Mitre Saw Buying Guide

Anyone looking to make precise, accurate cuts, over and over, needs to own a mitre saw. However, the challenge – as always – is making sure you’re getting the best mitre saw for your cash.

Understanding the key features of a mitre saw, plus extra benefits like laser and dust extraction will make sure you’ll own the mitre saw that will do the job properly. In this guide to buying mitre saws, we’ll explain what you need to know about:

• Blades
• Mitre
• Slide
• Bevel/Compound
• Other features
• Accessories
• Dust Extractors
• Leg stands
• Job site requirements

Mitre saws are known for precision and accuracy - two essentials when it comes to cutting through long pieces of wood and other materials (for this guide we will refer to wood). There are many features and styles to become familiar with, let's run through the need-to-knows.

What is a Compound Mitre Saw?

A compound mitre saw is a specialist saw that is designed to let you make cuts at angles, bevels and angled bevels. You’ll be able to mount it on a bench, table or preferably a leg stand. Then depending on the blade size you’ll be able to make cuts in broad, thick pieces of materials.

A compound mitre saw will cut non-ferrous metals, plastics and of course wood.

Some mitre saws will bevel – or swing the blade – to one side only. Others will bevel both ways – double bevel. Also you’re looking for one that has some sort of rail function. This allows the blade to be drawn out towards you and then down through the material. The mitre saw will usually have a blade guard for safety. This allows the blade to only become exposed as the blade moves towards the wood. The blade will move in a direction away from the user, channelling the sawdust away from them and the workpiece. Mitre saws come with the switches positioned and controlled in a manner which keeps hands away from the high-speed cutting blade.

What does the 'Mitre' in 'Mitre Saw' mean?

A mitre saw cuts mitres or angled cuts. The saw is normally preset to adjust to various popular angles such as 45º for right angle joints. Some saws will only mitre to one side, most will mitre to the left or the right making it quicker to use.

Mitre Saw Slide

Cutting on a sliding action allows you to cut pieces of wood with greater widths. As with blade size, check the specs of the saws you’re looking at for capacities of cut they make. If you plan to be cutting mainly dado, you won’t need to slide too much and the capacity needed will be less.

However, if you plan to be cutting fencing posts. You’ll need a bigger blade and a bigger width of cut capacity. Therefore a sliding mitre saw is for you.

Bevel/Compound

The saw head will tilt to the side as well as rotate on the saw table. Some saws are single bevel, some are double bevel meaning they will tilt left or right so the wood doesn’t need to be turned depending on the angle you will cut. This bevelling action allows complex angled cuts to be performed in tasks like crown moulding or furniture making.

As with a sliding mitre saw, there is more potential for things to go wrong. Also more chance your saw will lose alignment because of the added feature of bevelling. It is a good idea to choose a respected brand. If you are looking to buy a mitre saw with these features.

Other features of Mitre Saws

Mitre saws these days come with a variety of features. Many now come with lights which are handy when working in bad lighting conditions. Some come with built-in laser lines which will show a red line across the wood. This shows where the blade will cut, making it handy for lining up with your pencil line. Most saws will come with adjustable rear fences, extension arms and workpiece clamps. These are great for supporting your wood and keeping your hands free and out of the way of the blade.

Recently, new mitre saws have been seen with a variable speed dial. This helps you set the speed of the motor which best suits the material you will be cutting.

Accessories

There are different styles of blades on the market. When choosing a blade, the packaging will tell you the type of material it is for and the type of cut you can expect. Make sure you choose the right diameter blade for your saw as well as the right bore size (the hole in the middle). If you visit our circular saw blades category, you can easily filter the products so only the ones relevant to you will be shown.

You may also want to buy a stand if you plan to transport your saw onto a job site. Stands are available in a universal style which is just like a folding table for your saw to sit on. Or they can come in a leg stand style - a foldable style with long extensions and various features such as clamps, roller carriers, supports and adjustable legs, therefore perfect for worksites where many cuts are required.

Dust extraction and management

One area of sawing which I wanted to mention was the amount of dust which is generated. If you’re in a confined area you will almost certainly want to use a dust extractor or vacuum. This attaches to your saw and reduces the sawdust in the atmosphere to ensure a safer and healthier working enviornment. If you haven't already done so, make sure to read our blog post on the importance of dust extraction.

Some saws these days will do a very good job of managing the dust without a dust extractor. But it is inevitable that legislation will be that a dust extractor is mandatory on the job site soon.

Below we have listed a few of our favourite mitre saws for you to have a look at.