A Miter Saw Guide For Making Perfect Cuts

Learn how to make miter saw cuts with a tool designed to make the job fast and easy and enrich your home improvement projects. No more struggling with a miter saw box to make precision-angled cuts when you need them for door and window frames, railings, moldings, or picture frames. With a miter saw, you can quickly learn how to make a large number of accurate cuts with speed and confidence, whether you choose a standard miter saw, a compound miter saw, or invest in one of the new sliding miter saws.

How Do You Decide?
1. The miter saw has a circular blade mounted on a low metal stand with a table that rotates with the saw blade. It allows you to cut – with a basic chopping motion – various angles on such materials as wood, vinyl, and laminates.
2. There are three types:
– The standard miter saw is a great portable saw that will enable you to cut 2 x 4’s and trim with ease.
– The compound miter saw costs half as much again as the standard miter saw, and gives you more versatility and a linear-bearing rail that allows you to pivot the saw to one side when you want to cut a bevel.
– The sliding compound miter saw is heavier and larger (and costs twice as much as the compound miter saw), and has a power head that slides along twin rails, similar to the action of a radial-arm saw. This model will allow you to cut compound angles (along two different planes), and cut down to a certain depth rather than all the way through the wood.
3. Take advantage of the ease with which you can "Google" consumer reviews, renovation and repair information for example Canadian Living.com; Popular Mechanics Online; Consumer Reports; This Old House.
4. Check out the web sites of popular manufacturers to compare features of various miter saws like Bosch, Craftsman, Delta, DeWalt, Hitachi, Makita, Ridgid, and Ryobi.

How To Make Miter Saw Cuts
1. Familiarize yourself with the manufacturer’s instructions before using your new miter saw and note all the safety features and safety suggestions.
2. To make a basic cut with a standard miter saw, set the angle for the cut, rotate the saw table and lock it in place. Measure and mark the cutting line and clamp the material firmly against the saw fence. Turn the saw on, let it come up to full speed and then lower it. Make your first cut a little beyond the cut line on the waste side, and then turn the saw off and lift the blade. Check the cut line and adjust the position of the blade if necessary, and make your true cut. Keep your free hand away from the blade, and make sure the blade stops completely before lifting it to ensure a smooth cut.
3. Carefully think through a job before you begin. Whether you set the saw head at 45Ëš to the left or the right depends on whether you are cutting molding to fit around a corner or into a corner. Have a little extra material on hand to allow for the occasional mistake!
4. When cutting crown molding, you need a compound miter cut, which is easier with a compound miter saw and easiest with a sliding compound miter saw. If you have a standard saw, prop the crown molding against the fence at the desired angle to the blade with the miter table rotated. Then, set and lock the saw at the desired angle to the left or right.

Other Tips
1. You will require precisely drawn lines, either a well-constructed, folding wooden ruler or a metal tape measure. Consider reliable Lufkin tape measures.
2. To make precision cutting even easier, laser guided miter saws provide laser-generated cutting lines. Alternatively, you can buy a laser guide attachment for your saw, which is easy to install as a replacement for the washer on your saw's outer blade.

Learning how to make miter saw cuts is not difficult if you have a reliable miter saw and a few instructions. With a little practice, you'll be sawing like a pro. You can do it.

About the Author:
Scott Gray is currently a home improvement enthusiast and freelance writer who enjoys providing tips to consumers who are in the market for all types of power tools including miter saws and Dewalt cordless drills.