dumb beginner question re: mitre saw vs table saw

[scott vroom]

I just purchased the Grizzly G0690 table saw....it's a beauty. My first project is Shaker style kitchen cabinets. I was going to use the table saw to cross cut my rails and stiles to length but my son says I should be cutting these on a mitre saw...better accuracy? What is best?

[Bill Arnold]

There's no reason you can't cut them on the tablesaw. You'll probably need to add an extension to your miter gauge and make sure it's setup perfectly. Put a stop block on the miter extension to be sure all parts that are supposed to be the same length are just that.

[Paul Ryan]

If you use a miterguage it better have a long extension that you can use a stop block with. That way you garantee all of your rails and stiles are the same length. Otherwise I would build a cross cut sled 1st. A nice large one you can do so much with. Otherwise you could use your fence with a block clamped to it to be your referece point and cut that way. A mitersaw is real nice but not necessary. Just make sure you use some kind of simple method to make sure all the pieces are exactly the same length, dont just try to free hand them with a miterguage and a pencil mark.

I highly recommend building a cross cut sled for anyone with a table saw. They are so handy, with one of those you can be with out a mitersaw. But if you don't have a cross cut sled or a mitersled it is much tougher.

[Jason Strauss]

Scott,

I've found that a mitre saw works better for me on those types of cross cuts because the set up is much simpler. If you are doing multiple lengths of the same material - i.e. face frame and door rail/stile stock, I find it much faster to set a stop block up for repeated cuts on my mitre station. Once I have a particular length dialed in it's just a matter of chopping away. Changing lengths is also no big deal.

If using the mitre saw for this purpose, I always square off one end first, then cut to length...

[Rod Sheridan]

I don't own a mitresaw, all my material is cut using a JessEm mitre gauge or a sled........Regards, Rod.

P.S. The JessEm has a flip stop so I can square the end, flip it over against the stop and cut to length.

[Zach England]

Since I got a good table saw I rarely use my miter saw. I think the miter saw is more for cutting pieces too long for the table saw or as a jobsite tool, as long as you have a good miter gauge.

I have never used that saw, but it looks like the stock miter gauge is a pretty standard device. You might consider upgrading it to an incra or other aftermarket gauge. Those stock gauges are just not easy to adjust accurately and repeatably and the short fences make it easy to make mistakes.

IMO, a miter saw is necessary as an onsite tool for installing moldings, etc, but of limited use in the home woodshop.

[Prashun Patel]

Cross cutting long pieces is generally easier on a mitersaw because you can set up auxiliary support. The stock stays put and the blade moves.

As long as your tool is properly tuned, and you can trust the angles, then either is fine.

Personally, I use the miter saw for crosscutting stock that's < 6" wide.

I do find it safer to cross cut short pieces on the tablesaw only because it's easier to clamp or hold pieces to a moving sled. Also, the miter blade can tend to pull small pieces up into itself...

[glenn bradley]

My poor CMS. I bought it a nice stand and everything. then I folded it up and its stood behind my jointer for the last couple years. I use a crosscut sled or a quality miter gauge.

[Chris Tsutsui]

If you have a good table saw then you might not need need a SCMS.

I have a jobsite table saw so I use my 10" SCMS a lot more than most people. It's one of the easiest tools for crosscutting long pieces.

I have it on a Ridgid M-SUV, on black friday and a few rare sale days it can be found new for $100. The M-SUV has built in stops that double as support rollers. If the stops need to be smaller then just clamp a stop to the fence of the miter saw. This stand is perfect for moulding installers because it can easily support 10' or longer strips. Also, once you properly setup a decent miter saw, it will make perfect and repeatable cuts.

You can also make a zero clearance fence for the miter saw to minimize tearout.

[Von Bickley]

Very Good Advice from Bill and Jason.......

[george wilson]

I only use a miter saw for cutting real long pieces I can't get onto my table saw due to them hitting a wall or something. I used one a lot when making shop shelving out of 8' boards.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I use my vintage DeWalt 12" for making frames. Once set, I get light free gaps on all joints. I can't say the same for the sliders, IMO the slide feature gives enough error to create gaps. When making frames I cut both pieces, so GUARENTEED to be the same. I think my MS is very accurate.

I don't own a slider atachment for my table saw, if I did, the MS may get retired though. Since you have a table saw, I'd consider the slider attachment, since it costs the same as a GOOD miter saw. I'm contemplating the Jessum that Rod mentioned. Lots of money for something my MS already does though..... Like Rod mentioned, you can make tons of exact cuts with it.

[scott spencer]

I get more accurate x-cuts on my TS for all but really long pieces. A lot depends on your miter saw, and mine's not that good.

[Nathan Callender]

I had a miter saw before a table saw so that's how I used to cut things to length. Honestly, now that I have a good ts, all but the longest pieces are cut to length on the table saw. I had to tune my miter gauge to take out the slop in the track and set it to a perfect 90, and I attached an aux fence to it. I use the regular fence (with a stop block) to keep all the pieces the same length.

I like doing this way because

a) I don't have a very large miter saw station with a long fence and stops

b) I get better dust collection

c) I think it's a little safer for me personally

So, you can get good results either way. Pick the tool you feel most comfortable with (or have). If you are trying to justify another tool purchase, well then, you can also use a miter saw to cut rough lumber before milling. :-)

[Todd Hoppe]

Since I got a good table saw I rarely use my miter saw. I think the miter saw is more for cutting pieces too long for the table saw or as a jobsite tool, as long as you have a good miter gauge.


+1 on Zach's comment. After buying a good miter gauge, I also use my miter saw far less frequently, particularly for angled cuts. I bought this one, after seeing Norm use it, and seeing good reviews on this forum:

http://www.shop.osbornemfg.com/product.sc?productId=2

[Jason Strauss]

You guys are starting to convince me to possibly use my TS for more of these crosscuts:rolleyes:.

I generally only use the TS for wider boards. Something for me to think about...

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I never cross cut anything except plywood or stock wider than 12" on my TS. I always use a miter saw. For me they are much more accurate on repeatable cuts. I also never miter anything on the TS.

This seems to be a personal choice subject. As you can see most folks prefer the TS for all cuts. Since I am not a hobbyist, time is important to me and the miter saw saves me a bundle of it. If you have the time and don't mind the extra setup steps, then the TS may be the way to go.

[Keith Harrell]

As mentioned in the posts above I have both. I use the mitre only for cutting down boards to glue up into larger panels. My shop prevent me from using the table saw for long cross cuts. I used the table saw for all final cuts. I also use the mitre saw for rough cut lumber to chop off ends and bad parts.