Things To Consider When Buying A Miter Saw

If you are someone who loves taking care of their own home remodeling and renovation projects you have likely come across a miter saw.

Whether you are working on renovating or remodeling your patio or changing those old and hollowed out kitchen cabinets having a miter saw on hand can make light work of any job. 

These saws are designed to make even the most complicated angled cuts look easy and help save a ton of time and effort as compared to using traditional tools like a hand saw and miter box.

If you love building things with wood that having a large miter saw in your garage is simply a must for any homeowner. But before you run out to your nearest hardware store to get your hands on one lets first take a look at a few things you need to know before you pull that trigger.

Buying Guide

Just a quick search on the internet for miter saws will likely yield in thousands of results with each manufacturer or brand claiming to be the best miter saw for homeowner. But not all miter saws are the same. In fact, depending on the make and model you choose each one can bring with it its own set of unique benefits and drawbacks.

The first thing to look for when it comes to choosing a miter saw is the size of the blade you need. Blade sizes can range from 7.25 inches to over 12 inches depending on what kind of wood thickness you are wanting to slice through. 

For example, if you need a saw that can easily cut through thick pieces of wood or large wooden trim than you will likely need a miter saw that comes with a tall maximum cut depth and a large 12-inch blade. The greater the maximum standing height and the larger the blade size of a miter saw is the thicker the wood it can saw through.

Miter saws can also vary greatly in shape, size, and weight. Some of the more heavy-duty models can weigh more than 60+ pounds making them quite difficult to move around. If you decide on bolting your miter saw on to your work table and never moving it again than the weight and size me not be of that much concern. 

But what if you needed to work on different projects in different locations and needed a miter saw that was powerful but also lightweight and portable. Well, you are in luck, as there are several manufacturers that design miter saws with that exact thought in mind. These saws tend to much smaller in size and a lot less heavy making them much easier to carry around and travel with as compared to larger bulkier models. 

Some miter saws also have a sliding rail feature. A sliding rail allows the saw blade to slide forward and backward rather than staying in one place which greatly increases the width of lumber it is able to cut in one go. 

Other features to look out for when buying a miter saw are things like laser sight, dust containment system, vacuum attachment port, and sliding support. Depending on your needs each one of these features can be a real God-send.