A miter saw is located at the center of most woodworking shops for a specific reason. A miter saw allow a person to make angled cuts in the lumber that they are using in their projects. Those angled cuts allow a person to create product such as picture frames, crown molding, and trim work.
However, the miter saw itself isnt the entire product that a woodshop need. A person will need to purchase specific accessory for the saw in order to truly benefit from the tool’s capabilities. These accessories will reduce the amount of waste that the saw produces, they will protect the person hands, and they will allow them to complete more projects with the saw.
Once a person starts using these saw accessories, they will have a better idea of which accessories are the best for completing specific projects.
Essential Miter Saw Accessories You Should Own
1. High Quality Carbide Blade
The first accessory that is worth owning for a miter saw is a high quality carbide blade that is designed for finish work. A blade that contains 60 to 80 cutting teeth with an alternating top bevel grind will allow a person to cleanly cut through wood type like oak and maple.
This saw blade will allow a person to avoid sanding the boards once they have completed their cuts. Although these saw blades cost more money up front, they will remain sharp for a longer time. Additionally, the saw blades will allow the saw to produce the best cuts possible so that the painters will thank the saw owner later in the project.
The tradeoff with these blades is that the saw will move a little slow when compared to other saw blades. However, if a saw owner learns to allow the miter saw to do the work rather than forcing the saw to perform the cutting, they will enjoy the life of the saw and the quality of the saw blades. The next saw accessory that is worth purchasing is a set of hold-down clamp.
2. Hold-down Clamps
These clamps will allow the person to secure the saw’s workpiece to the saw table, thus preventing it from shifting during the sawing process. Placing one clamp on each side of the saw blade, tightening them to the appropriate strength will ensure that each cut made with the miter saw will be even with the marks made on the workpiece. These clamps are especially helpful when cutting small workpiece or materials as slippery as aluminum.
Without these clamps, the workpieces may shift on the saw table, leading to ruined saw cuts. Furthermore, holding the workpiece in place will allow the saw operator to keep their finger farther from the rotating saw blade. While maintaining this distance from the saw blade is a benefit until the time comes when both of the persons hands must be free of objects.
A third saw accessory that is worth purchasing for a miter saw is a laser or LED indicator.
3. Laser or LED Indicator
These indicators will help align a workpiece with the saw blade so that cuts can be made in even length on items like crown molding or picture frames. While the factory-installed saw lasers may be inaccurate in the alignment of the saw blade, aftermarket laser indicator will help align the workpiece perfectly with the saw blade.
This alignment will save a person time when cutting similar workpieces. The small cost of purchasing such an accessory will pay for itself during the first weekend that the saw owner is installing baseboards in multiple house throughout the community. A fourth saw accessory that is worth purchasing is a portable saw stand with integrated supports for specific materials.
4. Portable Saw Stand
These stands will allow the saw to be placed in even higher elevations to accommodate the tallest door or counters. Furthermore, the stands will provide supports that extend out from the saw to allow workpieces to be placed on them without the need for balancing the saw on saw horses. Other stands will include stops that will allow the miter saw to make multiple cuts of the same length.
Setting the stop to the desired length and placing the workpiece against the stop will allow workpieces to be easily cut to the same length without having to continually measure them. These stands will fold into a small size that can be stored in the truck bed of the saw owner. A fifth saw accessory is a set of saw collection bag.
5. Saw Collection Bag
These bags will catch the majority of the sawdust created by the saw while cutting wood. Instead of having the sawdust float in the air in the shop, the bags will catch it so that the shop will remain clean. Furthermore, having the sawdust collected will allow the saw operator to have better visibility while they are cutting the wood.
Additionally, by having the sawdust collected, they will reduce the number of trip that they have to make to the hardware store for wooddust filters for their respirator. A sixth saw accessory is zero-clearance inserts. These inserts will be made of plywood or plastic and will fit into the throat plate of the saw.
6. Zero-Clearance Inserts
The zero-clearance inserts will be used to prevent any splintering that may occur on the backside of the workpiece that is cut by the saw. The saw owner will have to make an initial plunge cut into the workpiece to form a slot for the zero-clearance insert. Once the insert is placed into the saw, all workpieces can have their backside supported by the saw.
These inserts are helpful for saws that work with melamine, plywood, or other product that can splinter if cut incorrectly. The slot will widen over time but will allow another insert to be made in five minutes. This insert system is cheap, repeatable, and effective.
Another accessory that is worth purchasing for a miter saw is adjustable miter saw fence. These fences will extend the saw’s existing fence and allow saw owners to saw longer board without the issue of them flopping off the saw table. These aftermarket fences will provide an extended surface for saws that work with tall crown molding.
7. Adjustable Miter Saw Fence
The adjustable fences will also include flip stops that will allow them to be moved out of the way when not in use. These stops will allow the saw operator to cut workpieces to a specific length and then flip the stop to cut another length of workpiece. This will create the sensation of a professional shop with no workpiece measurement taken twice.
The saw fence extension must be kept in alignment with the saw blade. However, flip stops can be used to ensure that the saw operator avoids making angled workpiece. Another saw accessory that is helpful for saw owners is a crown molding angle finder.
8. Crown Molding Angle Finder
This tool takes the guesswork out of cutting crown molding. Instead of calculating the angles for the saw blade’s miter and bevel settings, the angle finder tool will allow the saw owner to place the tool against the molding wall and ceiling. It will then provide the angles that the saw blade should be set to.
This tool will eliminate the mental calculation that saw owners have to make for crown molding. Furthermore, it will allow the saw blade to cut the crown molding so that the corner fit perfectly during the first cut. Professionals will have this tool in their saw bags as it will turn a forty-five-minute job into a ten-minute job.
Finally, a saw blade changing tool and a set of Allen wrench will help saw owners to change the saw blade. Although this may seem to be a small tool, there will come a time when a saw blade need to be changed. Using improvised tool to change the saw blade may damage the saw.
9. Saw Blade Changing Tool
Instead, a magnetic holder for the Allen wrenches will allow them to be kept within the saw’s stand. This will allow saw owners to change the saw blade quickly and easily without having to search for the wrenches. These accessories do not need to be bought all at once.
Instead, the saw owner should purchase a high-quality blade and hold-down clamps first. Then, the saw owner can purchase the other tools that may solve the saw owner’s most common problem. Over time, they will accumulate a collection of saw accessories and find their miter saw to be a well-tuned machine.
Each woodworker will enjoy their saws because they will be able to transform raw lumber into finished products without any drama. This is the life of any woodworker who loves their tools.
