What Can You Do With A Miter Saw

What is the difference between a circular saw and a miter saw A miter saw in terms of its functional properties can be considered a relative of a circular saw.

What is the difference between a circular saw and a miter saw

A miter saw is a type of circular or circular saw. It is used for angular and oblique cuts at various angles. Its difference from the above-mentioned models is that it is fixed in the bed, which in turn is connected to the work table. At the same time, the disc can move up and down, maintaining the angle at which the cut will be made. You can tilt the saw using a lever.

With such a cut, the blade can be turned in different planes, while using the guides on the desktop, the blade is fed without deviating from the specified parameters. These properties make the saw popular and in demand when carrying out repair work; in addition to wood, it can be cut into tiles, metal profiles.
In addition, there are combined miter saws, where the cutting disc is able to turn 180 degrees in several movements, and you can get a full-fledged circular saw. The ability of the disc to rotate allows you to work with more complex workpieces.

Circular Saw

The circular saw has a cutting mechanism. It is a serrated disc. It serves for rip cuts, although with the help of additional rails, you can unfold the blade at different angles and get cross and inclined cuts. The quality of the cut is influenced by the type of blade, its diameter, tooth shape and sharpening angle. The more teeth. The lower the speed, but the quality of the cut is better. The power of circular saws ranges from one to two and a half kilowatts. Some of these instruments are very difficult to handle while suspended.

The content of the article

What is the difference between a circular saw and a miter saw
How to choose a circular saw
How to choose a saw blade

Differences

Miter saw. It is a saw designed for repeated, fixed short cut. It is a small mechanism with a moving electrical device that drops down at various angles and tilts.
The circular saw is a circular hand saw for sawing boards, both lengthwise and crosswise, can be fixed on the machine.
A circular saw has more power than a miter saw with a disc of the same diameter, because a miter saw is designed to make a short cross-cut, and a circular one. To perform longitudinal.
The speed of the miter saw is almost always around 4500 rpm.
The saw blade speed can vary from 3000 to 4500 rpm.
The cutting depth of the miter saw, depending on the size of the disc, is from 40 to 130 mm, and the width, respectively, is from 70 to 363 mm.
The cutting depth of a circular saw, depending on the size of the blade, ranges from 40 to 100 mm, and the cutting width. Respectively from 65 to 700 mm. Another useful feature of a miter saw. You can work like a regular circular one, that is, make longitudinal cuts. This saw is called a combination saw.

Table saws are less accurate

The miter saw is more accurate because the wood is pressed firmly against the back of the saw (called a fence) throughout the cut. With a table saw, the wood is constantly in motion, and if the craftsman changes the pressure on the wood, this can lead to uneven areas on the cut edge of the board. The slight inaccuracy that can arise when working with a table saw usually does not affect large projects such as building a storage shed, but can lead to a sloppy look when installing wood cladding. When accurate cuts are vital, use a miter saw.

The blade width determines the length of cut on the miter saw

Since the miter saw is controlled by lowering the rotating blade, it cannot make a cut that is longer than the width of the blade. Miter saws are most often 210 mm, 216 mm, 255 mm, 305 mm. An exception to the rule is the miter saw’s sliding handle, which can be pulled outward as the blade rotates to make a longer cut up to 40cm in length. A table saw, on the other hand, can cut any length of board because the blade is stationary and the wood is fed to the blade.

Miter saws cut better at different angles

The miter saw head can be swiveled to cut any angle you want. For this reason, miter saws are a staple of the finishing carpentry industry., Since they cut the difficult corners required to set the trim and shape the corners, it is much more difficult to cut corners with a table saw because the craftsman has to position the wood at the correct angle and hold it steady while feeding through the rotating blade.

Table saws cut large pieces of wood better

The table saw has a flat sawing table that supports the wood as it is cut. The craftsman controls and pushes the wood towards the rotating saw blade in the center of the table, making it a great tool for cutting large sizes such as plywood sheets. With a miter saw, a craftsman places a strip of wood, such as a cut board or laminate flooring, on the narrow base of the saw, and then manually lowers the rotating blade (using a handle attached to the movable head) to cut off a portion of the strip.

