Bevel vs Bevel – Know Your Angles

We love writing articles that help provide resources for apprentices. If you consider yourself a professional, check out our work. If we missed something, please include it in the comments below so we can provide the best possible information. Today we look at a few terms related to saws. Whether you have a miter saw, circular saw, or table saw, you need to know the difference between miter and bevel cuts. If you're new to architecture, carpentry, or carpentry, the terms "bevel" and "miter" may not be familiar to you. But don't worry. After a day or two of work, you'll know exactly what we're talking about.

Beveling just means that you change the angle of the crosscut from a perfect 90° to a different angle. This angle goes through the top of the workpiece – from front to back through the material. Miter cuts create a visible angle or triangle when viewing the board from above.

During beveling, the blade remains perfectly perpendicular (square) to the bottom of the tool. You simply change the cutting angle from the front to the back of the workpiece.

A common way to cut is to make two opposing 45° angles so your material fits together to form a perfect 90°. A good example is connecting two pieces that make up the corner of a picture frame.

If you're not sure what to buy, check out our best miter saws article. You may also want to read our article on how to use a miter saw if you want to brush up on the basics.

Bevel vs Bevel

Conversely, a miter cut allows the blade to angle left and/or right from its 90° angle to the table surface in order to make a top-to-bottom cut through the board at an angle. Mitering changes the vertical angle of the blade. It is no longer at 90 degrees (square) to the base.

You can use two 45° bevels to place a pair of baseplates in a corner.

Make a miter cut

Mitering with a Miter Saw

When using a miter saw, unlock the table and rotate the motor and blade to the angle you want to cut. No matter what miter angle you need, your material is still in the same place. Your blade stays perfectly upright – at 90 degrees (square) to the table or base.

Miter Cuts Using a Table Saw

Table saws typically include a miter rail that slides within a groove in the table top. This allows you to change the miter angle of the material without moving the motor and blade. This allows the blade to cut perfectly perpendicular to the table surface – changing only the angle of the workpiece.

You have to remove the fence whenever you make miter cuts on the table saw. When mitering on a table saw, the fence can create pinch points on the material as it passes through the blade at an angle.

Using other saws for miter and miter cuts

You can also experience miter vs miter cuts on other saws. For example, using a freestanding or table band saw may include tilting the table when cutting bevels. Circular saws, worm drives, track saws, and jigsaws are all capable of mitering and mitering as well. Using them, you can adjust the angle or direction of the tool for miter cuts, and the angle of the shoe for miter cuts.

Make a miter cut

Mitering with a Miter Saw

When mitering with a miter saw, tilt the motor and blade to miter. The material (as always) stayed flat and snug against the rear fence.

Miter Cuts Using a Table Saw

Similar to above, for miter cuts with a table saw, the motor and blade are angled to create the bevel, not the material or table. You use the fence to keep the cut straight and keep most of the material on that side of the blade.

Make compound cuts

When we describe a miter saw as a "combination miter saw," we mean that it is capable of performing both types of cuts at the same time. So instead of thinking bevel and miter, think bevel and miter. Combining a bevel cut with a miter is called a compound cut, and you'll see it in more intricate installations, such as crown molding.

Getting a left and right miter saw (double miter saw) saves a lot of time because you don't need to turn over the material to make the second cut. The rails allow your miter saw to slide back and forth for longer cuts. When you see "Double Bevel Compound Sliding Miter Saw" it means you can miter side to side, miter and slide. It offers ultimate versatility for cutting angles.

Technically, a table saw can also do compound cutting, but that's less common on the job site. When making furniture or fancy cabinets, we see most table saw-based compound miter cuts happen in the workshop.

Ends the dialog for bevel and miter cuts

So there you have it. When it comes to the miter cut vs miter cut conversation, you know exactly what the pros are talking about. No matter which saw you plan to use, get some scraps first. Then, make a few cuts of each type and see what results you get. Before long, you'll be making imperfect walls look like a mansion when you install perfectly fitting crown molding, baseboards, and chair rails!