Is it Worth to Buy a Miter Saw? – Detailed Guide

Miter saw is a very important cutting tool for woodworkers for their indoor and outdoor projects. According to the usability, there are types of miter saws are available with so many functions. But is it worth, investing money for miter saw?

It is really worth buying a miter saw for the different types of high accuracy cuts such as cross cuts, bevel cuts, and miter cuts in both indoor and outdoor workplaces. Due to the less weight, and size, the miter saw can carry and place easily both indoor and outdoor on the supports.

More than that we have to consider saw blades, types of miter saws, performance, and technology in detail. So let’s see is it worth buying a miter saw step by step with considering other factors.

Which Miter Saw is More Worth?

Dual bevel miter saw
Dual bevel miter saw

Normally, the worthiest miter saw is a dual bevel miter saw. Because the dual bevel miter saw is with left and right bevel cutting options and sliding options also. Using dual bevel miter can cut crosscut, miter cuts, and bevel cuts (left and right) with sliding capability.

Normally, dual bevel miter saws are a bit expensive because of their functions and performances. But investing in a dual bevel miter saw is a real worthy investment. There are some low-budget options such as a miter saw box. It can be used in a limited range with limited performance

If you need to buy a miter saw, you must identify your requirements first. If it is needed to use indoor works, you can buy a high-performance low-weight miter saw such as a dual bevel miter saw. This will need permanently fixed support or a platform.

If you are an outdoor worker, you need a lightweight miter saw. Sometimes it can be cordless which is a real solution for the corded electric power. These kinds of miter saws need additional support or portable support in order to use outdoor.

So it is very important to pay attention such that things before investing in a miter saw for outdoor usage.

Is Sliding Miter Saw Worth It?

Fixed rail miter saw
Moving rail miter saw
Articulating hinge miter saw

The sliding miter saws are worth it for cutting wider workpieces easily. The sliding miter saw blade can move along the rail. According to the rails movements, we can categorize them into 3 categories.

  • Fixed rail
  • Moving rail
  • Articulating Hinge

Sliding miter saws can increase the wider cutting capacity. It can cut 2″ x 12″ and 4″ x 12″ workpieces easily. When you design a miter saw stand you have to reserve additional space from the backside of the station. Because rail requires additional space for the moving saw head.

Articulating Hinge miter saw head can save the backside space. So it is worth having the articulating hinge thing miter saw if you have limited space workspace.

Cutting Efficiency

When we consider the cutting efficiency, sliding miter saws are with higher efficiency. Because a limited number of saw teeth are engaged in cutting procedures. Hence sliding miter saw can cut fast with its maximum power.

When a fixed-head miter saw tends to cut the workpiece, more teeth need to be engaged. As a result of this tool, efficiency can be reduced in order to work against any number of teeth. Hence we can expect low efficiency. This kind of behavior can observe when cutting a hardwood.

Is Double Bevel Miter Saw Worth It?

The dual bevel miter saws are really worth it for cutting both left and right bevel cuts with high accuracy. The most advantage of the tool is, the workpiece is not needed to pivot when it is cutting both left and right side bevels. Normally, dual bevel miter saws are with sliding capability. As a result of this, it can be used in a wide range of capacities.

Double bevel miter saws are higher expensive and have more weight due to their performance. I think it is great if you can use it for the indoor workshops.

Is 12 Inch Miter Saw Worth It?

Miter saw blade is really important for the cutting task. We can see many miter saw blades in the market with different diameters and number of teeth. Both of these directly affect the cutting purposes.

12-inch miter saw blade has a more depth cutting capability. It can cut more than 4 inches. If your workpiece is 4 inches thick, you can cut it easily by using the 12-inch miter saw. But you can cut 6 inches workpiece using a single cut. Because the flanges fit the saw blade.

When you select a miter saw blade pay attention to the below factors.

  • Low number of teeth suitable for rip cut
Types of wood cuts
Types of wood cuts – Image Source https://sawadvisor.com/single-vs-dual-bevel-miter-saw/

Is Miter Saw Stand Worth It?

Actually, the miter saw stand is really worth it for any type of miter saws in order to keep the miter saw horizontal level as well as support as a workpiece.

Miter saw stand can be fixed or portable. Fixed miter saw stands are mostly built as a DIY project. When you create an indoor miter saw stand you have to think about the allowed space, suitable height, weight, workpiece capacity, and many more.

Indoor miter saw stands are made with wood and it has designed to optimize the available space and dust management system.

Outdoor miter saw stands are designed as portable stands. Those are made with steel. Portable miter saw stands can stand on any surface and there is a wheelbase to carry it here and there. Portable miter saw stands have limited table space. Hence you can observe some circumstances when you operate a workpiece on the table.

Are Cordless Miter Saws Worth It?

Cordless miter saws are really worth it for outdoor usage. Due to battery power, it can be used outdoor easily without corded power. Cordless miter saws are powered by 24V or 36V Li-Ion batteries. Once you charge the battery you can operate it for about 30-60 mins continuously.

If you are a heavy outdoor worker, you can keep 2-3 batteries. Cordless miter saws are specially designed to use their power maximumly. Brushless motors are one of the power optimizing technology.


Is It Worth Laser On a Miter Saw?

If you are highly focused on the accuracy of the miter saw, the laser beam will do an amazing job for you. A laser beam or light beam will show the cutting path easily. So you can observe the cutting path and avoid injuries easily.

If your hands are in the cutting path you can quickly identify it and avoid injuries easily. The laser beam is more important than the light beam.

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Tom Mackency

Tom Mackency

Hi, I am Tom Mackency. It has been 10 years that I have been working as a professional woodworker since 2013. I am really enjoying my carrier by creating many kinds of projects in my workshop. But mostly I like for home improvement projects. Home improvement and DIY projects are the most interesting things for me. More than that, the coolest things are power tools. Those are very precious and efficient than a decade ago. So I try to introduce so many things about power tools, woodworking, DIY projects, home improvement and many more interesting topics here.