The Benefits Of Having Your Own Compound Miter Saw

To work on a good project you need precision machinery. And no machine is more useful than a compound miter saw. The advantage of a compound miter saw rests with its ability to cut both miter and bevel cuts at once. And that too repetitively without losing the angle set. This way you will not only save a lot of time but also keep your work clean and precise.

Benefits of a Compound Miter Saw

The standard miter saw is helpful only for cutting miter joints and other single angle cuts. This is too time consuming if you are working on more complex project like a crown molding. The great advantage of a compound miter saw is that blade assembly of the machine can be titled to one side (left) of the machine. This advanced feature facilitates a bevel cut to be made along with a miter cut.

Miter Cuts

The standard miter saws are ideal for cutting a 45 degree miter cut. The machine usually has a miter gauge. The liver hard stops at 0, 15, 22.5, 30 and 45 degree angles in both directions. This way you can lock at and cut in whatever miter angle you need.

Bevel Cuts

Bevel cuts are sloped cuts on a piece of wood or pipe. Though standard miter saws can be used to make the beveled cuts by placing the plank against the fence of the machine, this method cannot be applied to larger boards or planks. The compound miter saw eliminates the need of this struggle by enabling a tilt of the blade assembly to an angle of 45 degrees.

Compound Miter Cuts

The compound miter cuts are when the machine is oriented in a both miter and bevel angles. The most common application of this kind of cut is for joining crown molding. If you set the machine to this angle once you can cut all the corresponding pieces of the crown molding.

Variations

There are mainly two variations in the compound miter saw.

1. Sliding Compound Miter Saw

The sliding compound miter saw incorporates railing on the head assembly of the machine so that it increases the “reach “of the machine. The blade assembly slides back and forth. This feature enables you to cut larger objects and much like a radian arm saw.

2. Dual Compound Miter Saw

The dual compound miter saw is the most costly among the machines. This is so called because the head assembly of this saw can be tilted to both sides covering a 90 degree arc. The dual compound miter saw is a large machine. However, for complex and precision projects this machine is highly recommended.

Using a Compound Miter Saw

• Setting the fence: swing the cutting table to your desired angle and set the fence.
• Set the angle of the saw: the saw is locked to a set angle so that it doesn’t shift during a cut.
• Just lower the saw: after placing the material on the cutting table tighten the holding stock and just cut it to your desired angle.

There are many advantages of having a compound miter saw to help you work on a particular project. It not only makes the cuts easier but also reduces the time taken to cut a compound cut. But always make sure that you comply with the safety feature of the machine.

It can be hard choosing the best compound miter saw on the market, but it is well worth the hassle!

Buying The Best Compound Miter Saw – How-To

Selecting the best compound miter saws involves a taking into account a lot of considerations. Normally there are miter saws with a price tag of a hundred dollars to well over a thousand dollars. Here we discuss some point that you might want to look at.

Types of Compound Miter Saws

Compound Miter Saws

When selecting a compound miter saw you should always keep in mind what your requirements get top priority. Just because a particular type of saw is good for someone you know doesn’t mean that such a model will be good to you too.

• Read Reviews And Rating Before The Purchase

Good news is that there are many reviews and ratings online by people who have had firsthand experience with different models of the machine. Reading and communicating with them is a good way of gaining more knowledge on different types of compound miter saws.

• Asking For Assistance

It’s not only you who are trying to strike at the right machine. There are many people online or in your neighborhood who may be experts in these kinds of techie things. So don’t be embarrassed or feel insufficient in asking their assistance or advice. Remember, it’s your hard earned money that you are spending and that should be a wise investment.

Sliding Compound Miter Saws

A sliding compound miter saw has railings so that the blade assembly can move back and forth during cutting. This feature enables the user to cut larger and wider boards and other objects.

Selecting a Sliding Compound Miter Saw

When selecting a sliding compound miter saw the first thing that comes to our mind is the blade size. There are four blade sizes available: 71/2-in. 81/2-in. 10-in and finally the mighty and muscular 12 in. while the 71/2 and 81/2 are less expensive they and tout more portability they are less capable too and thus cannot be used for larger projects.

The 12 in. slider is larger and much more powerful and cost more too. They cost twice as much as a normal 71/2- in machine. Most people recommend the 10- in slider as the ideal saw as they are both capable and portable. However if you have budget, going for the 12 incher might be a better choice.

Dual Compound Miter Saw

The dual compound miter saw is a very unique machine. Its blade assembly tilts to both sides and this feature really is a great time saver. But these saws are the most expensive in the saw category and most useful too. Below are few points to guide you in choosing a right machine to suit your needs

1. Good manufacturer: A good manufacturer is the first thing that should be considered. The machine is a relatively high investment.
2. Your needs first: a dual compound miter saw sports a track along which the blade and the motor traverse. The size of things that can be cut with this machine will depend upon how far the blade moves along its tracks.
3. Platform: the platform stabilizes the machine look for a machine that has a fairly large platform. They should also be adjustable allowing different angle cuts.

The other features that you should look for in your best compound miter saw include dust bags for indoor operation, rightly placed handles. You have to make sure that you are quite familiarized with the machine before you use it for a project. 

Here’s another great post on this subject, that we highly recommend you read: http://www.compoundmitersaws.net/exploring-the-different-types-of-compound-miter-saws/

What Is a Compound Miter Saw? Main Characteristics

Compound miter saws are the most versatile and accurate power tool to make both angle and beveled cuts in wood. The machine is a large mounted circular saw powered by a motor. It can be swung from side to side to make miter cuts and tilted left or right (only some models allow tilt on both sides) to make a beveled cuts.