Miter saws are great for chamfering

In addition to cutting the board at an angle, the miter saw head can be tilted to the side while creating a beveled edge instead of a flat edge. Beveled cuts are used primarily in finishing work to provide smooth transitions when installing finishing in corners. The blade on the table saw can also be tilted. Chamfering with a table saw is an advanced technique in woodworking, so beginners are better off using a miter saw.

What is the difference? Miter Saw vs Table Saw

Learn about the pros and cons of these popular power tools, to decide what works best for your woodworking projects and carpentry skill level.

Saws have revolutionized the woodworking industry by giving craftsmen the tools to bring big projects to life in no time. Miter saw and table saw. The two most popular tools in home workshops. While each draws on different principles for cutting wood, their use overlaps in a number of areas.

If you are ready to upgrade your carpentry skills, you may eventually want to master both of these saws! But to be sure, study this guide first and find out how they differ so that you can understand the pros and cons of each.

The choice of a miter saw with a broach, its device and features

The miter saw is designed for sawing wooden blocks at any desired angle, inclination or cutting wood. Broaching tools have a number of advantages over conventional cross-cutting. Leading manufacturers offer many options, and economical DIYers design it themselves.

Additional functions

Dust removal. The miter saw generates a lot of wood dust and sawdust, which is harmful to the operator. Modern models of the tool are equipped with a branch pipe for connecting a vacuum cleaner. Garbage is removed directly from the place of discharge and does not have time to spread throughout the room.

Expansion of the table top. A useful option when working with long bars, laminate. Most often, the table is attached to the bed and held on two legs. Most tables are 50 cm long, you can find longer ones.

The purpose of the miter saw

It is often necessary to cut materials diagonally with great precision during finishing work. This is a rather difficult task in the absence of a special tool. A special device will cope with wood of various species, soft metals, polymers, laminate. The miter saw helps you get the job done quickly and cleanly, such as when laying out baguettes, skirting boards or working with clapboard.

Criteria for selecting a broached facing

In order for the money to purchase a saw for wood to be spent for good reason, you should consider:

Appointment of the tool. The wire feed saw is essential for professionals who often work with wide workpieces. If the tool is used from time to time, ordinary trimming without bells and whistles, household class will be enough. Professionals are skeptical about combination tools that combine cross-cut and circular saw capabilities. Typically, the performance of one of the functions (or both) suffers. Therefore, combination saws are not bad for amateurs, they will save space by getting two tools in one case. The rotational speed of a professional saw blade is the same as a household one. But the power of the former is higher, therefore, the power consumption is higher.

Safety. A protective cover is a must, even for the cheapest device. The function of blocking accidental start is also useful.

Saw weight and dimensions. Professional, powerful tools are larger and heavier. But trimming is a portable device, so its weight should be within reasonable limits. In addition, you should pay attention to the maximum free movement of the working head.

Working disc diameter. Discs smaller than 0.2 m in diameter are only suitable for children’s play. The wider the saw blade, the more comfortable it will work.

Broach Miter Saw Design

The device for cutting wood is simple: it is a functional module consisting of an electric motor with a gearbox, a handle with a toggle switch and a working circle. The entire module is attached to the base.

The electric motor can be of the asynchronous or collector type. Collector brushes need periodic replacement of brushes, but they give out high revolutions. Asynchronous are quieter and more durable.

Typically, the motor is mounted to the right hand of the saw blade. But there are models with a motor behind the disc. It does not block the view, which is especially important if the design allows you to tilt the working element.

Through the gearbox, the movement is transmitted from the motor to the saw blade. The transmission can be belt or toothed. The toothed gear works without slipping even at maximum revs. On the other hand, the belt reduces vibration and is quieter, which is also very important for accurate cutting. Periodically, the belt wears out and requires replacement; during a sharp change in revolutions, it can come off. There are also models with direct transmission. They are the most reliable, but their torque is lower.

The functional unit is installed on the base of the bed. It consists of a movable round part that moves during the setting of the angle and stop. The best bases are made from strong and light metals: aluminum or magnesium alloys.

The saw is a dangerous cutting tool, therefore a protective cover is provided in its design to prevent injury. During downtime, the folding part covers the circle; during operation, the cover is removed using a special lever or automatically when the console is moved to the working position. Additional safety is provided by an electrodynamic brake, which smoothly stops the electric motor when the power supply is cut off.

