Miter saw for wood: choose, configure, make from an angle grinder and a circular saw

Home / Articles / Miter saw for wood: choosing, setting up, making from a grinder and a circular saw

18 Feb 2018

Category: Articles

No comments

Miter saws are widely used for large volumes of work with boards, bars and other lumber made of wood or wood-based composite materials. They are electrically driven devices mounted on a flat, horizontal bed for cross-cutting long lumber. Despite the presence of a frame, such equipment is not stationary, since it can be installed anywhere, transported or moved to where cutting needs to be done.

First of all, a good disc

If you are still using the standard blade installed on the saw from the moment you purchased it, which, as a rule, is only suitable for cutting rough boards on a construction site, it’s time to buy a better one, suitable for carpentry work. It is better to choose a blade with a negative rake angle, which prevents the workpiece from lifting during cutting. Look for a 250mm disc with 60-80 teeth, while a 300mm disc should have 80-100 teeth. Such discs leave almost no chips during transverse and oblique cuts.

Now get to the corners

Make sure your new blade is positioned exactly at right angles to the machine table. Using a proven square, place it on the saw table and move the ruler to the plane of the disk without touching the teeth (photo at the beginning). The machine manual explains how to adjust the stops. Perform these operations, ensuring that there is not even the slightest gap between the square and the disk. After this, set the pointer to the zero division of the inclination scale. Repeat this procedure to fine-tune the 45° tilt (Photo A).

Having completed these adjustments, proceed to adjusting the rotation angles. First of all, install the disc at a 90° angle to the stop (photo B). The procedure for this operation depends on the type of fence installed on your machine.

If the stop is one piece (photo C), loosen the adjusting bolts or screws on both sides and move the right or left end of the stop slightly closer to the disc. In this case, it is enough to move only one end, since the other will automatically turn.

The strap clamp makes it easy to tighten all four corners of the frame. Don't you have one yet? Secure the pieces at the corners with masking tape.

If the machine fence has a right and a left side, aligning each at right angles to the blade may cause them to be out of alignment with each other. The correct method of adjustment is to set only one part of the fence perpendicular to the disc and this position is secured by tightening the screws or bolts. Then the second part of the stop is aligned with the first (photo D). Finally, the scale pointer is set to 0°. On some saw models, the stops are not adjustable (photo E), so you need to install the blade and saw assembly at a right angle to the stop. To do this, first set the rotation scale indicator to 0°, and then loosen the screws securing the scale. By turning the table (and the scale along with it), the disk and stop are perpendicular. Then tighten the screws to secure the settings. There is no need to adjust other angular values.

Basic Rules

OSB boards are one of the most popular materials used for interior decoration. Using them, you can create load-bearing elements of buildings and choose them as various types of cladding. Similar materials are used in the assembly of cabinet furniture, stairs and other structures.

When choosing this product for work, you should familiarize yourself with the production principle of this material. OSB is a material that has 3 or more layers. Any of them consists of ground wood chips mixed with resin. The length and thickness of the chips can be very different, but they are aimed in the opposite direction. To make the slab stronger, all layers are placed in the exact direction, while the placement of chips in each layer occurs perpendicular to the previous and subsequent layers.

Wood sheets contain resin and glue for holding veneer, chips and sawdust together. Thanks to this, the slabs are elastic and quite dense.

Although such materials are superior to solid products in certain respects, working with them can be more difficult from time to time. This mainly concerns their sawing.

For high-quality cutting of OSB sheets, you should use special tools and also adhere to certain rules.

The sheets are cut first across the fiber, and then along it. This will protect the material from deformation and splitting.

The key factor is the correct selection of tools. For sawing on the inside, a saw (hand or band saw) is more suitable. When working on the reverse side, a contour or disk plate is often used.

When using a circular saw, you need to maintain the speed at a fairly high level.

The material should be fed smoothly, without jerking, otherwise there is a possibility of its damage.

