Makita WST06 Compact Folding Miter Saw Stand

Very stable and secured the saw to the stand no problem.

Reading the reviews on this I was worried but kept my Makita faith alive. I was glad I did.Many people have had problems with the mounts and I recommend some practice before toting it off to the jobsite. There also seemed to be a breakdown between marketing and development on this as the box may say you can roll this around with a saw attached, while the instructions say Not to do this. Just take it off it’s not a big deal for me. I didn’t even install the wheels and handle.

I previously owned the both Dewalt compact miter and full size miter stands so I will compare and contrast the stands in my review (The Dewalt stands we’re identical with the exception of the overall width). But first off, out of the box, the carry handle was busted off. I had read this happened to others as well. I called Makita customer service and while it was hassle free to get them to send me a replacement; it was an extra step that can easily be prevented.Assembly: is straight forward if your familiar with a miter stand; but the provided instructions are not helpful (pictures with call outs and enlargements). Compared to the Dewalt, where nothing had to be assembled out of the box- the Dewalt is superior in this aspect.Mounting: Once the stand was assembled, I proceeded to mount my saw (Makita XSL06) to the stand. The mounting brackets certainly operate differently that the Dewalt. First they ‘clip on’ and then you lock the brackets onto the stand. Certainly not as straight forward as the Dewalt; where you simply tilt and place the saw onto stand. Without a doubt, the Dewalt saw and stand are a better setup for setting up and taking the saw off of the stand. Also the pictures in the instruction specify that saw be mounted on Makita stand with the roller towards the left. However I found if I do that, because of the offset in alignment with the saw bed and rails, the roller becomes almost useless in this configuration. (This is with the saw mounted as far back as it can go on the mounting brackets). As such I mounted the saw with the roller to the right. On the plus side, the Makita comes with wheels and a tow handle. That should make moving the saw around easier, although I have yet to fold the stand legs down with the saw attached to see how cumbersome that might be. If you have to remove the saw first, because of the way the saw is mounted and removed from the stand, I’d say it’s usefulness is greatly diminished.When the saw is mounted to the stand, it is sturdy. One of the legs can be extended in the event you’re not on a level surface. I haven’t had to use this feature, but suspect it will be a nice to have. The Dewalt does not have this feature.Weight: Comparable. I can say I notice a difference. The Makita is lighter and I will roll it using the supplied wheels when I can, so big plus there.Extensions: Slide extensions: no knock on either, but the twist knobs in the Makita are less desired than the lever Dewalt uses. This is preference or course. I do feel like the Makita twist knobs are going to break off at some point and never felt that way with the Dewalt. Also, The stand extensions sag a bit when fully extended. The same is true of the Dewalt and they make an accessory, a ‘support extension’, for this purpose.Folding and Unfolding: the legs of the stand are operated by pushing a detent in. The detente are small and with gloves on I don’t see this being easily accomplished. The Dewalt solution, also using detents, but attaching a “rocker handle” to actuate the detents is vastly superior.Storing: the stand is affected by the aforementioned wheels. The stand cannot be stood on its end when not not in use; thereby taking up valuable floor space (with the legs open or if they are closed and the stand is laid down). So weigh that if wheels aren’t important to you and floor space is. Of course if you remove the wheels, then the design is such that the bracket for either the roller or board support is in the way. And while the same is true with the Dewalt without wheels, the design still allowed you to balance the stand on it end. I’m not going to say either design is better or worse; just weigh this feature if deciding between the two and your work and storage options.Makita does include a wrench, stored under the tow handle in the event you want to dismount and mount multiple saws. For me, this has no value as my saw will stay mounted to the saw brackets. I suppose if I had a second miter saw, I’d just buy a second set of brackets versus unbolting and rebolting each time (note- additional mounting brackets are pretty expensive. Almost 50% more than what I’ve seen and paid for a second set of Dewalt brackets).Price: slightly more than the Dewalt, but Makita includes wheels which the Dewalt doesn’t. Accessories pricing and accessory availability is superior on the Dewalt. As stated, their mounting brackets cost less than the Makita and Dewalt offers several accessories, including a wide double roller which is great for wider materials 2x8 and up, 5” crown, etc.Function: so the question is, does this stand work? The answer is yes. I’ve pointed out the major differences from my experiences across the brands; but when it comes down to it this stand is lightweight, portable, securely holds my saw at a comfortable working height (which is close but not identical to the Dewalt stands height) provide support for my work pieces and functions exactly as designed. I like. Mounting my Makita saw on a Makita stand and so for me the price difference in the base models wasn’t prohibitive.

This saw stand is sturdy and the extension work smoothly and tight without sag. The best of all the stand works will all saws, I know Mikita only mentions working with their saws, but it works with other brands in fact I had purchased the Dewalt Comparable stand which stated it was universal to other brands only to find out it would even come close to mounting my Craftsman saw. I researched all over the internet to find one saw stand that would work with a Craftsman Saw, but didn’t care to much for that brand and it’s features. As far as trying to roll the saw around attached to the stand I would say it’s not recommended due to the narrow wheel track have no real stability. But if you want to make it a one piece mobile unit you can replace the wheels and spread the track width so that it will be much more stable when leaving the saw attached. You can find out how to do this modification to the Mikita stand on YouTube. This is a great stand I definitely prefer it over Dewalts the only thing that could be a little better maybe the use of levers to release the legs instead of the buttons.

Excellent compliment to your Makita Miter Saw (or any brand saw.) I have the DeWalt version of this saw stand which is very good too. I like this Makita better because it is heavier duty, has wheels, has two carrying handles, there are elevated hard rubber feet on the brackets to set your saw on when not on the stand, the lock down mechanisms for attaching the saw to the stand are very robust and tight yet easy on and off, and also, one foot on the stand has an adjustment for non level surfaces. All in all this is a well executed saw stand. The narrow wheel base was not designed to transport or store the saw while attached to the stand; regardless however, it is a simple fix, just widen the wheel base with a 2' section of aluminum and add larger wheels (see the attached picture of the modification.) It is totally transportable and way more versatile now. I would not even attempt to adapt my similar DeWalt stand to do this because the DeWalt saw lockdown mechanism is nowhere near as robust as the Makita.

I’ve had several chop saws over the last 35 years, and never had a stand for any one of them. I’m not sure why I never thought a stand would be useful until I sprung for this one. It’s super well built, well thought out, and worth the cost.

I am a Makita fan and am happy to say this is the first time I have needed to contact them regarding a manuf. defect. Specifically in part # 051 JM23600007 EXT. WING. The part that is crooked is the receiver at the end of one of extension wings, which is not square to the extension arm, as shown in the photo.I must say tech support was not great, they sounded irritated that I called about this, told me that I could have returned it in first 30-days (I'm now at about 10-weeks) and they referred me to a local store here in Northern California ...who told me I should have noticed this sooner. They referred me to the nearest factory service center in Reno Nevada.After the lack luster support I think I will cut and weld it straight myself.So... Makita Products in general: 5-starThis stand with it's defect: 3-star - it otherwise works fine.Makita tech support and local support: Zero Stars