Use of Miter Saw?

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote in news:1132869014.814543.326470 @f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

Probably one of the most versatile of the power saws, not counting a table saw. Get a compound miter saw. The RIGID brand is pretty good, from my experience, $200 for saw, with laser line, stand and clamp. We use it for sawing aluminum extrusion in an industrial setting. You can use it as a cut-off saw, miter, compound miter.

Miter saws are used primarily to cut trim. They are quite good at cutting miters, hence the name. They can also work well as cut off saws.

The most basic tools should come before stationary tooling. Hand tools , both power and manual, like a circular saw (Skil saw), battery drill and/or cord drill, and a jig saw can get you through many projects. A router makes nice edges. A belt and a palm sander smoothes up the rough places. Once you know how to work these you might consider some of the others, and hopefully your projects will tell you which ones to get.

-Table saws make long cuts on finish wood. They are not really meant for dimension lumber.

-Radial arm saws make good crosscuts on finish wood.

-Bandsaw cuts out shapes

-Scroll saw cuts out more intricate shapes Jointer/shaper/drill press/welder/lathe/etc The list becomes endless and different projects call for different tools and different talents. As your skills increase, you will want higher quality tools, unless you've been buying top of the line from the onset.

(top posted for your convenience) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) snipped-for-privacy@7cox.net

A miter saw is my main sawing instrument when I am building stuff like sheds etc. Easy, accurate cuts.

I bought mine when I was cutting a whole bunch of roof rafters. I set the angle and I could cut all of them pretty easy. I figured once I got the house remodel project done, I would probably sell it. Hah! I am surprised how many times I've used this (or loaned it out to friends). Yeah, I know, the fastest way to lose a friend is to loan him (or her) your tools. But it has worked well. This sure beats using a circular saw by far. The best advice has been given: get a COMPOUND miter saw. The head not only turns from 90 degree to around 30 degrees, but will also go to either side by about the same amount (sort of hard to explain). Mike

Mitre saw is used for cutting to length. Most will handle a 2" x 4" and some go larger.

Cut capacity reduces as the angle of cut changes, max cut at 90 degrees.

Used for cutting studs to length, cutting trim like door and window trim etc.

Compound saw lets you change both cut angle and tilt of the blade. Very handy for things like crown moulding.

A sliding mitre saw will handle larger dimension timber.