Does this tool exist?

[u/thomasleestoner]

I’m wondering if there is a sliding miter saw that I can lock the blade height on so I can use it to cut half lap joints as I would on a radial arm saw.

My Inca radial arm saw was stolen from a job site

[u/Shaun32887]

I think most miter saws have a depth stop.

My Dewalt does, and I've used it to cut half laps in the past. Needs to be cleaned up with a router to be pretty though.

Edit: I forgot to add that at least on my saw, the blade doesn't slide back far enough so that the lowest point of the blade reaches the back of the piece being cut (the face touching the fence). This means that the bottom of the lap won't be flat.

To fix this, place a sacrificial offcut between the fence and your piece to move the piece off the fence an inch or so.

[u/zedsmith → u/Shaun32887]

My makita does as well— and yeah, I’d expect most saws do.

I don’t like doing rebates on my mitersaw though, as tempting as it is. It’s not precise enough, and my standard blade is ATB not flat top grind, which does t make for nice joinery.

[u/chefsoda_redux → u/zedsmith]

It is a quick way to knock out 95% of it though. Going over it with a flat bottom router bit after that, is quick and precise.

[u/Wonderful-Bass6651 → u/Shaun32887]

Heck, I have a crappy Kobalt saw that has one!

[u/DavidDaveDavo → u/Shaun32887]

My Bosch has a depth stop. I think it's pretty common.

[u/superwesman]

yeah totally ... my cheap ryobi and my nice bosch both have that feature

[u/Reasonable-Pop-1528]

Most modern compound sliding miter saws have depth stop on the side and you can adjust it. Depending on the quality of saw though, there can still be a lot of play, which could make a half lap cut... interesting. I use a sacrificial piece of wood next to the fence to get the blade to cut a consistent depth.

I have a Bosch GCM12SD and it has a depth stop that works great and it cuts beautifully. But if you're looking for something easy to take to a jobsite and affordable to have stolen, this would not be a good option.

[u/tickynaylor]

My Metabo sliding miter saw doesn't have a locking system that can be adjusted other than fully plunged. However, it does have an adjustable depth stop so you could set the max cut depth. It just requires you to consistently plunge the saw to the stop each time.

[u/tilhow2reddit → u/tickynaylor]

Yes. But I use this feature to cut half laps all the time.

[u/tickynaylor → u/tilhow2reddit]

I agree. I was just making it clear that it is a depth stop and it is different from locking it into a depth.

[u/dinosaurnerd_]

The Bosch GCM 18V is actually excellent and would be something I highly recommend investing in. It's a compound angle bench top saw so allows for a whole range of cross cuts at complex angles incredibly well suited for most work. And yes, it can be used as a radial arm saw to make dado like cuts for lap joints and such.

[u/Polar_Ted]

My Bosch GCM12 supposedly has an adjustable depth stop but I've never looked for or used it.

[u/MobiusX0]

It’s going to be a sloppy half lap but you can do it with a circular saw. Construction workers do it all the time. Won’t be suitable for any sort of furniture joint.

[u/ClipIn]

Very common. Milwaukee's M18 10" and 12" have it, so does Festool's Kapex 120. Festool calls it a "trenching" feature, Milwaukee I think says "depth limit" or such. DeWalt's miter saws have it too.

Usually is a screw near the motor/head that hits against a metal plate. If you hold head and turn screw, the saw's head slowly rises. Nice feature for cutting tenons, dados, half laps. Most blades are ATB grind so the bottom of cut has tiny ridges that need to be cleaned with a chisel, router / hand router. But it quickly hogs out majority of material.

[u/Ill-Running1986]

Same as everyone is saying on my Makita (and probably every Makita). It’s very sensitive to pressure, though, so if you have to be dead nuts and flat bottom, you will have to finish with a router or chisel. 

[u/YellowBreakfast]

You mean the depth stop?

It's standard on most saws. You're likely had one you just didn't know how to use it.

[u/crankbot2000]

It's only good for shorter pieces, but I've used my table saw and miter guage to crosscut half laps. Basically a ghetto dado stack.

[u/woodland_dweller]

My 12" DeWalt slider (779? 780?) does

[u/jim_br]

Trenching feature is the name of what you want. It should be listed in the saw’s features if available.

[u/CptMisterNibbles]

Almost all do that already… to middling results generally not anywhere near spec for fine woodworking. You could use them to hog material and clean it up by hand but there is generally to much flex in a sliding compound miter to give you crisp results.

Radial arm saws do much much better, and the last three I owned in three different shops were more or less permanently configured only for this purpose. Table saw and dado is better still of course, but the RAS meant no faffing with blade changes or holding other people in the shop up

[u/mosodigital]

Even my cheap harbor freight miter saw that I only use for rough cuts has a depth stop, so I can't imagine there are many without one.

[u/Junior_Yesterday9271]

My Bosch and even my 35 yr old Freud both do. I would only do it for utility joints or rough pass. But you do what ya gotta do when some prick changes your game plan.

[u/tsandbakken]

In my opinion, a table saw and a stack dado is a better pairing for this. But only if you have access to it.