How to choose a miter saw for your home

Number and size of teeth

The number of teeth on a disc can vary greatly. from 8 to 90. A large number of teeth leads to a decrease in cutting speed, but the cut will be cleaner. With a small amount, the opposite is true. When it comes to tooth size, small ones are better for finishing cuts, and large ones for rough but fast cuts.

Additional features of the miter saw

Every modern saw is equipped with additional features designed to increase comfort when working with a miter saw and provide the necessary level of safety.

Miter saw speed

This is another important technical feature. The most common values ​​are from 2800 to 6000 rpm. A high-quality cut without defects, chips and wood splitting is possible only at high speeds. For example, if the saw blade diameter is 260 mm, then the minimum rotation speed is 2800 rpm. Professional models of miter saws are capable of developing 4-5 thousand revolutions per minute, even with a large diameter disc installed.

Tooth shape

  • Trapezoidal. Handles well with wood, chipboard, plastic parts and non-ferrous metals.
  • Concave. Used to saw multi-layer materials such as laminate.
  • Replaceable (teeth beveled alternately in both directions). Good for working with plywood and fibreboard.

The main thing about choosing disks

All important information about the disc is indicated in the label. You can find it on the canvas. Knowing what exactly to look for, you can easily choose a disc for yourself, however, many points are not as obvious as you would like. If in doubt, it is better to consult a consultant than to take risks and take the disc “by eye”. Often, the best option is to consult with someone with real work experience. If this is not possible, be guided by two main characteristics: determine the diameter that suits a particular saw, and choose a blade depending on the material that you will be sawing.

Choosing a miter saw

It is impossible to imagine the field of woodworking without the use of a special tool. One of the popular tools is a miter saw. Already from the name it becomes clear that its main purpose is the processing of the ends of the blanks, that is, the transverse cut of wood. This differs from the circular saw, which is used for ripping.

Understanding how to choose a miter saw is not very difficult, but only if you understand the basic concepts and characteristics. In any case, a consultant will help you, but the process will go faster if you know what questions to ask. Further in the article we will consider the device of miter saws, their technical characteristics, additional functions and consumables.

Working at an angle and inclination

The ability to adjust the swivel and tilt significantly expands the saw’s functionality. An angled cut is provided by a rotatable section mounted on the bed. With its help, you can rotate the disc in relation to the workpiece. Tilt cuts are available on models in which the blade can be tilted to one or two sides. If you need to carry out such work, check the availability of these functions in the tool.

choose, miter, your, home

Protective cover

The protective cover serves to protect the operator during work. Even when the saw is on, a special guard covers the blade. As it is immersed in the workpiece, the casing moves back, revealing the disc.

Varieties and choice of motor for trimming

Most often, the miter saw motor is located to the right of the blade. However, on some machines, it is shifted back to maximize the view of the working surface (regardless of which hand the operator is using) and not create obstacles when cutting an oblique cut. such saws, as a rule, have a tilt of the working head in both directions.

Two types of electric motor are installed on the end faces. asynchronous and collector.

The purpose of the miter saw

The very name “trimming” serves as an indication of the purpose of this saw. the design of the ends of the workpiece, cutting wood across the fibers. In this it differs from its closest relative. a circular saw, which is usually used for longitudinal cutting of wood.

Modern powerful motors and particularly robust saw blades allow crosscutting to cut not only wood, but also plastic, thin metal profiles and pipes, wood-based composite materials. For these materials, the concepts of “longitudinal” and “transverse” are very conditional: if such terms are used, then we are talking not about the structure of the material, but about the shape of a specific workpiece. Of course, the shape of the workpiece can be very diverse, sometimes without a clearly defined longitudinal axis.

The applicability of a miter saw in one case or another is determined solely by the convenience of feeding a particular workpiece. Thus, the name “miter saw” cannot be considered fully reflecting the potential of this tool, just such a name has historically been assigned to stationary circular saws with a movable cutting unit.

A miter saw can cut material not only at a right angle, but also at an arbitrarily chosen angle, for which it is sometimes called an electric miter box. over, in many modern devices, it is allowed to change the angle not only in the horizontal, but also in the vertical plane, that is, it is also capable of sawing at an angle. With the miter saw, you can even select the grooves if necessary.

