for 2009, praising them as "loaded with user-friendly features." The table rotates extremely smoothly, and the fine angle adjustments and dust control are outstanding. An October 2009 review in this magazine gives both saws a perfect 5-star rating.
Review: Top New Tools for 2009, Editors of Wood Magazine
5. Journal of Light Construction
A professional finish carpenter reviews the Milwaukee 6955-20 in detail, based on several months of job-site use, with nice close-up photos. Setup, blade changing and operation are easy, and the saw cuts smoothly with great accuracy. The reviewer confirms the manufacturer's estimate that the saw collects about 75 percent of the sawdust it produces, and says he'd buy it again.
Review: Milwaukee 12-Inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw, Kent Brobeck, December 2008
6. Fine Homebuilding
This detailed single-product review praises the Milwaukee 6955-20 as the best in its class, with top-notch machining, scales and controls. Miter angles can be set digitally to the nearest tenth of a degree, and the twin lights for illuminating the work area are judged more useful than a laser guide. Dust control is excellent. A handful of readers add comments online, mostly quite positive with minor drawbacks, for example, the lights are incandescent, not LED.
Review: Editor's Review: New 12-in Miter Saw Leads the Field, Kit Camp, Jan. 1, 2009
7. Fine Homebuilding
This video review highlights the advantages of the Milwaukee 6955-20, predicting that when a shop vac is attached, duct collection will rival that of the Festool Kapex. The digital fine adjustments are another big plus and machining is called "smooth and velvety."
Review: Tool Review: Milwaukee's New 12-in Miter Saw, Justin Fink, Nov. 18, 2008
8. About.com
The About.com guide to woodworking gives the Milwaukee 6955-20 a perfect 5-star rating, praising its large capacity and extremely fine accuracy. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: Milwaukee 6955-20 Sliding Dual Bevel Miter Saw, Chris Baylor
9. New Woodworker.com
This enthusiastic review includes many close-up photos to illustrate the saw's advantages, plus a video. A few drawbacks are discussed but considered minor, and Tom Hintz suggests that for some small workshops, the Milwaukee miter saw could even take the place of a table saw.
Review: Milwaukee 12 Inch Dual-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw, Tom Hintz, May 12, 2010
10. Journal of Light Construction
Some veteran reviewers such as Gary Katz and Kent Brobeck discuss the Milwaukee 6955-20 with other contributors to this forum for professional builders and remodelers. For job-site use, the weight is a big concern.
Review: Milwaukee 6955-20 12" SCMS
11. BuilderOnline.org
Milwaukee ranks first among companies that make miter saws, in this survey of 3,428 builders and contractors. The survey compares 17 brands of power tools for quality.
Review: 2008 Builder Brand Study, Editors of Builder, March 31, 2008
12. YouTube.com
This eight-minute video review by CabinetMaker magazine is a bit dull, but it explains the saw's features reasonably well.
Review: In the Shop Tests a Digital Miter Saw, Will Sampson, April 29, 2009
13. Amazon.com
Nearly 20 owners review the Milwaukee 6955-20 here, with mostly high praise and no reports of quality-control issues.
Review: Milwaukee 6955-20 12-Inch Sliding Dual Bevel Miter Saw with Digital Miter Angle Fine Adjust, Contributors to Amazon.com
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Compound Miter Saws
- 10-inch compound miter saw Craftsman MiterMate 21226 *Est. $250
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