Miter saw is one of the most popular tools in the carpentry workshop. It is so convenient and versatile that many projects can be done with it without using a circular saw!
In this article, Steve, the author of YouTube channel Steve Ramsey - Woodworking for Mere Mortals, will describe several professional techniques that will allow you to get the most out of your tool.
Materials
- Boards
- sheet plywood
- Double-sided tape
- Wood screws.
Instruments, used by the author.
- Miter saw
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- Roulette, ruler, square, pencil.
Manufacturing process.
So, when you buy boards, you often notice that they are deformed from the edges, there are various dents and chips on them that appear as a result of transportation of timber and their storage in a warehouse. When buying such boards, you often have to sort out many copies in search of the whole.
The author made it a rule to always trim the edges, updating the place of the saw.
The first rule for the successful operation of the miter saw is the use of locking blocks. The only option when you can do without these blocks is if you are processing a single board. But usually a project requires several parts at once, for example, four boards of the same length are needed for the legs of a table, four sides, a bottom and a cover for a box or drawer. In this case, the locking block, pressed against the abutment with a clamp, simplifies the manufacture of the same desired parts.
Now you can safely put the board opposite the limiter and cut it. All cut elements will be guaranteed to be of the same length.
But what if the board is longer than the length of the stop on the saw and there is nowhere to attach the stops?
In this regard, the author also has its own tricks. You should find a flat board and attach it to the stop. Perhaps the readers didn’t even have to notice that there were already special holes on the stop just for this purpose. All that is needed is to fix the board to several screws, two on each side.
A positive feature of such an impromptu emphasis is the zero clearance, allowing you to make cuts with fewer chips and burrs.
By deferring the measurement from the zero clearance, the author marks the place where the restriction block will be attached.
In the same way, the table itself can be improved.Most miter saw tables have a slot for the saw blade. This is to ensure that there is room for the saw blade to be tilted when double cuts are made. However, when small segments of wood are cut, there is a high probability that they will fall into this gap.
All that needs to be done in this case is to put a sheet of plywood on the working surface of the table, put it under the stop and fix it on the back side of the stop.
Another way is to take plywood for double-sided tape.
It so happens that you need to cut out very small elements, such as dowels. In this case, you slowly feed the wooden round log under the saw blade and at that moment when you have very little material left in your hands, do not try to bring your fingers closer to the blade. Instead, use a pusher or some long pole. An ordinary pencil with an eraser at the end is ideal for this purpose! Rubber prevents the tree from sliding and scrolling.
Sometimes you only need to make one cut, and then the limiter is not needed. In this case, measure the length of the proposed part with a tape measure and mark it on the workpiece as a line. And here it is important to take into account the thickness of the blade itself. The most common mistake is the following: draw a line and make a cut right in the middle of the line. In this case, you cut the board 1/16 inch shorter than required. This is half the approximate thickness of the disc. It should be cut immediately after the line. If cut off in front of her, the board will be 1/8 inch shorter than necessary.
Another subtlety: let's say you cut a part strictly along the line, however, the board is still a little longer than necessary. And your project needs high accuracy (if you make a cross for a countertop, for example). There is a way to remove the material in the thickness of a paper sheet, actually shave the cut. To do this, press the blade of the disc close to the cut and slightly bend it? Try to hold the board firmly in place, especially when lifting the disc. Acting in this way, you will never cut more than necessary and will be able to perfectly fit the dimensions.
The miter saw has one significant limitation: it cannot cut very wide boards! The widest board that this saw can beat can be one whose width is slightly larger than the radius of the saw blade. Limitations arise due to the emphasis and nature of the movement of the disk.
It happens that the radius of the disk is not enough quite a bit and there is a small jumper.
To complete what has begun, it is enough just to put a small piece of board under the workpiece. By raising the part, does the amplitude increase? disk movements and everything turns out!
These were tips from Steve. We hope they serve you well. Observe safety precautions, never remove the protective cover from the saw!
I thank the author for simple but useful tricks for working with a miter saw.
All good mood, good luck, and interesting ideas!
Author video can be found here.