Hercules 12 In. Dual-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw With Precision LED Shadow Guide

Specs:

AC Volts: 120
Amps: 15
Arbor size: 1 in.
Straight Bevel Cut @ 45°: 2-1/8 in. x 13-3/8 in.
Blade size: 12 in.
Cutting angles (deg): 50° L, 60° R
Speed: 4100 RPM
Product Height: 19.45 in.
Product Length: 35.33 in.
Product Weight: 56 lb.
Shipping Weight: 71.20 lb.
Bevel angle: 45° L and R
Power cord (ft.) 6 ft
Cut Capacity Vertical: 6-3/4 in.
Cut Capacity Horizontal: 14 in.
Accessories Included: 12 in. x 60 tooth carbide-tipped blade, blade wrench, dust bag and material clamp.

I've been wanting a miter saw for a long time and now I finally own one now. I read and watched some reviews on different brands of saws, but this one made by Hercules and sold at Harbor Freight was the best deal I could find. In fact it was rated dead even with the saw made by DeWalt, but was much less money.

The Hercules is a 12" compound sliding miter saw and has an impressive list of features. I did find out rather quickly that I'll need a larger electrical circuit because the motor pulls 15 amps. So I added a 20 amp circuit the following week and now I'm good to go.
 

Once the blade is close to your work piece, a shadow is cast showing you where the cut will be. This makes it very easy to line up on your pencil mark, from either side. I can't believe how easy it is to use this saw and the amount of time it will save now. I should have bought one of these a long time ago.
 

Mobile Stand

I bought a DeWalt mobile saw stand so I can fold it up and move it around anywhere I want. And it has some nice features, like adjustable supports to hold long boards, along with a work stop for anything longer than 17 inches.
 

Another nice feature is this gas-assist shock (arrow). This helps get the saw into the upright position so you don't strain yourself. However, the saw is heavy enough that it's still hard to lift. Overall, the stand works pretty good, but not good enough. More on that later.
 

I was using the saw for awhile and quickly found myself wanting a work stop to cut some shorter pieces. However, if I only had a few pieces to cut, then I'd just measure each one and that would be it. But, what about when you have several pieces? Say more than 30 or 40? That's when a work stop would come in handy for anything from zero to 17" long. With that being said, that's what I'm going to make for my new saw.

I'll be using a piece of aluminum for the main part of my work stop. Here I'm squaring the piece before I drill any holes.
 

I drilled and tapped some 10-32 threads for some thumbscrews. These thumbscrews will make it easy to adjust the length of the work stop without using a wrench. The 3/8" diameter material that you see was leftover from my 33 Ford Coupe build and is made out of stainless steel.