MAKITA 12" Compound Miter Saw (LS1221)

The miter saw’s motor delivers 15 amps at 4,000 rpm. This is industry standard for this saw class so you won’t be disappointed by the power it delivers. The direct drive system doesn’t include any belts that could slip under heavy loads. This helps send all of the power to the blade.

There’s a bit of a kick when the blade first starts spinning. This is a function of all that power behind the blade without a soft-start feature. It’s not a big deal, but something to be aware of.

The fence is 4-1/2″ tall, so most stock including taller 4×4’s can be cut with plenty of support. A unique feature on this fence is the pivoting fence. It pivots a larger fence section towards the blade for extra support for even taller stock like crown molding (that’s crown moulding for our friends across the pond). The pivoting fence adds an extra inch of capacity so crown molding up to 5-1/2″ tall is easily cut with plenty of support.

Positive miter stops allow for quick and confident miter adjustments. Besides the standard 0 degrees (for 90 degree cuts), the saw can pivot and lock in miter stops at 15, 22.5, 31.6, and 45 degrees both left and right. Bevel adjustments are a little more tricky since there aren’t any positive stops. Still, the saw can pivot to one side up to 48 degrees. For accurate angle adjustments for this saw (and many other types of tools with tilting blades), we recommend picking up an inexpensive angle gauge like this one from Wixey.

The saw can be both portable or stationary. At 37 lbs, it’s not too heavy to transport around the shop or to and from a jobsite. Once the blade is locked down, a carrying handle lets you carry the saw while remaining balanced. The D-handle that includes the saw trigger is comfortable.

Construction is solid and repeated cuts were pretty much dead on at 90 degrees. If you spring for the MAKITA, an included wrench allows for finer adjustments if needed. We don’t think you’ll need it, but it’s nice to have.

The included vertical vise lets you clamp down workpieces to the saw’s bed for extra stability. We tend to use these more for clamping down stop blocks for repeated cuts of the same dimension. Extension wings help support longer stock and prevents tipping of longer offcuts. A dust bag is included, but we’ve never found much utility with these. They fill up too fast and just get in the way.