As you can see, the capabilities of this tool are much wider than you might have thought at first. It is not surprising that trimming can be found more and more often in small carpentry industries, on construction sites, in home workshops. They are resorted to in the manufacture of window frames and door frames, when laying floors (cutting parquet boards, laminate, skirting boards) and other finishing works (sawing lining, various aluminum and plastic profiles), in the manufacture of wooden furniture.

Additional accessories

Almost all modern models of miter saws have some kind of additional devices and functions aimed at facilitating work and increasing safety. At the stage of selection, the future user of the tool will have to figure out which of them are really necessary to solve the typical tasks facing him, and which will be an unjustified waste of money.

The dust extraction system consists of a branch pipe and a dust bag or hose of an industrial vacuum cleaner connected to it. The second option is preferable, since it allows you to more effectively capture the fine dust of the material being processed, which is formed when performing an accurate cut when the saw operates at high speeds and / or with discs with an increased number of teeth.

The dust extraction system should not be considered as an additional, optional function, even if you are faced with the task of choosing a miter saw for your home, i.e. low-intensity episodic work on it is assumed. Working without a dust extraction system, you risk not only the safety of the equipment available in the workshop (and first of all the saw itself), but also your own health.

The blade guard completely covers the saw blade until it is immersed in the material to be cut, significantly reducing the risk of accidents when using the miter saw.

Cutting depth limitation is used for grooving or trimming of profiles.

The laser “draws” the guide line on the workpiece where the saw will cut. The presence of this option increases the accuracy of the cut (especially when sawing at angles other than 90 degrees), facilitates the work, reduces the time for preparatory work.

Illumination of the working area is useful when working in workshops or workshops with insufficient general lighting.

Smooth start provides a gradual set of revolutions by the engine when turned on, which prevents the tool “jerking” at the start, reduces the risk of saw failure due to a sharp current surge and the likelihood of equipment jamming at the beginning of work.

Automatic shut-off when the saw blade is jammed is another useful feature to increase safety when working with a miter saw.

Adjusting the number of revolutions allows you to vary the cutting speed. Most miter saw models do not have this function. However, it allows you to better tailor the sawing process to the characteristics of the material being processed. Recommended for those who intend to work not only with wood, but with various materials based on it, plastic, plexiglass, etc.

Maintaining constant rpm during load increase. With this function, the engine speed does not drop with strong pressure, since the electronics make their own corrections to the speed. As a result, the cut is neat and clean.

Outer and rim diameter of the disc

The main parameters when choosing saw blades, which you should pay attention to first of all, are the dimensions of the outer and bore diameters. Most of the miter saws produced today are designed to work with discs, whose bore diameter is 30 mm.

How to Choose a Mitre Saw (3 Steps)

There are exceptions with deviations in both directions, but there are relatively few of them. The outer diameter of the saw blades varies much wider. The most popular are 10 “and 12” discs. It should be borne in mind that 12 inches can mean both 300 mm and 305 mm, and 10 inches can mean 250, 255 and even 260 mm, and discrepancies occur even from the same manufacturer. Discs of smaller (185-216 mm) and larger (up to 360 mm) diameters are less common, since less equipment corresponding to them is produced.

Increasing the diameter of the saw blade allows you to process workpieces with a larger section, while increasing the productivity of the tool and the quality of the cut at the same speed. However, larger discs also require higher torque and therefore additional headroom. However, it will not be possible to use saw blades whose outer diameter exceeds that specified in the tool’s passport: the trim design simply does not allow installing such equipment, which will save especially careless users from dangerous experiments.

It is possible to install a disc with a smaller diameter, but this is not recommended. This will lead not only to a loss of the effective radius and productivity of the tool, but also to a decrease in the calculated dynamic resistance, as a result of which the engine, in the absence of rpm stabilization, can “run out of gear”.

The device and functionality of the miter saw

The trimming device is easy to understand from the figure, which shows the main components of the tool. Everything else is just add-ons that do not change the principle of operation, but only improve functionality and usability.

Handle with power button 2. Saw blade 3. Protective cover. 4. Clamp for fixing the workpiece.

Workpiece stops. 6. Mechanism for fixing the table at a given angle. 7. Horizontal angle adjustment scale 8. Table.

Vertical angle adjustment mechanism 10. Dust collector. 11. Engine 12. Carrying handle.

The main elements of the miter saw are an electric motor and a saw blade made of high quality, ultra-strong steel. The motor, the saw blade and the gearbox connecting them make up a functional block, here is also a handle with a toggle switch.

