How To Use A Miter Saw?: A Step-by-Step Guide

A miter saw can be quite helpful in cutting flawless crown molding joints and square and accurate framing lumber. With its ability to cut through dense materials fast, correctly, and safely, the miter saw is a powerful tool with a wide range of applications, from rough framing to trim and complicated woodworking.

But if you don’t know how to handle one, a miter saw may be very intimidating. Now you might be wondering how to use a miter saw or maybe what it is. Don’t worry because this tool can be mastered with some instruction and skills. Learn more by continuing to read.

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What is a Miter Saw?

A power miter saw, also known as a chop or crosscut saw, is a tool used to make angled and crosscut cuts in wood.

Miter saws come in a few different varieties. You’ll need to be familiar with a few essential words in order to comprehend the difference:

An angled cut made across the width (or face) of a board is known as a miter cut.
An angled cut through a board’s thickness is known as a bevel cut.
A cross cut is a line cut made directly across a board’s face.

Any type of cut can be made with any miter saw, depending on how the wood is arranged on the blade. It will make a mitered cut if it is laid flat (with the broader side on the saw’s base). It will make a beveled cut if laid on its side, with the shorter side resting on the saw’s base.

Understanding the terminologies makes it slightly simpler to understand the various miter saw types. Let’s examine it:

The base of a standard miter saw swings to produce angles. It can make both bevel and miter cuts, but not simultaneously.
A compound miter saw can do bevel and miter cuts simultaneously. Its blade can tilt to produce beveled angles, and its base can be rotated to create mitered angles. Compound miter saws come in single-bevel (which tilt only in one direction) and double-bevel varieties (which can tilt in both directions).
A stationary (basic) miter saw is entirely stationary, only able to swing up and down. Up to 8 inches broad boards can be cut using it.
The blade can slide outward while cutting when using a sliding miter saw. This permits cuts that are up to 12 inches wide.

How to use a Miter Saw?: (Step By Step Guide)

There is a spring that maintains tension on the miter saw head. The spring returns the head to the upright position as you lower it to make a cut.

It is a 10-inch miter saw. There are also 12-inch and 7 1/4-inch saws, and this refers to the size of the blade it uses. A thicker piece can be cut using a 12-inch than a 10-inch saw, which can also cut stock wider than a 7 1/4 inch saw.

The chute and collection bag are where the sawdust discharged from the blade is supposed to go. Sadly, most miter saws do a lousy job of collecting dust. The majority of the dust falls behind and beneath the chute.

Many miter saws contain some kind of clamp that holds the workpiece to the table while the cut is being made.

Extensions support longer workpieces and occasionally feature flip-up stops for repeat cutting. A screw in the handle secures the table in place. The handle locks the table into the desired angle after it rotates back and forth a few times.

In order to increase capacity, sliding miter saws contain a mechanism for extending the cutting head. The rails on this saw enable it to cut significantly broader boards.

Safety:

You’ll see that a guard protects the blade. The guard lifts when the saw is brought down, allowing for the cut but keeping you away from the blade.

Never, under any circumstances, remove the blade guard.

The stock fence that most miter saws ship with is insufficient for cutting smaller pieces. Without any support, attempting to cut a piece like this can result in backlash. Without the addition of a zero-clearance, sacrificial barrier, do not undertake a cut like this.

On the rear of the aluminum fence on my saw, there are holes that can be used to screw a sacrificial fence into place. This barrier and a push stick make it safer to cut smaller pieces. Make sure that at no point during the blade’s course is your hand anywhere close to it.

Maintain equal pressure on the object to prevent it from turning after the cut, getting caught in the blade, and being thrown.

Never grip the right side of a workpiece with your left hand when cutting, or cross your arms at all. Never cross your arms or hands over the center of the blade insert.

Put enough pressure on the left side of the workpiece with your left hand to keep it firmly pressed up against the fence and the table while keeping it well away from the blade.

Miter Saw Tips:

Prior to plunging the entire depth of the workpiece, make a scoring cut. A scoring cut is a light pass made across the entire width of the workpiece that helps keep the cut neat and reduces rip-out. Make the full cut after the scoring cut.

I like to use a stop block to create precise, repetitive cuts. You can use your saw’s extension wings if they have stops. Otherwise, firmly clamp a block to the fence before pushing the board up to it and cutting. Wait until the blade has come to a complete stop before elevating the saw because a portion of the workpiece is wedged between the stop block and the blade.

Draw an X on the side that is being removed after measuring and noting the length that has to be cut on the miter saw.

The outside edge of the blade’s teeth should be directly on the line, and the blade should have all of its teeth on the side designated with an X. The outcome will be a workpiece that is the desired length. The side you want to keep will be sliced if the blade is placed directly on the line.

To catch a fit or to clean up the end of a workpiece without taking much away, you may occasionally only need to remove the slightest bit of material. Hold the saw as you fully lower it.

Make sure not to hit the teeth by pressing the workpiece towards the blade’s face. Hold the workpiece firmly against the face as the saw is raised before cutting.

Cut the wood along its grain:

Keep in mind that a board’s length is parallel to the grain of the wood. You should cut across the breadth of the board or with the grain as much as possible. This will create a more exact cut and require less additional sanding.

After determining the location of your initial cut and aligning your blade appropriately, carefully lower it until it contacts the wood piece at its lowest point.

Then, without raising more than an inch off your surface, raise it back up as high as possible before lowering it back towards yourself again. Keep doing this until the object you’re working on has all four sides completely trimmed off.

Alignment:

To create straight cuts, it’s crucial to ensure your saw blade is aligned with the table and fence. Lock the saw in place by lowering it. The square should touch the saw from top to bottom as you slide it up to the face of the blade, again being careful not to touch the teeth. If it doesn’t, the saw is not square, and you should adjust it according to the instructions in your owner’s manual.

Slide the square up against the fence while keeping it level on the table. As before, check that no teeth are in contact with the square before sliding it up to the blade’s face.

Miter Saw Mobile Stand:

I also have a transportable stand for our miter saw, and I couldn’t be more in love with it! When not in use, it folds up and rolls out of the way, giving us alot of additional space in our garage. The miter saw used to have its own designated area on a workbench. Although that was a fantastic solution, I find that much preferable to have the ability to move it over to the wall when not in use.

Bottom Line:

A miter saw can be used effectively and safely by anyone. You don’t have to be an expert to use a miter saw. It’s not a difficult tool, but with a few safety precautions and some practice, you can use it on your next project without incident. Last but not least, always wear eye and hand protection when using power equipment.

FAQs:

Is a miter saw easy to use?

What should you never do when using the miter saw?