Best Mitre Saws for Wood: Sliding, With Upper Table or Fixed

Cutting capacity at 90 and 45 degrees decides the purchase more than power does. Across the ten models we carry, usable height runs from 52 mm on the Güde GFO 1401 to 105 mm on the Bernardo ZKG 305 S, and at 45 degrees it drops further. Prices run from €78.97 (Güde GKS 2134.1, fixed) to €437.37 (Güde GFO 1801, with upper table). An official distributor since 2007: below is the table no other comparison publishes.

The fixed mitre saw lowers the blade onto a stationary workpiece. It cuts as wide as the blade diameter allows: the Güde GKS 2134.1 with a 210 mm blade reaches 120 mm of width.

The sliding mitre saw mounts the head on a carriage that runs forward. The blade does not only descend, it advances: with the same 210 mm blade the Güde GRK 2134.1 BSL goes from 120 to 310 mm of width. It is the reason a sliding saw costs three times as much.

The mitre saw with upper table adds a flip-over table or a saw bench above the blade. It does two jobs with one machine, but it pays for that in cutting height: the Güde GFO and TKGS stop at 52-70 mm against 95-105 mm for pure sliding saws.

Sliding versus upper table is the number-one question on the forums. The answer depends on what you cut: wide panels want the carriage, thick beams want the height.

Manufacturers state blade diameter and power. Real capacity sits further down the datasheet, and almost nobody puts it side by side.

The useful reading is this: above €280 you are no longer buying cutting height, you are buying width, dual bevel or the upper table. Anyone cutting 100 mm beams needs the ZKG, not the GFO that cost more.

The Güde GRK 2134.1 BSL at €228.01 is the entry point to the class: 1,500 W, 210 mm blade, sliding guide on bearings and BSL laser. It cuts 310 mm wide and 65 mm high at 90 degrees.

The GRK 2534.1 BSL at €237.80 goes up to 2,000 W and a 255 mm blade: ten euros more for 325 mm of width and 78 mm of height.

The GRK 3034.1 BSL at €311.00 carries the 305 mm blade and belt drive, which cuts vibration and noise compared with direct drive. At 45 degrees it cuts 75 × 325 mm.

The two Bernardo saws are the machines with the most usable height in the comparison.

The ZKG 305 S at €272.00 has 1.8 kW, a 305 × 30 mm blade and cuts 305 × 105 mm at 90 degrees. At 45 degrees in mitre it holds the 105 mm of height across 210 mm of width: that is the figure that sets it apart from the Güde saws at the same price.

The ZKG 305 D at €279.78 adds the dual bevel, that is a head that tilts both right and left. It cuts 340 × 95 mm at 90 degrees and weighs 28 kg against 20 for the S.

Dual bevel matters to anyone making frames and door casings: without it, every mirrored cut means turning the workpiece, and on long pieces that is not always possible.

The Güde TKGS 210 at €284.00 and the TKGS 254.2 at €353.01 have a saw bench above the mitre saw, with a table 455 mm deep and a cutting height at the table of 60 mm. Both 1,800 W with a 254 mm blade.

The GFO 1801 at €437.37 and the GFO 1401 at €367.01 use a table that flips through 180 degrees instead of a fixed bench: you turn the machine over and it becomes a table saw.

The limit is height. The GFO 1401 with a 216 mm blade stops at 52 mm at 90 degrees, less than half a ZKG that costs less. If you do not really need the upper table, that money goes further on a sliding saw.

The Güde GKS 2134.1 at €78.97 is the only fixed saw in the catalogue: 1,100 W, 210 mm blade, 45 degree tilt to the left, Ø 35 mm extraction port.

It cuts 120 × 80 mm at 90 degrees. It is fine for beading, skirting and occasional work. On panels and wide beams the carriage is missing, and you notice at once.

Occasional work on beading. Güde GKS 2134.1 at €78.97.

Site work and light joinery. Güde GRK 2534.1 BSL at €237.80: 325 mm of width at 2,000 W.

Beams and thick timbers. Bernardo ZKG 305 S at €272.00, for the 105 mm of height.

Frames, casings and mirrored cuts. Bernardo ZKG 305 D at €279.78, for the dual bevel.

Little space, and a table saw is needed too. Güde TKGS 254.2 at €353.01, accepting the 70 mm of height.

Eight of the ten models have an alignment laser. On the Güde it is the BSL system, on the Bernardo a plain laser.

In our experience it helps on repeated square cuts, where it shortens positioning time. On precise angled cuts the fence matters more: the laser shows where the blade will run, it does not correct a fence that is out of square.

All ten models are 230 V single-phase, with power from 1,100 to 2,000 W. None requires three-phase, so they run on any workshop or garage supply.

Extraction is stated only on the GKS 2134.1, with a Ø 35 mm port. On the other models a dust bag is supplied but capture stays partial: cutting beech or oak continuously, it is better to connect an extractor to the machine's port.

The advice I give most often: measure the largest piece you actually cut, not the one you think you might cut one day. People who come to us after buying elsewhere almost always have the same problem, too little cutting height. Width can be worked around with two passes, height cannot.

Sandra Gaspar, founder of Krollit

The machines in this comparison are in the mitre saws for wood. For rip cuts the reference category is table saws, and we have written a dedicated buying guide.