The entire block is attached to the base. the bed, on which the workpiece to be sawn is placed. On the base are fixed the turntable, which moves when the cutting angle is set, and the stop. The beds of relatively expensive devices are made of durable and lightweight aluminum or magnesium alloys, which ensures not only the reliability of the base, but also the mobility of the entire tool due to weight reduction.

The functional unit is connected to the bed via a pivot arm using a spring-loaded hinge. The swing arm is called a pendulum, and the miter saws of this type are called pendulum.

The pendulum provides movement of the working module. To perform a cut, the lever must be lowered down, “drowning” the saw blade in a stationary workpiece (for unobstructed sawing, there is a slot in the swing circle of the bed). This is the simplest version of a miter saw. As a rule, all modern models are equipped with a mechanism that ensures the rotation of the desktop, along with all mechanisms, in a horizontal plane.

Thus, the guides and table elements remain stationary, and the tool itself changes its position in the horizontal plane. The use of such a tool gives more opportunities for facing.

The saws of the combined type have another hinge that allows the lever to rotate about the vertical axis (that is, with such saws, the cutting angle can be changed in two planes). Often, rotation around the horizontal axis is allowed only in one direction. opposite to the electric drive.

But there are models that allow you to tilt in both directions.

Such technical solutions greatly expand the list of functionality of the tool. Cutting inclined in relation to the vertical allows you to face workpieces whose height is greater than the active radius of the disc.

The cutting width of a miter saw is relatively small, especially when working at an angle or tilt. For example, an average pendulum saw with a 10-inch disc at a right angle will cut a 95 x 95 mm bar or a 69 x 135 mm board (setting any other angles reduces the allowable workpiece size). In other words, the miter saw is not suitable not only for ripping, but also for cross-cutting wide workpieces.

To increase the cutting width, the saw is equipped with a traction function. The working block at the trimmer with this function moves not only around the hinge axis, but also along the mowing line of the cut along the guide rods, due to which the maximum kerf at an angle of 90 ° increases from 80-180 mm to 280-340 mm. Such tools are called pull-through miter saws or horizontal motion saws.

At the same time, the mechanisms that implement the movement of the saw along the workpiece differ depending on the manufacturer and model of the device.

Asynchronous motor

An asynchronous motor is considered to be more economical, reliable and quieter. There are no contacts in it, which means there is nothing to make noise, overheat and fail under the influence of external factors. dust, humidity, vibration. In addition to bearings, there is simply nothing to wear out, so such units can serve without any complaints for decades.

However, not all manufacturers of power tools strive to equip their products with such seemingly ideal motors, since they have asynchronous motors and their significant drawback. low power with a sufficiently large weight.

For example, a 2-kilowatt motor of this type weighs over 20 kilograms. Agree, it is rather difficult to manually move the working unit with such a makeweight. In addition, when powered by an industrial frequency current, an asynchronous motor, in principle, is not able to reach a speed of more than 2850 rpm. Of course, the use of modern materials and power supply of the motor with a high frequency current to some extent neutralize these problems, but do not completely eliminate them.

Broaching mechanism

It greatly expands the saw’s capabilities. Especially in combination with the cutting depth gauge. Then the saw with a 216 mm disc is able not only to cut a cut up to 310 millimeters wide, but also to select precise grooves of the same length at a given depth. A find, not a tool!

How to Choose a Feed Through Miter Saw? There are no special nuances and pitfalls here. Of all the varieties, the main option is a movable console on two guide tubes. Flimsy in appearance? Do not worry: during normal use, wedging or loosening of the console is very rare.

How to choose a miter saw correctly. expert advice

Miter saws are a popular tool. Whoever has such a thing in the household will pick up a hacksaw or a jigsaw in the most extreme case: when it is simply impossible to saw off with a miter cut. And in the midst of a renovation or construction project, after weighing the pros and cons, you decided: you have to buy! Which miter saw to choose for the home?

Each model has its own nuances of use. The small saw is easy to carry and transport, for trimming small workpieces, but not suitable for large jobs. A large one effortlessly saws a board of 60×200 mm, but is inconvenient in small jobs, takes up half the trunk of a passenger car, is heavy for constant carrying and costs much more.

Additional features

Each manufacturer strives to improve its instrument. Soft start and induction braking system, dust extraction, laser marker, additional illumination of the cutting zone became the norm for trimming. Battery saws are now available.