Choosing tools suitable for this material will allow you to carry out the work without creases and other flaws.

Checking the result of the adjustment

The surest way to test the accuracy of a miter saw is to make a 45° bevel on each end of four scraps of the same section and length, and then dry assemble the square frame by tightening the corners with a band clamp. A loose joint at any of the corners means you will need to recheck each step of the setup and readjust the machine again if necessary. Remember that whiskers attract attention. With careful settings, you can make others admire your work.

Adjusting the miter saw - photo

A. Adjusting the tilt angle. The plastic drafting square is great for checking 45° angles. It has longer sides than the combination square block.

B. Set the fence at a right angle to the blade. Pressing the square block against the stop, make sure there is no gap between the square ruler and the plane of the disk.

C. Adjusting the one-piece stop. In such a stop, consisting of one piece, the right and left sides are connected by an arcuate bridge. When one end moves, the other also rotates.

D. Adjusting the compound stop. First adjust and lock the left side of the fence. Then press a long rule against it, laying it flat on the saw table, and align the right side of the fence with it.

E. Adjustment of the fixed stop. Loosen all screws securing the rotation scale and install the saw blade perpendicular to the fence.

Source

How to Set an Angle on a Miter Saw

Selecting, setting up and repairing a miter saw

The miter (miter) saw is made by some power tool companies. It is used in everyday life and by specialists. Therefore, the device has many varieties, differing in functionality, dimensions, power and price. When choosing a tool for yourself, a client is guided by his needs and abilities. Some people need a trimmer for infrequent use. For example, to carry out renovations in an apartment, we need to produce wooden doors and windows in a different country house. And someone uses a saw every day at the workplace. Focusing on all these requirements, a tool is selected for household or professional needs.

Purpose and use of miter saws

To manually cut the material at an angle and evenly, you need to put a lot of effort and use special devices. To make this process easier, electronic miter saws were invented. They allow you to cut workpieces exactly at the required angle and inclination. In other words, of course, changing the angle both in the horizontal and vertical planes. The tool has found application among installers, carpenters and finishers. Miter saws are used for the production of furniture, doors, baseboards, windows, flooring and much more. The tool can be used to cut not only wood, but also plastic and iron corners and pipes.

Tool design

The device has a simple design . The basis is a functional module, which consists of:

• working circle, electric motor with gearbox;
• handles with switch.

This module is attached to a special base.
When making this device at home, you need to take into account that the electric motor can be used of two types: either commutator or asynchronous. The latter work much quieter, and are also characterized by greater practicality and endurance. As for the electric motor , it is installed on the right side of the saw wheel. Although on the market you can also find models in which the engine is installed behind the disk. This option is definitely more convenient, because the view is not blocked, which is especially true, by the way, when working with the instrument tilted.

The gearbox transmits (belt or gear) movements from the motor to the saw blade.

The gear drive operates easily without slipping even at maximum speed, while the belt drive is more practical, as it significantly reduces vibration and reduces sound.

It is worth noting that there are also models with direct transmission, which are the most reliable option. However, their torque is much lower.

What is a broach used for? It is thanks to the broaching mechanism that the miter saw has the ability to cut even the widest boards.

Since the saw is a rather dangerous cutting object, to prevent unexpected injuries, any manufacturer adds a protective casing to its design.

As for high-power devices, for greatest safety they are usually equipped with a soft start. Such a part is characterized by blocking of the torsion mechanism when replacing the wheel and a complete stop when the wheel is stopped.

Repairing and adjusting a miter saw: video troubleshooting lessons

A household or professional electric miter saw, regardless of the model and manufacturer, must be pre-repaired and adjusted to perform a specific operation. Repairs are carried out when malfunctions are detected. In order to properly use the product and repair it in case of malfunctions, you need to know the device of a specific model, which can be gleaned from the operating instructions and passport data that the manufacturer necessarily attaches to the tool.