Devices of increased power are equipped with a soft start, during the replacement of the circle, the torsion mechanism is blocked, and when the circle is stopped, the engine stops. Any model is equipped with protection against breakdown of electricity to the case.

Electronic and laser equipment

A feed miter saw rarely contains electronic components. But there are models with electronic speed control. This option allows you to more accurately control the progress of work, as well as adjust the mechanism for cutting various materials.

Individual manufacturers have gone even further and equipped their mechanisms with the ability to maintain a stable rpm. A useful option if you need to quickly cut a lot of workpieces, because when pressing, the speed of rotation of the blade usually decreases significantly. On modified saws, the electronic controller will return the speed to the required range. This ensures a fast and even cut.

Laser aiming is another expensive, useful, but optional option. The laser clearly indicates the line to be cut, this is very convenient for inexperienced craftsmen who have not yet developed automaticity.

Miter saws. How to choose a miter saw. How to work with a miter saw.

Miter saws are designed for finishing cross-cutting of workpieces or finished parts made of wood, plastic, aluminum profile, fiberboard, chipboard. It is a highly specialized tool from a series of tools that, if necessary, cannot be replaced by anything. Of course, you can answer this assertion that there are no hopeless situations! You can get off quite evenly with a jigsaw or a miter box saw. But imagine that in the field you need to smoothly, accurately and, most importantly, very cleanly cut a 120 mm wide cashing bar with a complex transverse profile, made of oak and painted with high-quality and, accordingly, expensive paint at 45 degrees in one plane and 42 degrees in another plane so that not a single chip appears at the cut site, the paint is not damaged and the cut plane is perfectly flat! How can you cut it? Miter saw only.

At first glance, the design of such a saw is not very complicated. It is a base, cast from aluminum, with a milled circular plane, on which a circular rotary frame is installed, allowing the saw to rotate in a horizontal plane (in azimuth). On the rear side of the frame there is a stand with a swivel mechanism that provides the saw tilt in a vertical plane. In the upper part of the rack there is an eyelet, where a suspended power unit with a motor located on it, a gearbox and the saw itself (saw blade) is attached. As a rule, the suspension of the power unit is spring-loaded, that is, if you press the saw against the work table and release it, it will rise to the extreme upper position. Most miter saws have a protective system, which is a movable cover that initially covers the saw. When the saw begins to move downward, the guard slides to reveal the saw’s working area.

Recently, the range of miter saws on the world market has grown even more, and if the question of price is not particularly worried about, you can quickly find an excellent tool. You should pay attention to the products of such companies: Makita, Sparky, DeWALT, Bosch, Hitachi. Such a tool will serve for a long time, without any deterioration in its characteristics. When choosing, you should pay attention to the presence of general protection, protection must be installed against accidental activation, and, preferably, a braking system that provides a quick stop of the saw when the machine is turned off.

The amateur class of such machines does not have significant differences in functionality and, in essence, has the same capabilities as a professional tool. The essential difference between these classes of machine tools lies in the materials from which the machines are made, the processing accuracy of mating parts and assemblies. For an amateur miter saw, these indicators are significantly lower, it is not intended for constant and long-term work and it lacks the safety margin that is inherent in professional machines. Accordingly, the price, reliability and service life of an amateur miter saw is much less.

When choosing a miter saw for yourself, pay attention to the possibility of its rotation in all planes, to the accuracy of fixation, the absence of backlash, and the presence of different setting scales. A small high-power motor will indicate that it will overheat and will not allow it to work for a long time, you will need to take frequent technological breaks. Compare different saws in terms of RPM. The higher the RPM, the cleaner the cut will be.

The miter saw can be used both stationary and portable. To carry the machine, it is necessary to fix the power unit in the lower position and carry it by holding the special carrying handle located at the top of the power unit. When used in a stationary position, it is advisable to make a special long and narrow work table, consisting of 2 parts. 1 part of the table, about 3 meters long, is brought to the left side of the machine, and another part about a meter long is installed on the right side. For left-handers, the right and left sides of the table are swapped. The plane of the table should coincide with the working plane of the movable frame of the machine, and the width of the table should be within 250-300 mm. Such a table greatly facilitates the work of cutting parts and makes cutting very accurate.