By the way, the dust extraction is really well thought out on the saws of expensive brands. Same as lifting the guard when lowering the disc.

A smooth start is especially relevant for devices with a power of 1.8 kilowatts and above: without it, turning on the saw is accompanied by a very unpleasant shock jerk. In addition, it can easily “knock out” a weak machine at the facility: the starting current without a soft start is several times higher than the operating.

The braking system reduces waiting times when a complete stop of the disc is required before working on the next workpiece. Sometimes a very useful thing.

The laser marker greatly simplifies the marking and increases the accuracy of work: there is no need to guess where the cut will be on the workpiece. Working without a laser, if the red beam has already become a habit, is uncomfortable.

Drive and power

Most miter saws have a commutator motor and direct drive: the blade is mounted directly on the motor shaft. Available with toothed belt, V-belt and asynchronous motor.

The induction motor is a decent addition to the weight and price of the saw. For domestic needs, its advantages (low noise and almost eternal resource) are irrelevant.

The belt drive allows for greater penetration of the disc into the workpiece. But it leads to a loss of power, complicates the saw and reduces its reliability. When biting a disc on a toothed belt, it is likely to shear the teeth. Is it worth building a garden?

With regard to power. Starting at 1500 W, crosscutters do their job perfectly. Although for hardwoods (the same birch) or when working with a planted disc, the power reserve does not interfere.

In the process of working with wood and fibreboard, the disc becomes clogged with resins and can burn the workpiece. You can remove tar with kerosene, white spirit, acetone using an old toothbrush. Another option many people use is to boil the disc in water and add a good detergent. After boiling, softened resins are removed with a brush until completely clean.

Support table

The table for miter saws is swivel and equipped with an angular ruler. Most often it is made of duralumin by casting. With what quality are the table and pendulum at the saw made, with such quality (and pleasure) you will saw.

How to choose a miter saw

On frankly Chinese facets, the cast parts are thin, have flakes and burrs, the table in the bed turns hard, is not clearly fixed in the corners and has errors in degrees. The side stop can be curved or concave, it can be inaccurately mated with the table.

The trimming work table is small in area. Pressing a long and weighty workpiece to it is not enough joy. To facilitate the work, brackets are installed on the sides of the table as extension supports for the workpiece. Makita saws have additional legs. Bosch has prefabricated plastic table extensions. Metabo saws have wonderful, very comfortable extendable tables. At this point, who likes what.

Disk size

When purchasing a trimmer, you need to focus on the desired cut size. And it depends on the size of the saw blade and the possibility of broaching. The disc diameter suitable for domestic needs is 190-305 mm. The possibilities of saws with different blades are presented in the table. Dimensions are in millimeters.

Disc diameter Cutting depth Kerf width Cutting width with broach
190 42-49 80-85 210-305
216 (210) 55-67 95-120 220-310
255 (254) 70-93 120-160 280-430
305 100-111 170-200 310-363

A saw with a 190 mm blade is hardly universal. The limit of possibilities for it is a bar of 40×40 mm and a board of 30×120 mm, and even then for two opposite cuts. Even if you took a saw with a horizontal disc broach, you will still not be able to saw through a standard “fifty” board. Saws with 305 mm discs are justified for a significant amount of work with large workpieces, for example, when building a house. In most cases, they are large.

So to the question “which miter saw to choose for the house?”, We answer: with a disc of 216-255 mm. The cutting depth above 60 mm is sufficient for most cutting work in everyday life, the width without broaching depends on how much the side stop is shifted to the middle of the table in a particular model.

When purchasing a saw blade in the future, do not save on money: a high-quality blade costs 2-3 times more than budget Chinese options (say,), but it cuts easily, leaves a smooth cut, makes less noise in operation and lasts many times longer.

Manufacturers

The undisputed leaders in the miter saw segment are Makita, DeWALT, Metabo and Bosch. Which side saw to choose from these brands will depend on the specific model and its analogues. In any case, you will not have to regret the choice. The frustration of spending money disappears when this tool starts working. Especially if you have experience using budget options from other manufacturers.

If the saw is bought for business, and not “to be”, it is better to pay for quality and reliability. By the way, good manufacturers complete their saws with really good blades, which cannot be said about cheap models.

