Miter Saw Recommendations

I'm in the market for a miter saw and need some help finding the right one for small projects that will include cutting steel and wood. I just got into welding and have been using a dewalt 4.5" grinder, but cutting angles are a waste of time and money..
Looking for the best bang for my buck.. not looking for the cheapest saw, something that will last..

Budget let's say <$400?.

School me on blades as well..

I recently built this base for an old ski lift chair, working on a hog trap currently.. steel ranges from 1x1 square tubing, 1x3" square tubing.. .. I build all kinds of things out of wood like tables, signs, odd end projects..

so what would be best for me to buy?

I would get two different saws....one for metal and one for wood.....usually can find good deals at pawn shops...

Most miter saws for wood has a lot of plastic on them, no good for sparks cutting steel. Miter saw for wood, if cutting compound meters need a tilt on saw. Depending on size of material will suggest the size of the equipment. Cutting steel apt of sparks, metal cutting saws have mostly metal parts and a different locking device on them. A fixed band saw will do a better job on steel, no sparks, cuts are smooth. Check out Northern Tool for the fixed band saw. I have a Dewalt Compond Miter Saw 10", will cut most wood that I use. It is a little heavy. Go to Lowes or HD and review.

Yep, most steel saws are made for the heat, wood saws are not.

I have a Makita 14" chop saw bought in 91 and a newer Rigid 14", both for steel, both work great, just use 1/8 blades to better control blade flex.

I have a small Craftsman miter and just bought a Dewalt DW716 after a couple of months of reading, talk about a sweet saw

Yeah, I like that dw716.. so I couldn't buy a different blade to cut steel? Would it burn up the motor? Or more of a safety issue?

I sure was hoping to buy only one saw and be able to swap blades.

A lot of it has to do with volume.....how much do you plan on using it? Mostly cutting wood or metal? You can cut wood with a metal cutting saw and you can cut metal with a wood cutting saw....but they weren't designed for that....

I'd put the money into getting a saw designed for whichever material you expect more of....then get a used (pawnshop) saw designed for the other material.....

Just got into welding, but don't have a lot of big projects in mind.. probably more wood type projects in the future..
think I'll go with something like the dw716 and be on the lookout for a used chop saw..

Sorry for my ignorance, but I appreciate the help guys.

Ignorance is temporary and fixable....stupid is as stupid does.....you stopped with the ignorance when you asked the question....

Sounds like a good plan. As you get more into the metal work you can upgrade your tools as necessary....

I really like the ski lift bench....looks great....keep posting project pics.....

Wish I had a "before" pic on the chair.. it was a pile of rust.. found it on CL along with two others in New Hampshire.. made in the late 60s early 70s. The other two are done and hanging as porch swings at our cabin in Broken bow..

Here's one of my odd end projects.. posted a while back but one of my favorites..

http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4098519/Wine_Barrel_Smoker#Post4098519

Wood saws turn too many RPMs to cut metal. Better off having 2 saws for your intended purposes. I'm betting if you can catch them on sale, you can purchase both in your budget.

I have a rage saw ( compound miter) it works well on both, I have cut a lot of metal with it, trimmed a couple of new houses, and various other wood projects. You can get a combo blade that cuts both, or buy different blades for each material. I will say the metal blades wear pretty quickly with any thing over 14ga. I use a torch or chopsaw mostly, but for nice 45's or special projects the miter is nice. Also when you cut metal with it, the cut is not hot, you can handle with bare hand.

Nice.. I'll look into this.. I believe Ramball uses something similar..Maybe he'll chime in.

The DW716 is on sale right now at homedepot, probably everywhere else as well, it is one hell of a solid miter saw. I almost went with the next model up with the slider, but to many pro reviews said there was was to much play in the system, so I got the 716 and went ahead and bought a darn good table saw

If you get the spare coin, see if you can catch the HD miter saw stand on sale, I got it in a package deal and man, what a nice addition!

As mentioned, hit a few pawn shops and see what you can find on the chop saw, even harbor freight may get you into a cheap one with decent bearings for as little as you say you cut.

If it were me buying a new miter saw, I'd go with a sliding miter saw, especially if you're planning a lot of angled cuts. Anything over a 2x4 (or maybe 2x6 I cant remember off the top of my head), you'll have to flip your board and cut the other side of your board. At the angle, the saw wont cut all the way through at a wider board.

I got a free hand-me-down cheap miter saw from my neighbor when he upgraded. He upgraded to a slider and now I see why.

This is the rage I have, and I agree with above, I wanted the double bevel, slider, it's worth the extra money.

The problem with using a metal blade in a conventional wood miter saw is that the motor and bearings can't handle the stress of metal cutting. I would buy a Ridgid compound miter saw with laser guide and one that slides for wood working, and also a Ridgid for metal cutting. I absolutely HATE my Dewalt chop saw

Horizontal band saw for the metal.
Sliding compound mitre saw for wood.