What Is Miter Saw?

A miter saw is used to make precise crosscuts on a plank of wood, pipe and other materials. An ordinary miter saw has an axis at the bottom of the machine on which the saw assembly swing side to side enabling precise angle cuts.

How Compound Miter Saws Are Different

While a standard miter saw allows for adjustable angles on cut with the blade staying in a stationary vertical position, a compound miter saw allows for the blade to be tilted to an angle of up to 45 degree to the left and to both left and right in the case of a Double Bevel Miter Saw. This feature allows a worker to cut more complex and precise sets of cuts on wood and other materials.

The Cuts of Compound Miter Saw

A compound miter saw can cut both angled, miter cuts ideal for corner joints and bevel cuts for crown molding and other applications.

• Miter cuts: miter cuts are 45 degree angle cuts that you may identify making the corners of a picture frame and other applications.
• Bevel cuts: these are sloped angled cuts using a compound miter saw that are common in crown molding.
  • Crown molding: usually a standard miter saw would suffice for cutting a crown molding. But when the molding is too large to be tilted against the fence of the machine, a compound miter saw is used.

Features found in both standard and compound miter saws

1. Guards: the self retracting blade guard is the signature safety feature of a miter saw. While you lower the saw, the guard automatically clears off the stock and returns to the normal position when released.
2. Guides: both laser guides and reference cutting line blades are seen in the miter saws for precision cuts.
3. Dust bag: a dust bag is a useful feature if you are working indoors as it collects the dust in the bag fitted to a nozzle in the back of the machine.
4. Safety clamps: safety clamps holds the material on the cutting table down for more accurate bevel cuts.

The Sliding Compound Miter Saw

The sliding compound miter saw is the most versatile tool a worker can put his hands upon. Its ability to slide back and forth allows the user to cut larger, wider objects using the same smaller blade. The blade assembly of the sliding miters saw is mounted on a rail system that allows enables the blade assembly to be moved back and forth

Suits Your Budget

While a standard miter saw can be obtained for as low as $100, the more versatile compound miter saws can be worth more than $1000. But as in everything, it is your needs that have to be thought about before any purchase. However, there are models in the market with advanced features well within your budget range.  

Story Time – My First Compound Miter Saw

This is a story on how I first got into carpentry and how I first got my hands on a compound miter saw. This took place many many years ago, when I was still in secondary school.

Ever since elementary school we had a crafting class, there we mainly did woodworking and carpentry but also stuff relating to metal, paper and many other things, ranging from sewing to robotics and programming.

We always had access to a variety of tools, but there were some we didn’t have permission to use AND lots which we didn’t dare to use, because they seemed dangerous and the compound miter saw was one of them.

It looks insanely sharp and actually is and this frightens many people, the though that it could cut off your whole frickin arm is pretty ridiculous and people really don’t want to take any chances when it comes to stuff like that.

I had never used it or asked about it, for over 8 years, for the reason stated above. I had been working on my final task for secondary school, I was creating an actual piece of furniture that I’d use.

That was my bed, the very one I use today.

This was not an easy task by any means and I wasn’t doing it just for the grade. I had the opportunity to decide myself, what I did for my last task and I chose this because I had been wanting a new bed for a long time, first of all and secondly, because I truly enjoy challenging myself, it makes the task that much more interesting.

I was halfway done with the majority of the bed, this did not include carving and other details. So far I had only been using a saw, a hammer, some nails and other similar tools anyone could use but the task was a lot more complicated and I couldn’t do it reasonably like that anymore so I asked my teacher for help.

He introduced me to the compound miter saw in our school the next class and a few weks later I had free hands to use it for whatevery I wanted. I was so fascinated by what this tool could do, I came to the class every day after hours to work in my bed.

My final project was finished within a month after being introdced to the compound miter saw, otherwise it would’ve taken me at least 6 more months.

A year later, after I had graduated and started working on my own projects at home and needed to buy some tools, the first tool that I bought, besides a hammer was the compound miter saw. I was so proud of owning it and with good reason.

I have been taking great care of it ever since and still own that miter saw, although I own and use various other mitre saws as well, as they come in many different sizes and are made for different purposes etc.

There’s not much more to say about that, if you want to hear more stories about me personally, let me know and I’ll write something up for you.

The next pieces of content I will be working on are informational articles, for example:

„How To Choose The Best Compound Miter Saw”

„What Exactly Is A Compound Miter Saw”

„Why You Need A Compound Miter Saw”

And many other interesting articles on similar topics.

My Short Introduction, Welcome!

Hey hey!

Welcome to my personal blog on compound miter saws. Here you will learn everything you might ever need to know about the famous power tool.

I plan on covering a big variety of topics, you will learn what exactly is a compound miter saw, why exactly you may need one, how to use it properly and safely, how to get the best deal when buying one and other similar themes.

At first you can expect a whole bunch of articles from me at once, because I have already prepared quite a few while doing a research paper on the subject in school. Yes, I actually did my whole research paper on just compound miter saws, this simply proves how much I love the tool, how useful it is and will be for you as well and that I truly know what I am talking about here, not just making this stuff up.

I am also going to answer any questions you could have about it, just leave them in the comments for example, or contact me via the form on the site, or hit me up on g+ or via email. I will answer every single question within two bsiness days, unless I am out of the country, guaranteed.

Thanks a whole lot for coming to my blog in the first place, now I just hope that you will become a common reader and perhaps share it with other people who might be interested in this topic, or find it useful. I.e if you have a friend who is working on restoring in his or her house, they would definitely be able to speed things up with the help of a compound miter saw.

Thanks again, I’ll have another post up for you guys soon enough.