Things to Consider When Buying a Miter Saw

Buying a miter saw is not a hard task, but there are a few things you need to know before hitting that buy button on Amazon. Let’s take a look at some of the things you need to consider when choosing a miter saw.

Type:

There are three main types of miter saws, and it is important to understand how each one works.

Basic Miter Saw:

This is normally used for projects such as making cross cuts, cutting trim, and miter cuts. Lack of bevel option means that their cutting capability is limited to making miter cuts. They cannot do a wide range of cuts but are very accurate and great for simple cutting tasks. They are ideal for casual and beginner woodworkers.

Compound Miter Saws:

This differs from a basic miter saw in the sense that it can be used to make bevel cuts. You can adjust them to make both bevel and miter cuts. They are of two types; single bevel and dual bevel model. Single bevel makes bevel in one direction while dual level saw will make both right and left bevel cuts thereby saving you the hassles of having to move your workpiece when making the second cut.

Sliding compound miters:

This is the handiest type of miter saw you can get and is, of course, the priciest option. It has all features of a compound miter saw and a sliding arm allowing you to cut wider and thicker materials. Its increased cutting capacity gives it versatility. It suits woodworkers with larger stocks.

Laser Guide System:

While this may not be a must feature, a miter saw with a laser guide is very useful. An effective laser guide makes a miter saw easier to use and can help with more accurate cuts. Make sure to check if the laser guide system in a miter saw of your choice really does work effectively. Read many reviews of the saw while paying attention to what users say about laser guide system.

Type of Motor:

A motor determines if your preferred miter saw will have enough power to perform cutting tasks. For most miter saws, their motor power range between 10-15 amps. Unless you intend to be using your saw regularly, you don’t always have to have a very powerful motor. You will also need to pay attention to the maximum rpm a motor can provide as that will affect the accuracy of cuts. Also, know that direct drive motors last longer and have more power than belt-driven motors. Therefore, if you will need smoother cuts or you are planning on doing a lot of heavy cutting, you might consider going for a motor with a smooth start technology. This lessens the risks of power burst ups when the motor starts.

Dust Collection System:

Miter saws normally comes with a dust collection systems consisting of a dust bag, which, in most cases, is not very effective. However, there are some saws that have an effective dust collection system. Again, I would advise you to read as many reviews as possible paying more attention to dust collection system in particular.

An effective dust bag will keep your working area free of litter and also increase the lifespan of your miter saw by preventing entry of dust into its internal component. As I mentioned, most miter saws lack an effective dust collection system and thus if you find a great saw with a poor dust collection system, just go for it and compensate the shortcoming with a vacuum to keep dust under control.

Safety:

A miter saw can pose a danger when operating, and thus it is good to choose one with adequate safety features. Go for miter saws with safety features such as fence guards and electric brakes. While all miter saws will have these features, make sure to know if they are strong enough.

Blade:

Most miter saws have a standard blade that is fine for making rougher cuts. However, this might not be suitable if you want one that will make for finer cuts for woodworking projects. If you need finer finishes, you might need to go for a better blade. Make sure that the process of changing the blade of your preferred miter saw is not complicated.

Bottom line:

It is important to do your research before buying a miter saw to settle for one that best suits your needs. Rise beyond price and brand popularity when choosing your miter saw. Use the above factors to narrow down your choices.

Which Saw is best For Woodworking?

The saw is part of the basic equipment of any workshop because with it you can easily share or score materials such as wood, plastic, metal or natural stone. A saw is operated either manually or mechanically. In the following, you will find out which saw is best suited for which kind of sawing work in the garden, in the house and in the workshop. Basically, the harder the wood, the more teeth the saw blade of the saw should have.

Various wood saws belong in each toolbox. But which tool is particularly well suited for the processing of different types of wood and which saw should every handyman own? The following notes will help you make your personal selection.

These wood saws are ideal:

For domestic needs handsaws are sufficient in most cases. For thin wood and fine work is best a jigsaw, with which you can work so to speak “around the corner“. All possible chipboard and wood panels can be brought into the desired shape with it. This tool is also suitable for thin polystyrene or plastics. With a fine saw – a pure wood saw – turn can be smaller, especially straight Sägeschnitte perform. This versatile saw can be used both in the home and in the garden to saw smaller branches. If you face a larger piece of wood, a foxtail is a good choice. These saws are significantly larger and are therefore only suitable for rough work. With these three wood saws you are for the most, in the house and garden,

Another tool for your sawing work:

If you work more often with wood, the following saws will complement your tool collection very well. A circular saw, for example, makes it easier for you to do a lot of smaller jobs and can cut not only different types of wood, but also larger boards and other softer materials. You can also make a reliable straight cut with a miter saw. This saw has a guide with stop, with the help of which perfect angles of baseboards or transitions of wooden boards can be made. So you are already prepared for most minor renovations.

