How to Use a Miter Saw

A miter saw is an important tool for most woodshops. This versatile saw can easily make a variety of cuts in a short amount of time. Miter saws can also cut a variety of common materials used in different projects. In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about using a miter saw. First I will explain what a miter saw is.   

What Is a Miter Saw?

Miter saws can cut lumber at various angles. Miter boxes are hand tools used with saws and don’t require any electricity. In this article we will be discussing electric miter saws.

They use a circular blade that has small chisel-like “teeth” along the perimeter. Each one takes small chunks of material out.

Miter saws are used in construction, remodeling jobs, or even furniture making. They are great at making a lot of the same cut, but can be quickly adjusted if you need to make different types of cuts each time.

Proper Setup And Miter Saw Safety

Setting up your cut is arguably the most important part of using a miter saw. Making sure we get it right the first time is easy to do when the right steps are taken.

First make sure the right type of blade is installed. When making a rough cut the blade can have fewer teeth than a fine cut blade.

Rough cuts are made when cutting things like lumber for framing a house. Or it can be on other pieces of wood that are not visible when the project is complete.

Fine tooth blades are going to have more teeth, that are smaller in size than a rough-cut blade. These cuts are made on finished pieces like crown molding and baseboard/casing. Here we want the cut to have a smooth edge that hasn’t chipped any.

To change the blade on a miter saw some tools may be required. Some saws require one wrench where others might need two. The blade is held on by a nut that must be removed before changing the blade.

Make sure to always unplug the any power tool before changing the blade!

Locate the nut at the center of the blade by lifting the blade guard. You may need remove a screw to help keep the guard up freely.

Some miter saws have a lock button that keeps the blade from spinning. If your saw has one of these, press it in and spin the blade with your hand. You want it to fall into a slot that prevents the blade from spinning.

Hold this lock button down while putting your wrench on the nut on the opposite side of the blade. Usually the lock button will be on the right side of the blade while the nut to be removed will be on the left side.

If your saw does not have this feature you will need a second open ended wrench. Place the two wrenches on each side of the nut and bolt. A crescent wrench can be used but take care to not strip the head.

Disclaimer: Remember that the nut being removed is a reverse thread. This means it’s the opposite of the saying “lefty loosey, righty tighty.” Turn the nut to in the clockwise direction to loosen.

When using a miter saw there are a few things to consider about safety before you begin. This machine can be very easy to use, and safe at the same time. It is also a very dangerous piece of equipment that commands respect.

Basic safety equipment is important to use while cutting with a miter saw. The two pieces of equipment I recommend are a good pair of safety glasses as well as hearing protection.

Many miter saws have a spot on the back side of the blade to hook up a dust collection system. This can be a bag that comes with the saw, or a hose that attaches to a vacuum system.

Even with a dust collection system these saws are still going to kick up dust. With the close proximity of your face to the blade it is simple to get a grain or two in your eyes.

Make sure the safety glasses are form fitting to the contours of your face. There are some excellent models on the market that don’t cost much and are light weight. I tend to forget I’m wearing a pair.

Ear protection is important in a woodshop. The best is a pair of muffs. These fit over the entire ear and stay on with the head band that connects the two. This style of ear protection is designed to block the most noise.

Ear plugs can be a good option as well. They fit inside the ear canal, and expand to stay in place with friction. This hearing protection option doesn’t block as much noise as ear muffs.

This can be okay when not making many consecutive cuts, or there aren’t any other power tools or compressors running in the shop at the same time.

Do not wear any loose-fitting clothing when working with power tools. It is easier to get them caught in the machine, causing a lot of damage to your body. This concept goes for loose jewelry or rings as well.

The idea of wearing gloves while running a miter saw is debatable. One side will say your hands are more susceptible to splinters and cuts from the material. The other side says the gloves can be another piece of clothing that may get caught in the blade.

If you decide to wear gloves while running a miter saw make sure they are not very baggy. There are some types of work gloves that are fingerless. This will make it easier for you to accurately handle your material while keeping much of the hands protected.

Types of Miter Saws and Cuts They Make

There are different options when choosing a miter saw for your woodshop. Some have double compound adjustments, while others don’t. And some miter saws have a sliding arm that allow for wider cuts.

