What is the difference between miter and compound miter saw

If you need to cut two different angles along width and thickness, such as if you are creating crown molding, then a compound mitre saw is a good choice. Double Bevel Miter Saw A dual or double bevel miter saw is a compound miter saw that can tilt its blade head in both directions.

That means the blade will tilt either left or right to do the bevel cuts. Advantages of Double Bevel Saw: The double bevel miter saw blade offers the advantage of cutting bevels at any angle desired while keeping the work in place.

While the compound miter saw is more limited, requiring you to remove and replace the work if you want to cut bevels at angles that otherwise cannot be accomplished. There is also the sliding compound miter saw , which allows you to move your work either forwards or backward along the track. The result is that you can cut wider pieces of wood compared to standard saws.

First, a single bevel miter saw and a compound miter saw are the same power tool. It has a swivel base that can be rotated in both directions. But the blade can be tilted only in one direction; usually towards your left-hand side.

As you can see the key difference between the two types of saws lies in the ability to tilt the blade head. On a single bevel miter saw, when you want to cut different bevel angles on both ends of a workpiece, you may need to flip the workpiece. Certain materials such as plywood can have splinter problems at the bottom of the cut especially if the blade is dull. In such cases, you might want to make all the cuts from the same side of the sheet or board to keep the visible side clean.

The dual bevel miter saw enables you to make compound cuts without turning over the workpiece. The differences do not stop with the different angles for creating bevels. There are other differences that you should know as well. The single version is easier to move around because it weighs less and tends to be less bulky. If you are working on a job site, then the single version is probably the best bet since its lower weight and greater mobility make it simpler to transport.

As expected, the single version requires less training to learn and use. The process is straightforward and quite intuitive when you want to make repeated cuts of the same angles. However, it gets complicated when you want to cut different compound angles on both ends of the work.

In such cases, the double bevel version makes it easy. This means that for the type of work it performs compared to the single bevel, it is a more complicated power saw. Imagine you are working indoor in tight spaces. It was an incredible update and really brought out the charm of the wraparound porch. Recently, we had the opportunity to follow up and review one of the Simpson barn doors for Pro Tool Reviews.

Good on you for pointing out that a chop saw is different from a miter saw. Then we can start working on the difference between a Sawzall and reciprocating saw, or a Skilsaw and a circular saw. Baby steps…. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

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What Do Our Pros Recommend? More Basics. Buying a Miter Saw? Read this Pro Guide First! Want more? Join our newsletter and get the latest tool reviews every week! Tags: miter saw. About The Author. Kenny Koehler On the clock, Kenny dives deep to discover the practical limits and comparative differences for all kinds of tools. Related articles. Connect with. Notify of.

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A sliding miter saw can basically do everything a compound miter saw can in addition to having rails that enable you to slide the saw backward and forward. The great benefit of the sliding feature is how it significantly increases the capacity of your cuts to enable you to cut much thicker pieces of material. The compound miter saw is much more specialized than a basic miter saw because it can perform both miter and bevel cuts. Compound miter saws operate in a similar way to standard ones but with one unique characteristic.

Their blades have pivoting arms that you can tilt to angles other than the degree one. The ability to cut across wide material with no need to reposition your workpiece. Thanks to the rails, cutting across wide material becomes a very easy task. Not the most affordable price. Sliding miter saws also need a lot of space. The greater cutting arc of the compound miter saw is one of its most prominent advantages.

The fact that there are no rails enables you to cut thicker material than a sliding miter saw, even with a blade of the same size. They take less space than sliding miter saws. This gives you some room to spare in your workshop where you can stand freely. Limits you to narrower pieces of wood.

A compound miter saw falls short of the mark when it comes to the width of the workpiece.