As others have said, this is THE MITER SAW for high-end professional trim work when cutting crown molding and tall base board trim. I purchased mine back in the mid-1980's for professional trim work. I added the Hitachi 100 tooth carbide blade for smooth cuts and I am contemplating trying the Freud 15" blade next time my old Hitachi 15" needs a sharpening, based on the high quality of Freud blades. I have zero complaints with the Hitachi blade, just thought the Freud may be better. Any advice would be helpful. As far as the saw goes, I also have the same complaint with the blade brake wearing out after a while, but after all these years it still functions. This saw is relatively light compared to some Makita 10" miter saws, and considering the blade size and motor needed to turn that blade. I purpose-built a plywood stand with 5' hinged extensions using door hinges. I can just knock out the hinge pin when I need to move it. The long extensions help to hold up long trim boards. Like another reviewer said, you will need to mount a taller board to act as a fence for the widest crown molding. There are four holes in the fixed aluminum fence for you to run screws through to hold your new wood fence in place. Just screw one board all the way across and then just make two cuts at 45 degrees both ways and you now have a zero clearance fence, enabling you to just line up your mark on the work piece with the edge of your add-on fence for perfect cuts every time. Saves time.