A double compound miter saw is one that allows the blade to be angled in both directions. This option is nice when installing crown molding with a lot of intricate angles. The double compound miter saw is typically used by professionals.

Moving the blade in a compound direction helps make beveled cuts. These are cuts on the edge of the material that has an angle on the face of it. The bottom side of the board is longer than the top side of the board.

All miter saws are designed to cut angles in the material. Some saws have a wider range of angles than others. This isn’t always a problem because you can generally flip a board to satisfy the desired angle.

A sliding arm on the miter saw is a great feature to have. It gives a larger cutting range which is nice for wider materials. These saws are going to be more expensive than a basic miter saw.

How To Use a Miter Saw To Cut Angles

A miter saws can make several types of cuts. They can even make more than one of these cuts at the same time. This is a great feature that allows for endless project possibilities.

Let’s talk about the main types of cuts a miter saw can make.

How To Make a Miter Cut

Miter cuts are the most common type of angled cut to make with these saws. This is where they get their namesake.

These are the five easy steps to making a miter cut:

1. Mark the angle of the cut on the top of the board.
2. Lay the board on its back with the mark facing up.
3. Unlock the rotating base of the saw and slide the blade to the angle of the cut.
4. Holding the blade on the material, eyeball it so it’s lined up with the cut. Make sure the blade is on the side of the mark that the waste material will be.
5. Make the cut. While keeping your fingers at least 6 inches away from the blade, lift the blade slightly and turn on the saw.

It may take a little practice to get the angle exactly right. But a good miter cut is a beautiful thing.

How To Make a Bevel Cut

A bevel cut is where there is a slope made on the face of the material. You may

1. Mark the angle of the cut on the edge of the board.
2. Lay the board on its back with the mark facing you.
3. Unlock the head of the saw to allow it to rotate in the compound direction. Then move it to the same angle you want to make the cut.
4. Hold the blade in front of the mark and eyeball it. A sliding arm on the saw helps with this part but is not required.
5. Make the cut.

Making a bevel cut is a lot like making a miter cut. It’s possible to use the sliding table option to make a bevel cut, depending on how you hold the material. This is limited to the dimensions of the piece being cut.

If it’s not too wide it can be held against the back guide to perform the cut on the side angle. This is helpful when there is no sliding arm feature on the saw, but it has its limits.

How To Use a Miter Saw To Cut Trim

Trim is a term used for decorative pieces of wood in a home or office type setting. They are the finishing pieces put on the base and top of the walls as well as around doorways.

Cutting trim is one of the most common uses for a miter saw. When installing trim, you need access to the full length of the wall. Furniture and any other objects may need to be moved away from the work space.

If it’s baseboard being installed it’s important to first see what both sides of that wall are doing. If there is a doorway on the wall there may need to be door casing installed first. It goes on before the baseboard so it can be cut to fit against the casing. If it’s a corner a beveled cut will be made at a 45 degree angle.

Casing around a door will require the side pieces to have 45 degree cuts at the top and 90 degree cuts at the bottom. The top piece will have two 45 degree cuts that fit with the tall pieces.

Crown molding is a bit trickier to cut. If you haven’t installed crown before I recommend start by making some small practice cuts and hold them up in the corners. This will ensure you have the saw set to the correct angle before you cut the pieces to install.

It’s easiest to cut crown molding by holding it upside down on the saw guide. It will need to be leaning at an angle where it is touching both the base of the saw and the back guide. Make the marks on the side that will be touching the wall.

How To Use a Miter Saw Stand

So far we covered all what we need to know about using a miter saw. It’s important to have a sturdy base for the saw to sit on.

This can be a variety of things, anywhere from plywood and sawhorses to a workbench that’s level with the surface of the saw.

If your saw needs to be moved around there are miter saw stands that fold up and transport with your saw.

For those who like to be creative here is a video that shows how to build a mobile miter saw bench.

I love this design because when the wings of the bench are up the surface of it will be level with the surface of the miter saw. This makes it easy when cutting long pieces.

Locking and unlocking miter saw features