❈ Woodworking Miter Saws
Andrew Wormer offers some help and advice if you are looking to buy a miter saw ~ in association with
Amazon.com...
☑ Guide for Buying Chop Saws & Compound Miter Saws
Content © Andrew Wormer
Miter saws are versatile tools that have become a mainstay of workshops everywhere. These powerful saws make angled cuts by pulling a circular blade down onto a workpiece with a short, controlled plunge. It might appear that miter saws are infinitely complex and varied, but there are only three general types: basic miter saw, compound miter saw, and sliding compound miter saw. The type you choose will depend on your woodworking needs.
☑ The Motorized Revolution
It wasn't that long ago that making accurate crosscuts in wood required a skilled hand, a sharp handsaw, and a chunk of time. But in the early 1970s, a new saw began to appear on job sites that promised to speed up these cuts: the motorized miter saw, or chop saw. A chop saw is essentially a lightweight circular saw mounted on a spring-loaded pivoting arm supported by a metal base. While these relatively small, inexpensive saws don't have the cutting capacity of a radial arm saw, they are very portable and rugged enough to stand up to daily use (and abuse) on the job and survive the pickup truck ride to the next job.
Exclusive back fence design cuts up to 2x16 dimensional lumber at 90° and 2x12 at 45°.
▸ Powerful 15 amp, 3, 800 RPM motor
▸ Exclusive back fence design
▸ Super efficient dust collection system
▸ Maximum Cutting Thickness:6¾"
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☑ Chop Saw Cutting Capacity
A chop saw with a 10" blade and a hefty 12 - 15 amp motor can make quick, accurate 90° cuts in 2x4's and 2x6's. If you rotate the blade left or right, they can also make miter cuts, and some of them can be pivoted past 45° in one or both directions. But 10" chop saws have one major limitation: cutting capacity. Most of them are limited to about a 5½" cut at 90°, and even less when cutting miters.
For this reason, manufacturers also offer chop saws with 12", 14", and even 15" diameter blades, which enables them to make cuts that are wider (up to about 7½") and higher (up to about 3½"). For some users, this capacity still isn't enough, which is why the pricier -- but more versatile -- sliding compound miter saws have become so popular. In fact, regular chop saws are disappearing from the marketplace.
☑ Compound Miter Saws and Fences
Chop saws that can make bevel cuts as well as miter cuts (and most of them can nowadays) are technically called compound miter saws . If you tilt the blade while cutting at an angle, these saws can cut crown molding while the stock lies flat on the table. But tilting the blade means that the fence has to get out of the blade's way when the saw head heels over. To achieve this, some manufacturers significantly reduce the height of their fences near the blade, then advise users to add a supplemental wood fence when making regular cuts that need extra-height support. But a better approach is to use a sliding fence, which provides full-height support and moves out of the way for bevel cuts.
The LS1040 is engineered for a broad range of trades, including finish carpenters, professional woodworkers, case and base installers, cabinet installers, decking and flooring applications, siding installers, and general contractors.
▸ Direct drive motor with soft start
▸ Powerful 15 amp direct drive motor
▸ Dual post compound pivoting arm
▸ Miters 0-45° left and 0-52° right
▸ Positive miter stops at 9 settings
▸ Bevel cuts up to 45° to the left
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☑ Miter Matters
Preset detent positions on the saw's turntable (typically set at 0, 15, 22.5, 30, and 45°) help to position the blade quickly and accurately for common miter cuts. Some manufacturers also offer detents for the common crown molding angles on the miter and bevel scales. But the detents on some saws can be tricky to override if you want to make minute adjustments to the fit of a cut--say, a 32.25° miter instead of the 31.62° that crown molding typically requires. The miter and bevel scales offered by different manufacturers aren't equally easy to read, either. This is particularly true of bevel scales, which are often partially hidden behind the body of the saw.
☑ Before You Buy
The points below should help you choose a compound miter saw that will suit your needs:
- Weight: If you do a lot of moving around, weight can be an important factor. Some saws weigh as little as 30 lbs, while heavier saws can weigh in at 50 lbs or more.
- Handle comfort: Some saws are more balanced than others when you pick them up by their carrying handle. The position of the trigger handle may also affect how comfortable the saw is to operate. Many people prefer D-shaped handles oriented perpendicular to the blade.
- Saw blade: Most saws come equipped with a carbide-toothed saw blade as standard equipment. If the saw comes with an inexpensive steel blade, you'll want to replace it with a higher-quality blade, specifically designed for a miter saw, for consistently smooth, straight cuts.
- Blade guard: It's easier to see the cut line if your saw has a smoothly operating blade guard that automatically moves out of the way as the blade nears the cut, as opposed to being pushed out of the way by the workpiece.
- Accessories: Finally, accessories such as dust bags, table extensions, and stock clamps often are included with the price of the saw, but not always. Remember to add them to your calculations if you need to purchase them separately, since they can have a considerable effect on your total cost.
Woodworking Reference Book
Author Rick Peters helps woodworkers identify which saws and accessories best fit their needs. He teaches basic and advanced techniques and shows how to make jigs and fixtures that expand the tool's capabilities. Attractive projects include a simple desk frame, beveled tray, and an end table.
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📌 Disclosure: azWoodman.com is a participant in the Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
