With or without the slide, a miter saw can make chop cuts. A chop cut will always give you a finer, smoother result but on wider lumber, you may need to push-through as well and that is what the miter saw slide makes possible. Cutting a lot of molding is easier with a 12-inch sliding compound miter saw, which is heavier - and pricier - than a 10-inch saw. Ger detail description about milter saw on ctandm.com.