Do you need a miter saw? | Mere Mini

A miter saw is a handy tool to own, but is it good for woodworking? This very brief introduction to the miter saw will give you a basic overview. And I'll give you my recommendations on what to look for if you decide to buy one.
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[MrBorisuri]

as a novice diy woodworker, I have been searching for this answer for awhile. Thanks for clearing this up. I am gonna get me a table saw.

[handyhomebrewnetwork]

Every year or so there is a sale on miter saws and I get myself all worked up to buy a new "toy" then I watch your video and it saves me hundreds of dollars each time! Thanks! I have a table so with so many sleds and jigs it's just not needed but boy oh boy getting a new toy is fun. Thanks for the videos! Cheers

[sudarkoff]

To minimize the chances of the offcut being picked kicked by the blade, release the trigger and let the blade stop before "unplunging" from the material. Particularly, when the offcuts are small.

[SwitchAndLever]

As for miter saws I would definitely recommend a sliding one. Maybe it's personal preference, but I feel I get cleaner cuts when sliding the head to make the cut off vs just bringing the head down. If you have a nice stock of 2x4s is also nice to be able to take your miter saw out to the stock and cut off a piece just longer than you need rather than bringing the entire board into the workshop to use the table saw. Though, that's lazyness, since you could do it with a hand saw as well of course.

Cheers!

[peterbrownwastaken]

Other nice thing about a miter saw, is that you can travel with them easily, or at the least store them away if you need bench space.... Things I cannot do with my radial arm saw.

[brotherjoeradosti]

Sounds like a 10" sliding non compound miter saw. Great! Short and sweet. I didn't even think of cutting PVC with it. Awesome Steve.

[protocol]

Excellent video and what I like about you is that you are always giving fast practical advice and unbiased.

[DurgeshVasmatkar]

Very good crisp description. Lot of other guys just fool around and miss the main part. But this is great work !!!! keep it up

[rochat]

Excellent video and this is something I wish someone told me years ago before buying a sliding compound miter saw with a frickn laser beam. Even a bench top table saw for roughly the same money (if not less) would have done everything it does and more. Oh well. Live and learn. Now I'm contemplating selling it to fund other tools since I now have a table saw and actually prefer using it over the miter saw.

[Donnievil]

A 10" sliding mitre saw will go a long ways, making your basic cuts and allowing you the additional reach to cut wider boards without paying for 12" blades. 

Nice video Steve.

[MrMeanderthal]

I've been a cabinet maker and boat builder for 25 years.. I agree totally about a basic 10 inch mitre saw being the best type to purchase for a home shop.. I have a sliding compound 10 inch because I do need to have it for certain occasions but those extra few inches of travel and compound angle cuts are very rarely used.. my   basic 10 inch gets used more than 90% of the time even when building boats..

[LegoBoy]

Love the video Steve but I’ve been woodworking for 4 years now and find that my 10 inch is just not big enough. I would recommend a 10 inch that slides or a 12inch... it all depends on the use

[ramanshah]

Brilliant video - you talked me down from buying too much saw for the job. I'm about to move out of a 3rd floor walk-up apartment and need to do a repair before I leave (floorboards) that will be miserable without a power saw. Now I can buy a cheaper, lighter, less bulky saw and move with it more easily. I'll be able to cover future ambitions at my new home by getting a table saw sometime in the future.

[rmhutchins]

A miter saw which can cut wider boards (i.e., a larger saw or a sliding miter saw) is very useful for cutting laminate flooring (laminate flooring is, typically, 8" - 9" wide). We had a sliding miter saw, and it worked great. Actually (I just remembered), when I installed some laminate flooring years ago, I just used a circular saw and made a small jig (with some scrap lumber).

[NJVernick]

Steve, I didn't go very far back in the comments but I figured I would give you a little hell.  You covered the brand name on the bag and the blade guard but left it exposed on the table.  Just blowing some smoke man, I have gotten a little behind on videos because of school but I love the Mere Mini's.  I'm playing catch up now, can't wait for Friday.

[DominusVaal]

This vid was actually way more informative than I thought it'd be. Nice work!

[louiej]

I love these videos. I feel like you can get a decent miter saw at a garage sale and maybe craigslist. As long as the motor is running, you can always change the blade and even make a new fence for it.

[YOURMOMxoxo]

I have a Makita precision miter saw with and extended arm and laser and its my to to tool for anything that it can be used for. Favorite tool in my shop. 

[TheRealChrisONeil]

12" sliding miter saw is a must for any serious woodworker! For the price, I think you get a big bang for your buck compared to many other woodworking tools, especially if its equipped with a good quality full kerf blade. just my opinion.

[TheHouseBlog]

I bought a sliding miter saw and a good carbide blade a few years ago for some home projects. It also does beautiful cuts on aluminum structural materials like 8020 (sort of like an aluminum 2x4 for prototyping), rod, bar, angle stock, etc as long as it's somewhat substantial. In fact, I use it more now for aluminum than wood. Thin aluminum is hard to clamp and tends to kick, so not recommended.