Whether you want to work in construction or just want to improve your carpentry skills, you need to know how to use a miter saw. These powerful tools speed up finishing jobs and reduce the time needed to make precise straight, beveled and beveled cuts in wood and other materials.
Editor's note: Check out our best miter saws article for our top picks.
Table of contents
- Types of Miter Saws
- How to Use a Miter Saw – Step by Step
- 1. Wear goggles and avoid loose clothing
- 2. Push the stock over the fence and use the clip (press and hold)
- 3. Setting Miters and/or Bevels
- 4. Use brackets to support longer materials
- 5. Touch the material with the blade to secure your mark
- 6. Speed up the blade and cut
- 7. Always cut from front to back
- 8. Keep your free hand safely aside while cutting
- 9. Let the blade come to a complete stop
- When Not to Use a Miter Saw
- Additional Tips on How to Use a Miter Saw
- Bevel vs Miter and Compound Cuts
- Calibrate Your Miter Saw
- Dust collector, bag or bare metal?
What is a Miter Saw and Why Use a Miter Saw?
In the computer world, people confuse RAM (memory) with hard disk (storage). The same thing happens in woodworking where you confuse a miter saw (great for crosscutting) with a table saw (great for ripping). In its simplest form, a miter saw makes straight, angled, or beveled cuts in a board.
The most popular Pro models include slide rails (or similar mechanism) to increase the maximum width of the cut. This allows you to cut on boards that are even wider than the diameter of the blade. More expensive saws also allow miter cuts in both directions. Finally, retractable fencing and miter saw stands can help support longer trim panels.
We love helping to educate apprentices who are just starting out in the trade and helping the DIY crowd improve themselves. In this article, we want to make sure you understand how to use a miter saw like a pro when it comes to finishing work or woodworking in general. Perhaps more importantly, we also want you to know when to use this particular tool.
Types of Miter Saws
We wrote an in-depth article on understanding the types of miter saws. If you don't have time to read, here's a quick breakdown to differentiate the various configurations.
- Miter saw: miter table with adjustable cross-cut angle
- Sliding Miter Saw: Has a rail system that slides the saw blade from front to back and extends the maximum cutting width
- Compound Miter Saw: Adjust left and/or right to cut wood at a miter angle
- Compound Sliding Miter Saw: Gives You Miter, Bevel and Slide Functions
- Dual Compound Sliding Miter Saw: Gives you all three functions, tilting left and right. This avoids having to flip the workpiece when making bevels in both directions.
How to Use a Miter Saw – Step by Step
1. Wear goggles and avoid loose clothing
Before we teach you how to use a miter saw, we feel the need to remind you of safety. Follow these safety tips and keep yourself safe:
- Always wear eye protection – no exceptions!
- Avoid loose clothing and jewelry that could catch on the blade
- Always be mindful of where your hands are (most saws have warnings to keep your hands a certain distance from the blade)
Depending on the material you'll be cutting, here are some additional PPE considerations:
- dust mask
- tab
- Dust removal
You have a powerful motor spinning the razor-sharp blade. Be sure to maintain a healthy respect for the tools. Using these saws can become very dangerous if you are not paying attention. Also, we generally recommend that you avoid wearing gloves when using these saws. The blade may accidentally snag the material and pull your hand towards it. Having said that, we usually wear gloves when working on framing projects and rarely take them off for cutting. Please be careful with it!
2. Push the stock over the fence and use the clip (press and hold)
If the stock isn't snug against the fence, you'll experience kickback as the blade slams the stock back and then in an unpredictable direction. A hold-down device (also commonly called a vertical or miter saw clamp) keeps your hand away from the blade and keeps the wood from moving. It can be removed when cutting material such as crown molding. Most clips also move freely from left to right on fences and tables.
3. Setting Miters and/or Bevels
For basic miter cuts, unlock the miter gauge and slide it to your desired angle. Most saws can miter cut in both directions, so double check the cutting angle before rotating the blade. Make sure not to accidentally start the saw while moving the blade into position. Some people even unplug the saw while making these adjustments—especially if the adjustment knob is on the back of the tool. It was a little too much for our taste.
