Really Precise Miter Saw Adjustments.
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Elder User
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: MN
Really Precise Miter Saw Adjustments.
Hi guys,
This is a question for our fine woodworkers. How do you approach adjusting your miter saw with EXTREME PRECISION? I mean like way less than a 10th of a degree. I do lots of serious woodworking, and it's alway frusterating when I spend an hour adjusting, and cannot get the saw perfect . The best I usually get it is about .09 degrees off (I use a square, feeler guages, and trigonometry to get the #'s) . Saw quality is not an issue, I have the RIDGID 12" Compound machine. Any help is greatly apreciated and feel free to vent your frustrations. Thanks guys.
This is a question for our fine woodworkers. How do you approach adjusting your miter saw with EXTREME PRECISION? I mean like way less than a 10th of a degree. I do lots of serious woodworking, and it's alway frusterating when I spend an hour adjusting, and cannot get the saw perfect . The best I usually get it is about .09 degrees off (I use a square, feeler guages, and trigonometry to get the #'s) . Saw quality is not an issue, I have the RIDGID 12" Compound machine. Any help is greatly apreciated and feel free to vent your frustrations. Thanks guys.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2003
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1/10th of a degree? That's pretty close. Try switching to a finer toothed blade that might help or just another blade as it might be slightly warped from the factory. Other than that, wood filler can do wonders. I have a Delta 10" compound miter saw and when I use the presets, you cannot see any light showing between the joints with no sanding.
Good Luck.
Good Luck.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,859
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From: USA
TKD ,is right thats cutting it close (no pun intended) well maybe!
But with a 12"blade size machine you will lose accuracy as you get away from the arbor,so if your arbor bearings have a little play,it will be magified at the saw kerf. also be sure your saw is square to its table.
Tell us what your trying to cut that fine and what type of blade your using.
Rich
But with a 12"blade size machine you will lose accuracy as you get away from the arbor,so if your arbor bearings have a little play,it will be magified at the saw kerf. also be sure your saw is square to its table.
Tell us what your trying to cut that fine and what type of blade your using.
Rich
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From: MN
As with alot of us woodworkers, we love wood putty. I use it on cabinets and simpler projects. Right know I am building a colonial style cherry writing desk with hand turned legs, tennon and mortice joints, and lots of details. 40 hours in just the legs and another 20 in the tennons and mortices. Unfortunately, most of the mitered trim peices on this desk cannot be puttyed. The shaped trim peices are the biggest problems. I have a peice that has 8 mitered edges touching. If each one is off
by .1 degrees, the final result is off by almost a whole degree! The blade is the stock 30 some odd tooth blade. It is very sharp and cuts a straght (Not at the right angle however!). I would love to have a nice freud blade for the miter saw like I do for the tablesaw, but a truck, a woodshop that 50 year olds would drool over, and a hunting passion all puts a steady strain on my limited budget!(a.k.a. still in high school) Thanks for you replys. I'll be out in the shop tomorrow- today is it below zero and very cold even with the heater!
by .1 degrees, the final result is off by almost a whole degree! The blade is the stock 30 some odd tooth blade. It is very sharp and cuts a straght (Not at the right angle however!). I would love to have a nice freud blade for the miter saw like I do for the tablesaw, but a truck, a woodshop that 50 year olds would drool over, and a hunting passion all puts a steady strain on my limited budget!(a.k.a. still in high school) Thanks for you replys. I'll be out in the shop tomorrow- today is it below zero and very cold even with the heater!
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 1999
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From: Oregon
Set your miter at the degree you need. Then tilt the compound just a tiny bump so that it'll undercut the back side of the trim. This leaves a sharp edge where the trim meets on the signature side. This way you can kind of push the fibers into each other and lightly sand for a snug fit. I rarely trust the scale on my saw much. Usually use my pocketknife blade to scribe at the angle I need and then drywalk the blade, (I have an old slider), on the scribemark a couple times just to make sure it's on.
A 40 tooth blade helps. I was eyeballing a Freud today, in fact. They are pretty spendy...
A 40 tooth blade helps. I was eyeballing a Freud today, in fact. They are pretty spendy...
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Minneapolis, MN
If you're doing a lot of miters, you might want to check out the rig I saw Norm Abrams using on the New Yankee Workshop. It shaved/sheared the miter cut. He rough cut the joint with the miter saw and then used this shear to fine tune the cut. Really worked good.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: in a house
don't mean to be **** but degrees break down to minutes. 60 in each degree. I guess the .09 degrees and 1/10th degree stuff was bothering me.
so anyway, if your saw is cutting consistant but not accurate to 90* howdys undercut trick works well. another thing that works if the joint is slightly open you can use the shaft of a good screw driver and press and drag it over the mitered joint and it will close the gap, smooth the corner and eliminate the need for filler.
also you can tweak the angle without adjusting the saw by putting masking tape on one end of the fence.
good luck with the desk.
so anyway, if your saw is cutting consistant but not accurate to 90* howdys undercut trick works well. another thing that works if the joint is slightly open you can use the shaft of a good screw driver and press and drag it over the mitered joint and it will close the gap, smooth the corner and eliminate the need for filler.
also you can tweak the angle without adjusting the saw by putting masking tape on one end of the fence.
good luck with the desk.
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Miter saw Precision.
natewoz,
You might add some accuracy to your kerf by using some stabilizers on the blade. These are large two steel washers which are cranked onto the saw blade spindle on either side of the blade.
They take a lot of the inherent wobble out of a blade.
I use them on my table saw to keep the blade from 'vibrating' itself all over the place, especially thin kerf blades.
FWIW DaveP
You might add some accuracy to your kerf by using some stabilizers on the blade. These are large two steel washers which are cranked onto the saw blade spindle on either side of the blade.
They take a lot of the inherent wobble out of a blade.
I use them on my table saw to keep the blade from 'vibrating' itself all over the place, especially thin kerf blades.
FWIW DaveP
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: in a house
good point Dave. also a dull blade will not cut straight. and more so if you are trying to take off any amount less than the kerf thickness.
your test peices should be big enough that you have material on each side of the cut.
your test peices should be big enough that you have material on each side of the cut.
New User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 21
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From: Cincinnati
I cut entirely too many miter cuts while working as a trim carpenter. I would always set the saw at 45, then hold the trim in place and shave the miters with a block plane to get a tight fit. I have a 12" Dewalt slider, and use Frued 100 tooth blades.
My boss had 2 sayings when it came to trim work
"Make it look like it grew there" and "Caulk is a dirty word"
My boss had 2 sayings when it came to trim work
"Make it look like it grew there" and "Caulk is a dirty word"
Last edited by fordfireman; Jan 9, 2004 at 02:09 PM.