Cutting straightness in a saw is always the most important thing, and while this didn't cut straight on it's own, I was able to make it do so pretty easily. It's amazing that the engineers who were smart enough to design this thing couldn't take it all the way to the finish line.The biggest problem with this machine is that it didn't cut straight vertically, but rather veered off to the right as it cut progressed downward. In other words, the saw was/is slightly tilted to the left. (The thicker the material, the more evident this became.) I thought about somehow shimming the saw itself to straighten it up, but soon realized that the simplest thing was to shim the vise instead. Through a little trial and error, I found that a 1/16"-thick piece of aluminum angle placed underneath the right side of the vise tilted it just the right amount to compensate for the tilted saw. As far as miter cuts go, the degree markings are way off, so you can disregard them. To rectify that problem I use a small square to align the rear jaw of the vise 90 degrees to the saw blade. So, if you're willing to shim the vise, and use a square to adjust the angles, you can get good results. By the way, I am using the blade that came with the saw, and it cuts quite well. Maybe a different blade would have perform differently, but who knows.Lastly, I double-taped a little block of wood and a little piece of hard rubber to act as a bumper to prevent the saw from slamming into the base after the cut is finished.Bottom line: If you're handy enough to use this saw, you should be handy enough to make the necessary corrections. It's ridiculous that you have to do so, but once you do, it cuts great.
Rick Wheeler 
