Both the mitre saw and table saw play important roles in a carpenter’s daily activities. To achieve various types of cuts, you can`t do away with these tools. And it’s no surprise that new carpenters have sought to compare the table saw vs miter saw.
Knowing the different uses of miter saw vs table saw gives you perfect results. Though they all perform wood-cuttings, a miter saw cannot conduct the types of cuts that a table saw can and vice versa.
The market is flooded with many of these tools. You should, therefore, be careful in choosing the right tool for your workshop. Instead of giving you profits, some tools will let you spend your money to repair them.
In this article, we shall go over the differences between miter saw vs table saw, so you can know which is the best fit for your business.
Uses of Miter Saw
Miter saws are made with angles to allow you to position the blades according to desired cuts. Read our review of the best mitre saws. They usually come in three major types;
- Standard miter saws– Rotates on either side to cut the board at an angle. It’s usually the cheapest one.
- Compound miter saws-Tilts to add a bevel to the angles.
- Sliding compound miter saws– Slides fore and aft to make longer cuts.
There are four main uses of miter saws depending on the kinds of cuts you want to make. Let`s go over them.
1) Cross Cuts
Miter saws are designed such that a piece of wood lies across their blade, not along them. The cuts a miter saw can make are limited to its saw blade diameter.
Crosscuts give you the desired length of your wood. Cross-cuts are achieved by cutting wood boards diagonally.
2) Miter Cut
This refers to changing the cross-cut angle from 90 degrees to 45 degrees. This angle cuts across the top of the wood from the front to the back. A miter cut creates a triangular shape of a wood board.
Miter cuts are used for projects like framing pictures, making boxes, installing trim, and making frames for windows, and doors.
3) Bevel Cut
A bevel cut gives your wood a 45 degrees angle that is not perpendicular to its edges. Like a cross-cut, a bevel cut goes across the board but in a slanted way.
You can use bevel cuts in making geometric shapes, installing trim, or installing stripping for the weather.
4) Compound Cuts
Compound cuts combine both bevel and miter cuts. These kinds of cuts run in a slanted way across the top of the wood board, from front to the bottom.
Uses of Table Saw
Table saws are built on working tables with their saw blades protruding through the center of the worktable.
The basic types of table saws are:
- Cabinet table saw-Most powerful of the table saw, and built for durability.
- Contractor table saw-Cheaper alternative to the cabinet saw
- Hybrid table saw– Smaller in size than the hybrid and contractor . It’s mostly used at home for DIYs
They are the best saws for cutting large pieces of wood into manageable sizes. Here are the main types of cuts that require table saws:
1) Ripping Cuts
If you need to reduce the width of your wood board, a table saw is the perfect tool. You only need to set your preferred width and run the wood board against the rip fence.
To avoid twisting the board and getting uneven cuts, always use a rip fence. Using free-hand also risks destroying your saw blade when the board twists.
2) Cross Cuts and Bevel Cuts
These uses make table saws marry with miter saws. The only big difference is that table saws can perform cuts of large pieces of wood compared to a miter saw.
You can adjust a table saw blade according to your desired angle that fits your project.
To achieve a cross-cut, adjust your table saw blade to your required angle and cut across the board. For a bevel cut, tilt your saw blade to your perfect angle and use the angle measure to check its accuracy, and you`ll make a nice bevel cut.
Miter Saw Vs Table Saw-Buying Guide
Here is what to consider before you decide between the 2 type of saws;
-
Project Type
The size of your project will determine what tool you can use. A table saw will be the best for you if you are dealing with huge projects requiring large pieces of wood.
However, if the boards you work with are not huge, a miter saw can do the job.
-
Work Space
Consider your workspace when acquiring tools for your workshop. A table saw takes a much bigger space than a miter saw. This is because you need a table to mount the tool.
The table also needs to be big enough to enhance working on long pieces of wood.
A miter saw, on the other hand, deals with small pieces of wood. You can bolt it to a workbench, or use it on a dedicated miter saw stand. However, if you are running out of space, you can run it on the floor instead.
-
Portability
Since a miter saw is smaller than a table saw, it is possible to carry it around more easily than a table saw. However, this depends on the size of the project.
For large projects, it`s better to do them where a table saw is accessible, but if you are dealing with smaller ones, a miter saw can be your solution.
There is no shortage of these kinds of tools in the market. However, not all guarantee the best results. Here are recommended table saws for your heavy projects:
DEWALT Table Saw (DWE7485)
This is a portable tool that relieves you of transportation and storage stress. Its 24.5 inches of rip capacity enables it to rip OSB sheets 4 by 8 plywood.
DEWALT Table Saw for Jobsite, Compact, 8-1/4-Inch (DWE7485) also has a tough metal roll cage that ensures durability.
You can get all this at a value Price on Amazon.
SKIL Table Saw with Stand- TS6307-00
Its parallel blade alignment enables you to perform micro-adjustment of the blade to make it parallel to the rip fence and miter slot. So that your wood board doesn`t shift and cause jamming to your blade.
With SKIL 15 Amp 10 Inch Table Saw with Stand- TS6307-00. You can cut between 2 positive stops at 45 and 0 degrees with a quick-release lever due to its 2-45 degrees bevel capacity.
It has a 4 by 4 cutting capacity that enables for a swift 90 degree cutting.
It even has a dust port elbow to redirect dust for easy cleaning.
This machine reflects the value for your money, check out the price on Amazon
Conclusion
Getting the right tools for your workshop defines the success of your business. However, your choice determines your outcomes.
This article should give you your deserved results. What you need to do is gauge the right tool according to your project size, workshop space, and tool portability.