Peculiarities and nuances of the vibora sawing on wood

Vibir drank torsion to fix the type of vivification:

  • Merezhev (more tied, ale tied to the dzherel vivlennya). For the її povnotsіnnoi robots, an outlet is needed close to the mint, not an electric net. Vona is good for a booth, de nadіyne zhivlennya with a 220V power supply without great vіdhilen.
  • Battery. autonomous in robots. The power outlet is not required, only the battery needs to be charged immediately. The whole tool is handy and mobile, it doesn’t interconnect the cable, but it’s a little short on the road. The rechargeable battery is practical in case of visiting robots, if necessary, there are no electrical connections.

Vibrating required technical characteristics:

The need. Vona is in the range of 800 W to 2.5 kW. For a dacha, a zamisky booth, awkward and infrequent side-by-side robots, they are especially hard-pressed to push for toughness. Adzhe, chim cannishe, tim dear and massive. And an important file, importantly pratsyuvati.

Allowable disk size. Wien of attachments before the dvigun’s exertion. By the end, the diameter of 190-200-225 is allowed, and the professional fit can be made with the great stakes of 300 mm. The disc for trimming has a value of “T” in the name of the treading steps became not less than 35-40. On a new basis, in the general order, є shchіlini for uniknennya overheating (compensation for overloading). Paint disks. with solders, carbide.

Rotary steel. Standard indicator. 45 degrees left / right. Bigger functional mechanism. 50-60 degrees in the turn on the off-side.

The range of that mobility is overwhelming. Pid nahilom pilyaє dermal torsion. tse її specialness. However, є come on, as I give nahil to the offended side, the stench is more practical.

Who has the uniqueness of face saws

Tortsyuvannya (abo, as її is often called furniture. “Miter” saw) should be introduced to circular saws. However, the cutting disc is not hard to fix, it can be used on special hinge mechanisms. Yogo can easily be positioned behind two parameters: horizontal kut і vertical heel.

tobto, a face saw for wood to rob the cross cut of wood details. It is carried out with the necessary cut with a high accuracy, for which the rotary steel with a graduated scale is used. With no less accuracy, it is possible to whistle and nach the disk, having installed its head in the required position. In such a rank, my shape is the end (end) of the workpiece with an accuracy of up to a millimeter.

Naybilsh is wider than the mouthpiece. furniture and carpentry virobnitstva, maistern. In home minds, treadmills are often vicorious when sheathing walls with clapboard, laying wood pidlogi. It is also trimmed with plastic or thin metal profiles.

Yak vibrati end saw file for home and dacha

A good master, who knows how to work with wood not just a little, but also “to cut on the wood”, and it’s great intelligence, why the job of getting involved in one of the best in carpentry or furniture. This word means sawing wood parts before kutom for other stikuvannya. The foldability of the process of clearing is in the fact that the least amount of punishment and inaccuracy immediately give a gap. Walking around is not big, and when you go to find it, a millimeter of width, it’s a good idea to get the job done. Result. non-robotic, cheap type of furniture, window frames, doors or pidlogi. To that, he cut wood blanks with a required cut, it is recommended to work not with a jigsaw, but with a circular one, but with a special tool, such as a face saw with a disk.

Additional functions of trimming

The variety of types of butt-end beers may be as follows:

  • Top style. serve for lateral and late cutting of workpieces. Use a combined saw. at the top there is a circular for the rizu, at the bottom. obr_z butts on the edge of the cut and nakhil.
  • Broach. A face saw with a pulling force, two straight lines, according to which the disk head is “pulled”. Tse daє one and a half or a half of the increase in the width of the rizu.
  • Expanded to the table. required for overall details.
  • Possibility to use the pilos for the cleanliness of the workmanship.
  • Laser pointer. A face saw with a laser is even more relevant for folding rizi, where the accuracy is not required.

For electronic bells and whistles:

  • Regulatory performance. good for children.
  • Pidtrimka of post-wrap. toughness does not fall when folding cuts.
  • Smooth start. more precisely and more accurately a ear of growth.
  • Unscheduled start blocking button.
  • Automatic zupinka when jamming a laughing stake.

All of them are overhauled functions are not present on cheap, budgetary attachments. The stench pіdvischuyut tіnu torsyuvannya, іnodі is even more significant. However, the і comfort in robotic growth іn thе development іn. The first result in terms of accuracy and accuracy has overturned the ochikuvannya. And there are many functions and nothing to say. pay for a safe robot and my health, be-like a penny.