The part or workpiece to be cut is placed on the working surface of the rotary table and pressed against a fixed vertical stop. You should not start trimming the part immediately after turning on the machine. The saw installed in the machine cannot accelerate instantly. And the cleanliness and ease of cutting depend precisely on the cutting speed of the saw. Therefore, it is necessary to give the saw time to accelerate within a few seconds, to the rated speed. Trim parts with smooth and slow hand movements. The pressure must be firm and one-time, especially if the part is not fixed.

To work safely on the machine, a few simple rules must be followed.

First, never work on the machine if you are not feeling well. Secondly, during work, the hands should be positioned so that the saw is not made through the hand, when sawing off the part lying on the right side of the machine, it is held with the left hand. It is unacceptable.

It is often possible to connect an aspiration unit to a miter saw for suction of sawdust. But if the unit is not connected, be sure to wear safety glasses, since the sawdust is scattered at high speed at a wide angle.

And never move the workpiece until you have fully raised the saw. If the part is difficult to hold with your hand, press it against the vertical stop with a clamp. If you have no experience with a miter saw, this is a must. Better yet, practice on any scraps to fill your hand.

Make sure that your hands are not in the working area marked on the working surface of the machine by two red stripes with corresponding markings located on the left and right sides.

You can easily find reviews of miter saws online. There you can also find out the approximate price range for miter saws of different classes. For example, my DeWALT DW703 machine worked for 4 years without failure, I had to work on it a lot and for a long time, but its parameters did not deteriorate at all, only 3 years of operation required replacement of brushes. You should pay attention to the circular saw that comes with this machine. It is made of excellent material and is designed for fine trimming of wood and plastic parts. For more rough work, it is advisable to purchase and install another saw in the tool. In this case, your own saw will work for a very long time, because its resource exceeds 10 years. Just do not forget to sharpen the cutting solders from Pobedit in time, otherwise they start to burn and the saw resource drops significantly. There are special circular saws for cutting aluminum parts. If necessary, purchase such a saw, and do not cut aluminum with a saw on wood, otherwise it will quickly become unusable. In general, it is recommended to install a new saw blade for the corresponding material before challenging work. Although they also cost money, they pay off with the quality of the work.

Miter saw

What is a miter saw?
Cross-cut is a tool for precise, mainly cross-cutting, cutting of a workpiece. Most miter saws are small and portable. Unlike stationary miter saws, you can pull it out and set it on a temporary base by placing a drop mechanism (sometimes called a drip mechanism) over your workpiece. The blade sizes most commonly used for miter saws range from 8 “to 12” (20-30 cm).

What is a miter saw used for?
You can use it to create cross cuts on a workpiece in one quick motion. But more importantly, you can do it at your chosen angle. It is the best choice when you need to cut trims and moldings.

Pros
The miter saw is useful when you need precise cross-cuts in your workpieces. This saw is also a great option for miter cuts.
This is one of the main competitive advantages of this saw over other types of saws. Most importantly, the miter saw is one of the safest.

Minuses
Despite all the advantages, a miter saw is useless when you are about to cut large workpieces. While it is the best choice for cross-sections, trimming can be ineffective with long cuts (over 15 centimeters).
Miter saws are a luxury rather than a necessity.

Which circular saw or miter saw to choose?

Are you looking to make a cute table to match your couch but can’t decide between a miter saw and a circular saw?

Don’t worry, read our comparison guide to find out all the differences between the two saws and decide which one is the best for your task.

Some people think that one of them is better than the other, others that there is not much difference between them, and one can replace one saw with another. Nevertheless, each of them has its own characteristics and it is better to use the saw exactly for its intended purpose.

So let’s first take a quick look at the advantages and disadvantages of both types of saws.

A circular saw

Also called circular saw, this saw is equipped with a toothed or abrasive disc that allows you to cut various materials in a rotary motion around an axis.

What is a circular saw used for?
The circular saw is commonly used in a variety of woodworking projects. However, the cutting tasks depend to a large extent on the type of blade that is mounted on the circular saw. This saw can be produced for both left and right hand. During operation, the circular is largely based on that part of the structure in which the engine is located.

