This Makita LS1018L crosscut saw is one of the best crosscut saws available. The Makita is also reasonably affordable for a do-it-yourselfer who has a regular job. The saw has a large saw blade and various auxiliary and safety systems.
The Makita Crosscut Saw is a mitre saw for cutting planks, beams, tubes, pipes, etc. to exactly the right size. It can be useful when making e.g. decking, fences or furniture. The crosscut saw can also be very useful when laying laminate, repairing window frames or laying skirting boards.
A crosscut saw is a machine with a circular rotating saw blade. It is a motorized machine specially designed for cutting various materials and profiles. With a crosscut saw not only types of wood but also metals and plastics can be cut, depending on the type of saw blade.
Makita LS 1018 L in detail:
What is immediately noticeable when unpacking is that all parts where mechanical movement takes place are well greased. Also the saw table (turntable) and the rear stop are well greased, but you should clean them thoroughly before cutting sensitive materials. Who would like the good new parquet to be greased right away.
All operating parts of the Makita LS 1018 L make a stable and high-quality impression. The wing screws for locking the stop rail, workpiece holder and workpiece supports are all made of metal and thus guarantee robustness and a long service life. All functions of the saw can be easily operated from the front and the settings are easy to read.
Features:
What immediately catches the eye is the large angle range for mitre cuts. This ranges from -47° to +60° and thus offers a wide range of adjustment possibilities.
Adjusting the turntable is easy, with detent points at 0°, 15°, 22.5°, 31.6°, and 45° in both directions, all angles can be easily adjusted without having to apply great force. To the right there is another detent point at 60°. If the desired angle is outside the detent points, they can be fixed thanks to a spindle lock.
The angle of inclination can be adjusted continuously from 0° to 45° to the left as soon as the safety lever is released. If the saw head is brought back into the 0° position from the left, a stop can be felt there. To adjust the angle of inclination to the right, this stop must be released by pressing the small push button. Once this has been done, the saw head can also be infinitely adjusted to the right up to 45°. When the desired position is reached, it is held by fixing the safety lever.
As the Makita LS 1018 L has a large angle range, it is necessary to ensure a free cutting area for such settings. For this purpose the upper right and left part of the stop bar must be removed.
Further functions
The pulling function of the Makita LS 1018 L is realized by a double tube. These are connected to the rear swivel joint by roller bearings. This construction is manufactured in high quality and works precisely. I have not noticed any blurring during my work.
The depth stop is a little bit thin. There is no scale for the adjustment range, so you have to make the desired adjustment with the folding rule. But this should not be too much of a problem for the experienced do-it-yourselfer and especially for the professional.
Even changing the saw blade should not be a problem thanks to the locking mechanism. You only need a 13 mm open-end wrench to loosen the saw blade.
As a special feature Makita includes a voucher for another saw blade. If this voucher is completely filled out you can send it off and get another saw blade.
What do you get inside Makita LS1018L?
- B-08981 MAKBLADE saw blade.
- JM23100197 socket spanner.
- JM23100500 table widener.
- JM23100501 dust bag.
- JM23100502 material clamp, vertical.
- JM27000328 adjustment triangle.
Pros and Cons of Makita LS1018L
Pros:
What exactly are the advantages of this machine?
Pull function
The pull function means: you can not only push the saw down, but also pull it forward a bit. This allows you to saw much wider planks and beams. In combination with the exceptionally large saw blade, you can cut planks straight up to 31 cm wide. At an angle (45°) of up to 22 cm.
Engine brake
An engine brake is built into the machine for safety. This brake is activated immediately after the ON button is deactivated. If you do that, you stop sawing (temporarily). The engine and saw blade are then immediately braked and will come to a standstill within seconds. In this way, despite the protective cover, you will be even less likely to get into the saw with your hand.
Laser
A laser is also present on this Makita crosscut saw. The laser projects a laser line, exactly where the saw blade will come if you leave the workpiece as it is. If you always mark out your planks, all you have to do is keep the laser flush with your line(s).
Softstart
When the saw is switched on, a peak voltage is prevented thanks to the soft start. The saw blade will be driven a little less during the first few seconds. This ensures better control of the machine.
Dust bag and dust extraction
A dust bag is supplied as standard with the Makita LS1018L. This is sufficient for a single job, but the actual amount of dust collected by the bag is often disappointing. That is why Makita has also given the possibility to replace the dust bag with a vacuum cleaner hose from a (construction) vacuum cleaner. When a good building vacuum cleaner is connected, almost all dust and sawdust that is released during sawing, is immediately sucked away.
Adjustable to many sides
The head of this crosscut saw can be tilted to both sides. Both horizontally and vertically the machine can be adjusted to both sides. So you don’t have to turn your beam or plank for any cuts.
Vertically, the machine can be adjusted from 90° to 45° on both sides.
Horizontally, the machine can be adjusted from 0° to both sides to 47°. There are also horizontal fixed points at degree angles which are often used.
Large saw blade
The saw blade of this Makita crosscut saw has a diameter of no less than 260 mm. With this saw you can cut beams up to 9.1 cm deep.
Cons:
Are there any drawbacks to this professional Makita crosscut saw?
Yeah, there are.
Only one saw blade included
Only one saw blade is supplied with this crosscut saw. This saw blade is suitable for sawing wood. If you want to saw metal or if your saw blade is worn out you will have to order a new one right away.
Laser on batteries
The laser conductor of this machine runs on batteries. In itself this is not a big problem, but it is a bit strange and unfortunate. If you use the saw a lot, you will have to replace the batteries of the laser once in a while.
No chassis included
This Makita crosscut saw does not come with an undercarriage. So you will have to put the saw on the ground during sawing. You can of course saw an undercarriage yourself or order the original undercarriage separately.
Testimonial from users who bought Makita LS1018L:
I can imagine that you have become curious about the opinions of other home handymen and hobbyists. I will describe them in detail below.
On amazon.com 10 hobbyists and do-it-yourselfers have reviewed the machine. 9 of those 10 people recommend this saw to you.
That one of 10 I think just forgot to check the box because he writes: “Good saw, perfect saw, a good saw for the pro and the do-it-yourselfer. Something on the heavy side, too bad the laser runs on batteries”.
Further more is mentioned:
- Robust/strong.
- Accurate.
- Too bad the laser is battery operated.
- Large sawing range.
- Good quality.
- Dust bag only sucks up a little dust.
- Manual can be a bit clearer.
- Nice design.
- Sturdy and stable.
Conclusion:
You get a reliable and high precision tool which you can expect in this price range. If you use your crosscut saw more than once a quarter and use it for various jobs, the Makita LS 1018 L pulling, crosscut and mitre saw is the best choice.