Most saws have stops at common angles on miter gauges. These automatically lock the saw in place. Typically, braking occurs at 0°, 22.5°, 31.6° and 45°. You may find some variation from one saw to the next. If you need a different angle, simply slide the arrow to the desired angle and lock the table to prevent it from moving during cutting.
When making bevel cuts, hold the bevel gauge at 0° and unlock the bevel gauge. Most saws have stops to help set common angles. Most commonly, they exist at 0°, 33.9°, and 45°, but your chainsaw may have additional stops. As with the miter gauge, you can use the lock to set a custom angle between the pawls.
If you have a dual miter saw, the release will usually unlock the right miter. Your owner's manual will help you find it quickly, or you can spend an hour reveling in your pride, as David C. Smith did.
4. Use brackets to support longer materials
Without support, cut long pieces will fall off the saw. Your instinct to catch a falling object might send your arm into the blade, or the blade might catch and kick the falling object. Make sure you don't lose control of any material during or after cutting.
5. Touch the material with the blade to secure your mark
Before you start sawing, place the blade on the wood or material to get a visual. This helps ensure accurate cuts. Cutting 101 means you will lose kerf width in the cut, so if the blade is right on the line, the blade will end up being too short. Take accurate measurements and marks to account for leaf width.
6. Speed up the blade and cut
If your miter saw won't slip, cutting is easy. Let the saw spin all the way to full speed. Lower the blade to touch the wood. Then, while keeping the saw at high RPM, continue to lower the blade until the cut is complete.
When using the extra capacity of the sliding miter, pull the blade out and start cutting from the front. Then push the blade through, keeping it at high RPM.
When you're done cutting, let the blade come to a complete stop before raising it back to its resting position. Some of these tools include a blade brake that stops the blade very quickly.
7. Always cut from front to back
This may seem obvious, but always cut front to back with a sliding miter saw. This matches the rotation of the blade and pushes the fence with you. Cutting in the opposite direction starts pushing the material back towards you. It also drives the blade backwards. This can quickly create a table saw-like kickback if it twists.
8. Keep your free hand safely aside while cutting
Cutting on a miter saw is a one-handed job if you have hold-downs. Put your other hand aside. If you find yourself naturally resting your hand on the material, make sure it's out of the clip. If the saw "bites" the wood and pushes it forward suddenly, you don't want your fingers near the blade. This could expose your hand to the blade. Also, never cross your arms in front of you when using a miter saw.
9. Let the blade come to a complete stop
Let the blade come to a complete stop before raising the blade and motor. A stationary saw is a safer saw. You can still scratch yourself on the teeth, but it will be much shallower than what you would get at 4,000 RPM!
When Not to Use a Miter Saw
The first rule might be – don't use this tool unless you have to. Miter saws are best for finishing woodworking. Most importantly, this is a finishing tool. If you find yourself needing to cut 2x the material on a framing project – a rattlesnake or worm gear may be a better choice.
We've seen apprentices push these off the back of trucks, just to let them lie idle around the job site. A circular saw can handle most crosscuts and miter cuts. Why use big, heavy machines and lift heavy planks when you don't need to? For 2X material – just grab a framing square and finish the cut where the material is.
Additional Tips on How to Use a Miter Saw
Before you start making your first cuts, familiarize yourself with the tool. Check out the instruction manual (if you can find it). Know where all locks and adjustments are. Every miter saw is different from the next, and even our most seasoned professionals will familiarize themselves with the controls before getting started.
Bevel vs Miter and Compound Cuts
If you want, check out our article on Miter vs Bevel. This covers the difference between miter, miter and compound cuts. This article assumes you already know the difference. As an apprentice, you don't want to confuse these!
Calibrate Your Miter Saw
If you've opened the box to see a perfectly calibrated miter saw, you might want to try your luck. Most of these tools require at least some minor adjustments before you can put them to work. Check out our guide on how to calibrate a miter saw to walk you through what to check.
Dust collection on miter saws is far from amazing, but some are better than others. At the store, do yourself a favor and hook up a dust collector or your best shop vac to pick up the mess. If you don't have or don't want to use a vacuum, bags can be a stopgap solution. Working outside, you can usually skip both. Just check the wind direction!
We hope these tips help you get started learning how to use a miter saw like a pro! When it comes to actually setting the angle, there's more to talk about. Now, we want to make sure you know the basics first. If you'd like to add any other pro tips, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.