How To Choose A Miter Saw For Wood

How to Choose a Reliable and Affordable Wood Miter Saw for Your Home Do you often have to cut different materials and at different angles? A miter saw will make this easier. And how to choose it correctly, you can find out here.

Disk power and size

You need to start with this. It would not be entirely correct to give an unambiguous recommendation on this parameter, not knowing how the miter saw will be used and what specific materials it is supposed to cut.

• The more powerful the tool, the larger the disc you can work with. Consequently, and cut dimensional samples. For example, timber, log and so on.
• With an increase in this characteristic, not only the weight increases, but also the price.

If you choose a model according to the size of the disc, then a tool with a diameter of 250 mm is quite enough for domestic use. This is confirmed by the practice of its operation. Anyone who is not satisfied with this parameter should take into account one nuance. The miter saw kit includes discs. But they do not last forever, and what if you have to acquire new ones?

Therefore, you need to focus on a working tool that is not in short supply and is always on sale. Namely. Discs for 250 (255, 260, 300 and 305) x 30 mm. You can’t say the same about other sizes. So it should be clarified whether there will be problems with their purchase later.

Security systems

The set of protective options is different for all models. Which are the most important when operating a miter saw?

• Casing. Does it completely or partially cover the working tool?
• Possibility of connecting a dust extraction system. Otherwise, you will have to use protective equipment while using the saw.
• Protection against unintentional activation. No comment here.
• Automatic shutdown circuit (electrodynamic brake). There are situations, especially when working with hard materials, when the disc “wedges”. Such a system will not allow the engine to fail.
• Protection against voltage fluctuations on the line and overheating. Not available on all models.

Transfer type

• Toothed. reliable design, since slippage is excluded under increased load. Minus. The work of similar models of miter saws is accompanied by a little noise. How important is it for the master? But in some situations the disc may vibrate. This is more significant.
• Belt. The listed disadvantages for gear transmission are absent, and the cut quality is higher. But such a saw requires periodic “tuning”, especially if it is operated by a beginner who cannot withstand optimal operating conditions.

Option # 4. Bow

Bow-type saws are more bulky devices that act as an analogue of a jigsaw.

The main purpose of this type of saw is to create an accurate cut when working with surfaces located at any angle.

Due to the solidity of the design and the threaded connections of the handles, the bow-type saws are able to easily overcome knots, cutting along radii and curved patterns.

Depending on the purpose and design of the saw, there may be:

• Swinging. For longitudinal cutting;
• Transverse. For sawing blanks across the wood fiber;
• Vykruznye. For cutting holes, making rounding and curly sawing;
• Spike. For cutting connecting spikes, as well as cutting out simple geometric shapes on the workpiece.

Only an onion-type hacksaw can cut the material up and down, sawing blanks with complex fishing lines and performing the work alone without involving an assistant.

Types of hand saws for wood

Parameters of teeth on the blade

The determining indicator of the productivity of the tool and the accuracy of cutting wood is the size of the teeth.

The teeth of a hacksaw for woodworking have a double function: they cut the wood and at the same time remove the sawdust

Cutting accuracy is determined by the TPI, the number of teeth per inch.

There is an inverse relationship between these technical parameters:

• Blades with large teeth set a high speed of work, but the saw cut is rough and sloppy;
• Fine-toothed hacksaws guarantee a clean and precise cut, but at a relatively low speed.

When determining the required size of the teeth, one should be guided by the type of material being processed. For example, for work with chipboards, where high cutting accuracy is required, choose a tool with a high TPI 7-9, and for sawing logs and work in the garden, where the cleanliness of the cut is not so important. Tpi 3-6.

When choosing the optimal hacksaw option, be guided by the rule that the minimum log thickness should in any case be greater than the pitch of three teeth

If we compare a hardened and an ordinary tooth, then the difference is that in the first version, subject to domestic use, the product does not dull for a long time. But a hacksaw with a hardened tooth cannot be re-sharpened. When it starts to cut badly, you just have to throw it away.

A regular tooth lends itself to sharpening. It can be periodically performed using a special file marked with an accident (for sharpening saws). To sharpen the blade, it is enough to perform several movements on each tooth.

Depending on the type of teeth used, there are three types of hacksaws:

1. For rip sawing. The products are equipped with teeth in the form of an oblique triangle and look like hooks. The tool allows you to cut wood along the grain. Such saws are sharpened on both sides of the tooth, due to which they are able to cut both when going forward and in the opposite direction.
2. For cross cutting. The tool teeth are made in the form of isosceles triangles. This design makes it easy to cut the material both when the cutting edge is carried forward and backward. But this type of tooth is only suitable for working with dry pieces, not fresh wood.
3. For mixed sawing. The products have a combined composition, in which triangular edges are combined with slightly elongated semicircular notches. This solution allows, when the hand moves forward, the semicircular teeth make a guiding cut, and when returning, it expands the channel in triangular shape, removing chips and sawdust from it.

Some types of modern tools are equipped with teeth that are trapezoidal. This solution allows you to make the blade more durable and wear-resistant.

But it should be borne in mind that sharpening such a blade is very problematic, since it is difficult for trapezoidal teeth to give the desired shape. This significantly reduces the service life of the product, after which it is necessary to change the blade or purchase a new tool.

For cutting fresh branches, it is more convenient to use blades equipped with triangular teeth, processed with parallel sharpening, in which each element is sharpened only on one side and in a staggered manner

Often on the market you can find a modernized type of hacksaws.

Upgraded hacksaws can be easily distinguished by groups of teeth located on the blade, between which the gaps are clearly visible

Upgraded hand saws are effective for cutting raw wood. Wet chips through the gaps between the teeth in the process of cutting easily come out of the cut without hindering the movement of the tool.