Next, understand the trade-offs between capacity versus portability. When looking at the various types of miter saws, focus on the nature of your work and the material you intend to cut. Pass if: You rarely need to bevel in both directions.Buy if: You want to bevel-cut crown and base flat in both directions.If you prefer to make your crown and base molding cuts flat-this saw saves you lots of hassle on longer pieces of material. This saves you some time and frustration. The left bevel eliminates the need to flip your material around to make the opposite compound cut. On a dual compound sliding miter saw, you get a miter table, sliding rails, and beveling that goes both left and right. In this way, you get the flexibility of a compound miter saw with the added depth of cut afforded by the slide. This miter saw uses rails to increase the cross-cut capacity and adds a left bevel to enable compound cuts.
The compound sliding miter saw includes the best of both worlds. Pass if: You want a more compact saw for greater portability.Buy if: You need to cut deeper material like 1×12 or 2×12 lumber.Most sliding miter saws also include the ability to make a compound cut. It gives you a much greater depth of cut than the same size miter saw without rails. Sliding Miter SawĪ sliding miter saw is a type of miter saw that adds rails to let the saw blade slide front to back across the wood. Check out our chop saw vs miter saw article for more on that topic. Some people refer to a miter saw as a “chop saw” but we separate them. Most chop saws are designed to cut metal. It may, however, exceed the blade radius when you make a cut against the back of the fence.Įditor’s Note: A chop saw is similar to a miter saw, but with no ability to adjust the miter angle from 90 degrees. The capacity will be smaller than the blade diameter since the arbor gets in the way of letting it drop all the way through. The blade drops straight down and your cut capacity is limited by the blade’s diameter. In its most basic form, the miter saw (or chop saw) has a table that pivots to the right and left, allowing you to change the angle of the cross-cut you’re making. Should I Buy a Corded or Cordless Miter Saw?.