Pros
Circular saws are very compact, making them easy to move. Usually, you transfer the circular saw to the workpiece, and conversely, in the case of miter saws, you take the material where the saw is already installed.
These saws are capable of making long rip cuts.
Minuses
This type of saw is much more difficult to use than a miter saw. A circular saw requires more skill and a lot of experience is required to use it.
From a safety standpoint, a miter saw is a better choice than a circular saw.

What can you do with a miter saw

Hand, table or machine miter saw is a professional sawing power tool used for miter, longitudinal, transverse, oblique and oblique cuts. Its full name is a miter saw, this operating tool received for the ability to perform an ultra-precise and ultra-thin accurate sawing operation of the so-called mustache joint, when the joining of two parts with angled edges is as tight as possible (for example, two plinths in the corner of the room). In general, most often, in the everyday life of masters, a miter saw is simply called a miter saw.

Modern miter saws application

Modern trims can be used to cut wood and metal, as well as plastic and composite materials (chipboard, fiberboard, plywood, laminate, etc.). This makes this tool a popular equipment in wood and metal processing enterprises.

Before you understand what a miter saw is, how to use it in everyday life and in the carpentry industry, you should get acquainted with its main design features.

Like the closest relatives, circular saws, miter saws are equipped with a left and right tiltable saw head with a disc (smooth-edged or serrated). For the operator’s safety, the saw equipment is housed in a protective cover that automatically opens the saw blade when starting work.

The tool is started by the start button, which activates the operation of the gearbox with the electric motor. The tool can be purely manual, with a convenient bracket-shaped handle, it can have a table-top base, or it can be installed on a workbench with rubber-knob legs that prevent the machine from sliding on the floor.

In contrast to the circular, not only the saw head tilts at the trimming, but also the working surface of the table (bed). This provides a wide field for the joiner who can create different types of cuts in the workpiece by tilting both the saw head and the work table. That is why in the technical parameters of miter saws there can be several values of sections (width and depth of cut) with different positions of the head and bed.

Also, in contrast to the circular saw, in the trimming the saw head is fed to the workpiece, and in the circular saw the workpiece is moved to the fixed tool. The axis of the saw blade in the miter saw is located above the plane of the work table: to make a cut, the saw is lowered, crossing the workpiece and the surface on which the workpiece is fixed.

Miter saws are most in demand at factories for the manufacture of floor coverings, doors, furniture. Taking into account large-sized blanks in furniture production, in order to securely fix them to obtain the most accurate and accurate cut without chipping, bevels and burrs, a crosscut saw with a broach is used here.

What is a miter saw for?

The main task of trimming is to make a very accurate and perfectly even cut at a given angle. It can be a horizontal cut at 90 or at an angle of 30, 45, and so on. Most often, a miter saw is needed in woodworking and furniture enterprises, often its use in finishing work. She is an irreplaceable assistant in the manufacture of door and window openings, furniture. Cross-sections have also found their application wherever it is necessary to work with polymeric materials or soft non-ferrous metals. To do this, they replace the saw blade with a cutting blade for metal. Sometimes a miter saw is called a cutting saw because it is directly involved in the installation of something.

If you do not need frequent use of cross-cutting or the accuracy of the cut does not need to be so critically accurate, then we recommend that you pay attention to a cheaper and easier-to-use circular saw.

What you can do with a miter saw

What is a miter saw for? What can be done by trimming. What types of saws are there and how they fundamentally differ. The most popular miter saw manufacturers in the world.

In the household, you rarely find a miter saw due to the peculiarities of its scope. It is also worth noting that the cost of this construction device is quite high compared to the more common grinders. So let’s figure out why you need a miter saw and for what work it is bought.

Types of trims

First of all, I would like to divide the whole variety of types of miter saws by design into:

Standard;
Multifunctional.

In the multifunctional version, the saw has a movable cover or table that easily converts it into a miniature circular saw. This is a more professional type of instrument, which we do not recommend purchasing for home use because of the significantly (2.5-3 times) overpriced.

Secondly, miter saws can be divided according to functionality. The more advanced versions have a retraction, a very popular feature that allows ripping cuts to be made significantly wider than the saw blade diameter. Or the ability to cut at different angles. The most inexpensive miter cuts are usually only sawed perpendicularly.