12 Inch Miter Saw: Do You Really Need One?

One of the most commonly used power tools that any carpenter will ever buy is his miter saw, particularly a compound miter saw. There aren’t many things more difficult than trying to make a compound cut without one You really should have a compound miter saw if you are a serious woodworker. In order to be sure that you get the perfect miter saw for your requirements there are a few things that you will want to think about

How much you want to spend and how serious you are about your woodworking will be the major determinants as to what type of miter saw you get. When it comes to deciding on a miter saws you do tend to get what you paid for. Depending on the size and the quality of the saw that you buy there often is a substantial difference in cost. It is usually good advice is to buy the best saw that you can afford. This will make sure that you get the most benefit out of this incredibly useful tool.

Normally compound miter saws come in three different sizes eight, ten and twelve inches. When we speak about a miter saws size we are really speaking about the size of the blade. The larger the piece of wood that you want to cut the larger the blade you will need. Although you can get miter saws in three sizes the eight inch saw is so limited in what you can do with it that it’s really not even worth considering. Which means that you are going to have to decide between the ten and twelve inch miter saw. It is rare that most woodworkers would ever come across a piece of wood that is too big for a ten inch saw so that is generally sufficient for most needs. Professional carpenters are really the only people likely to need to cut pieces that are too large for the ten inch blade and they are the ones the twelve inch miter saw is mainly intended for.

Whether or not to get a standard miter saw, a compound miter saw or a sliding compound miter saw is the other important factor to think about. The standard miter saw is so limited in what it can do that it is hardly worth considering since it is limited to cutting miters. The compound miter saw is substantially more useful because it can cut both miters and bevels. The advantage of a sliding compound miter saw is that after you lower the blade into the wood you can move the saw through it; this allows you to cut larger pieces of wood. As you go from the standard miter saw to the compound miter saw to the sliding compound miter saw the price tag increases of course. It is usually a good idea to choose a compound miter saw but this is really going to come down to personal preference.

By: Drew Graham

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Do you really need a 12 inch miter saw? In most cases no you don't a 10 inch miter saw is normally sufficient. Nevertheless most people still prefer the 12 inch compound miter saw.