 |
Miter Saw Comparison Guide
Miter saws were initially meant to take the place of the miter box and give carpenters and trim workers an easier and quicker alternative. As technology has grown miter saws have found there way into our smaller fine woodworking shop. Although there is still a place for the radial arm saws in some larger woodworking shops, a good miter saw can handle the majority of the work in most home woodworking shops with the same accuracy and a quicker easier set up when used right. Read on to find the differences in the three types
of miter saws and check out my miter
saw features page for more information on what to look into
when buying a miter saw. Chop SawThe first type of miter saw made was sometimes called the chop saw. It was and still is mainly used only by carpenters and trim workers but is relatively obsolete.The chop saw shares many of the same features as the other two saws except for one. The chop saw can make accurate 90 degree crosscuts and the blade can also be swung either one or both ways to make miter cuts. The blade doesn’t tilt allowing for compound miters - that’s our next type of miter saw. Compound Miter SawsCompound miter saws, like the chop saw, have the ability to make 90 degree cuts and miters. They also have the ability to make compound miters. This is done by tilting the blade. By doing this you can make a miter cut with a bevel. You need this feature when cutting most crown molding.The compound miter saw is the most common type of miter saw you will find in stores and most woodshops. The only down fall is they are usually not able to make a crosscut though wider boards in one clean pass like the radial arm saw can. This brings me to the last type of miter saw. Sliding Compound Miter SawThe sliding compound miter saw is the newest of the miter saw evolution. It combines the features of both the chop and compound miter saw with one addition feature that separates it from the others.The sliding compound miter saw has the ability to
crosscut through boards that are twice as wide as the boards you can
through in a single pass on a regular miter saw. A regular miter saw
pivot down and is limited to the width of the cut by the size of the
saw blade. A sliding compound miter saw has the ability to pivot down
into the work piece and also slides along tracks. This gives it the
ability to make wider cuts in a single pass. Which one do you need?The type of miter saw you’ll need is dependant on the type of work you do and the equipment you already have available to you. For instance, If you do large cabinet work but already have a radial arm saw available to you a sliding compound miter saw is probable not necessary.For information on what details you’ll want to look at before deciding take a look at my miter saw features page. Looking for a deal?Check out some of the miter saws and accessories being auctioned off right now. To see all of the items up for bid click on the link near the bottom labeled "Veiw all XXX items on eBay." Save Yourself Some Money and HeadacheBefore you buy it would be nice to test out all the top machinery and tools, so you have a better idea of which lives up to the manufacturer’s hype. I don’t have near the space or the money to test out all the available tools and I doubt you do either. You do have other options though.Woodworking magazines often have tool review articles where they shop test the top names in the industry and provide you the information. The magazine I personally subscribe to and trust is WOOD magazine. They offer some of the most complete plans and tool reviews of any other woodworking magazine. You could get a subscription and wait for the tools you are looking for to be reviewed, but that could take months before they do another review on your specific tool. WOOD magazine now offers an online solution to this problem in their online store. You can download the past tool reviews and plans anytime for a small fee that can save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars, by choosing the right tool the first time. Here are some of the reviews and articles you can get that are related to miter saws.  !0" Compound Miter Saw Review For most home woodworkers 10" compound miter saws will be enough. Here are the saws reviewed:
 12" Miter Saw Review For those of you who decide you need to go bigger check out this review of seven 12" miter saws. CompareCompare prices and specs at these online stores.Rockler.com (For a free catalog from Rockler.com click here) Hechinger.com Your PicksI can only review and give a my suggestion based on what I think the common home workshop needs are. Here is your chance to disagree with me and share your picks according to your own needs Return from Miter Saw Buying Guide to Home
|