Ironing and folding saws:

While hacksaws in woodworking are mainly used as a jigsaw, blade saws such as the foxtail are used in both professional woodworking as well as household and DIY workshops for fast and rough woodcuts. Depending on the saw blade type, you can easily cut thicker wooden boards or shorten squared timbers with the widespread universal saw. Even finer cuts of great accuracy are possible with the foxtail, provided you use a corresponding saw blade. Characteristic of the foxtail is the short but wide saw blade.

Back saws:

Back saws such as the fine saw are particularly suitable for fine and precise woodcuts, because their saw blade has very fine teeth. Other features include the rectangular saw blade and the stiffened back (back rail). Fields of application include the cutting of thin boards and the cutting of wooden strips.

Jigsaws:

This saw consists of a U-shaped bent metal bracket and a wooden handle. At the ends of the bracket, there are screw clamps between which the fretsaw blade is stretched. This is very fine and travels fast under heavy load.

With a fretsaw, you can saw thin solid wood or plywood (up to about 6mm). This makes it possible to saw very tight turns, which is why it is often used to create filigree patterns. It is also possible to cut out a pattern that can not be reached from the outside edge of the wood. For this, a small hole has to be drilled and the saw blade has to be threaded there.

The jigsaw is one of the most versatile saws. With it, you can cut straight cuts as well as curved cuts quickly and especially precisely . Especially for curved cuts, the jigsaw offers. They are available with a variety of different saw blades, each tailored to different materials, precision levels, speed and curves. It is available as a handsaw or as a power tool.

Circular saws:

First and foremost, the hand-held circular saw, which is one of the electric or battery-powered saws, is used for fast and precise straight woodcuts. She specializes in long cuts for cutting thick wood materials. These include, for example, chip and plywood boards, wooden beams, installation boards and also hardwood for floor coverings.

Wood circular saws are used both in the industry but often in private households. However, the machines usually differ in dimension.

When sawing wood with a circular saw, the circular saw blade serves as a cutting edge. The saw blade is driven by a shaft with a tooth, wedge or flat belt and various pulleys.

Flat tooth:

Common for longitudinal cuts in soft and hardwoods, As a saw blade nowadays usually composite circular saw blades are used. These consist of a metal support body to be soldered onto the carbide cutting edges. The teeth themselves differ for the particular application. There are the following tooth types for wood-based materials:

Alternating tooth: can be used for both longitudinal and cross sections

Hollow tooth: guarantees tear-free cutting and is therefore often used on veneered surfaces

Trapezzahn: frequently used on painted and coated wooden surfaces

Roof tooth flat teeth combination: well suited for flat pressed chipboard that has been plastic coated

There are also two other versions of circular saws. Once there are stationary circular saws and second-hand circular saws. In the stationary version, the workpiece is always pushed over the machine. Circular saws are always moved over the workpiece.

Reciprocating saws:

Rough cuts are best done with electric reciprocating saws. For example, you must make quick and rough cuts when pruning trees and during demolition work. For saber saws different saw blades are available, which are especially suitable for wood or metal cuts.

Saber saws actually have the shape of a saber. They are used, for example, by carpenters and builders. It can be used to cut boards or cut branches and, depending on the design, even cut down small trees.

Multisaw:

As the name suggests, the Multisaw is suitable for a wide variety of sawing tasks – regardless of whether you have to cut through wood, tiles, laminate, aluminum or PVC. Straight cuts can be made exactly with the saw. In addition, the saw offers itself for diving cuts. This is a special cut in which the saw blade “dips” into the workpiece from above. You can use a Multisaw with different saw blades, for example with diamond discs, HSS blades and carbide tipped saw blades.

Conclusion:

There are a variety of ways and machines to saw wood. There are manual saws as well as electric or fuel-operated machines. Which saw is the right one for you was determined by this article. Now it’s time to get to work. I wish you much success.