Application, main components

The miter saw is used for precise and smooth cutting of workpieces made of wood, plastic, soft metal, including profile, composite material at right or required angles with a certain accuracy in the horizontal and vertical plane. They are also used for making grooves and sampling material.

Review of popular models

The most popular models, according to user reviews, in various price categories are summarized in the following table. The cost is given as of the second quarter of 2021, when selling the instrument through specialized retail chains.

trading networks.

Choosing a miter saw is a crucial moment for the inexperienced

Choosing a miter saw is a crucial moment for an inexperienced user, so reviews from experienced consumers and advice from experts will help make the right decision.

Setting up the trim and adjusting it

Proper setting and adjustment of the trim, including adjustment of the number of disk revolutions, will ensure the necessary accuracy when making cuts and will prevent you from receiving defective products. First of all, pay attention to the saw blade. Its seat and outer diameter, tooth sharpening and geometry must correspond to the material with which it will work. The drive and protective casing of the machine are designed for a specific blade size, and installing other sizes will negatively affect the sawing work and the operation of the product itself. Therefore, we carefully read the manufacturer’s recommendations specified in the operating instructions.

Reliable and high-quality installation of the side stop will help you adjust the saw correctly. It should have a right angle with the base or frame and fit tightly to it. It is necessary to make a chamfer so that the chips generated during the sawing operation are hidden there if it is not provided by the manufacturer. This way, sawing waste will not interfere with the formation of the desired cutting angle.

The next step is to check the rotation lock assembly. The fixing rod must fit tightly into the slot of the dial, which can be of a removable or stationary design. It has ready-made slots for frequently used angles, but for specially set ones they need reliable fixation. To do this, tighten the handle that fixes the tightening while pressing the key.

The 90° angle in the horizontal plane is set not using a square, but using a strip of at least 10 mm thick, double-sided tape and plywood. The last element is secured to the base with tape, and a rail is placed between it and the side stop. A control cut is made, from which the required angle is controlled using a side stop.

The bevel cutting angle is adjusted using two screws located at the rear of the machine structure at the bottom and top. The first one regulates the 90° angle, the second one controls the other sizes of the set angles.

Adjustment of fixed angles on miter saws must be carried out carefully and must be controlled with the appropriate tool.

Trimming with adjustable speed allows you to select the desired speed of movement of the saw blade in order to obtain a high-quality cutting line. For each material with which the device works, the number of revolutions is selected individually, and for experienced specialists this is achieved at the subconscious level.

Repairs can be carried out by the owner, provided that he understands its structure and has an idea of ​​​​the principle of its operation; in all other cases, it is necessary to contact specialized workshops.

Comparison of homemade and finished products: which is better to choose for your home

Factory machines are capable of making high quality longitudinal cuts. Any angle can be set.

The main advantages of circular saw cutting from the manufacturer:

• functionality;
• equipped with a security system.

Homemade saws are not equipped with a graduation scale. In most cases, improvised parts are used, which are not reliable. Therefore, cross-cutting from a manual circular saw is not always of high quality.

An excellent do-it-yourself grinder trim is obtained using a piston and connecting rod of a car engine. This design is indispensable in a workshop environment.

Advice. Before making your own circular miter saw, you should decide for what purpose it will be used. The type of future construction depends on this.

How to Set Up a Miter Saw with a Limb

With broach

Designed for complex cutting with high precision angles. They are easy to use and the diagonal cutting is flawless. A special feature of the tool is a rotating module, which simplifies the work.

Recommendations for choosing miter saws for metal

The main selection criteria for saws intended for cutting metal are the same as for analogues that involve working with wooden workpieces, but, in addition, you should remember that:

To work with different types of metal, different types of discs are used, so special attention should be paid to their purpose and the size of the landing and outer diameter. The wider the metal workpieces to be processed, the larger the diameter of the saw blade should be.

The protective cover must completely cover the disc during operation. The presence of a cutting depth limiter expands the capabilities of the machine. A more powerful electric motor has greater performance and heats up less during operation.