Why 31.6 degrees

Miter saws are capable of both rough and precision work. But no matter what you're doing, hitting your marking line right on the nose has always been a problem.

Help is on the way. An accurate laser shows you exactly where the cut will go Photo 1. A laser just might save you from a careless accident, too.

It's supposed to show you exactly where the blade will cut, but some lasers work better than others. This one is top-notch! The catch is that you must be picky about aligning the fence to the blade when you first set up the saw.

PHOTO 3: Tilting and rotating a miter saw allows you to make a right-angle joint with a wide piece of crown molding. Many saws have a detent at This is a more intuitive method than laying the molding flat because the blade isn't tilted.

However, with many saws you must rig up a tall wooden fence for it to work. Some saws take 8-in. We also excluded a few saws that can't tilt.

Both sizes share the same general features, but there are major differences: Capacity. Using construction lumber as a rough guide, a in. To handle 2x8s and wide crown molding you have to move up to a in. There's a huge difference.

A in. Your back will know the difference if you have to lug the machine around a lot. PHOTO 5: Saws that tilt left and right are handy in a crowded shop, where you don't have equal room on either side of the machine. Dual-bevel saws also have better sight lines on both sides of the blade because the motor is out of the way. That's particularly helpful for lefties. Miter saws kick up a lot of dust, but flat scales are easy to wipe clean.

We prefer a cursor that's out in the open, where no shadows can obscure it. An easy-to-use hold-down eliminates the need to put your fingers near the blade. You'll get straighter cuts when you use a hold-down, too, particularly on miters.

Unlike a vertical handle, it works equally well for short and tall users. Unfortunately, most horizontal handles don't have safety lock-out buttons, to prevent you from accidentally starting up the saw.

You must push the lock-out before pulling the trigger for the saw to start. Accuracy Although a miter saw is awfully handy in the shop for simply whacking off boards to an approximate length, you should also be able to rely on it to precisely make a square cut and miter any angle. Your miter saw will still have a miter gauge you can use to select the desired angle of the cut you need.

Miter saws will have a few positive stops along the mite gauge to help you easily find the right angle. For my miter saws, my miter gauges read 0, 15, Positive stops never really get in the way. It is very simple to navigate to the needed angle and set up for an accurate cut. Pairing Two cuts at Members can turn off viewing Ads! JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Thread starter Joe90 Start date 14 May Help Support UKworkshop.

Joe90 Established Member. Hi As the title says Cheers Joe. Hitch Established Member. Isnt it for cutting large mouldings, on the flat that otherwise wouldnt fit in the saw? Scrit Established Member. Neidy Grotus Teacher. How do you adjust a miter saw? To adjust the saw blade on this Hitachi miter saw first loosen the bevel handle at the back of the saw. Then, adjust the bevel of the blade until it makes complete contact with the speed square and tighten the handle.

With the saw blade square to the table adjust the stop bolt until it meets the stop. Pengpeng Russi Teacher. Should I get a 10 or 12 miter saw? Trim is seldom more than 4 inches, so you've got plenty of wiggle room with a 10 -inch miter saw. A 10 -inch blade will spin faster than a 12 -inch blade, resulting in smoother cuts.

Equal motors powering the two blades will result in a higher RPM rate on the 10 -inch blade and higher RPMs mean a finer finish. Manu Deakin Teacher. How do you cut baseboards with a miter saw? Begin with two pieces of baseboard with degree cuts at opposing ends. To cut the scarf joint in the middle, position the first board in place and mark a degree cut at a stud location. Then, use your miter saw to cut the end of the first board at a degree angle and then smoothen it by sanding it.

Serviliano Riou Reviewer. What can I do with a miter saw? A miter saw is a specialized tool that lets you make cuts at a variety of angles.

The saw has a blade mounted on a swing arm that pivots left or right to produce angled cuts. You can use a miter saw to quickly make cuts for crown moulding, picture frames, door frames, window casings and more. Salido Sinykin Reviewer.