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How To Use a Power Miter Saw: Cutting Short Pieces Requires Special Techniques
Whenever you have to cut miters on a piece less than about 8 in. long, cut them from a longer piece so you can keep your fingers in the safe zone away from the blade. If you need a 6-in. piece of baseboard with miters on both ends, for example, cut one miter on the end of a long piece of base. Then mark for the other miter, change the miter saw angle, and cut off the 6-in. piece while you hold the longer end. Very small pieces fall through the large gap in the fence on many saws and can easily break or be flung across the room. Sometimes it’s helpful to screw a taller wood fence to your miter saw to support wide trim and reduce the size of the space near the blade. The fence has holes that are just for this purpose.
Every brand of miter saw is slightly different. The more you use your saw, the more you’ll get used to its quirks and the easier it will be to get accurate results.
Simple Miter Saw Stand
No matter what type of miter saw you own, a stand that holds the tool at a comfortable working height and supports long pieces of lumber is a must. It doesn’t have to be fancy. The wooden bed extension on this stand makes it easy to attach stop blocks . If you’ve got extra time, embellish this plan by adding a plywood bottom to form a tray and replacing the 1x8 with a wider strip of 3/4-in. plywood. Set the stand across a pair of sawhorses to save wear and tear on your knees.
Use 8-ft. 2x4s for the base. Cut a piece of plywood about 16 in. wide and the length of the miter saw and screw it to the 2x4s. Rip 2x4 blocks so they’ll support the 1x8 top flush with the bed of the saw. Screw the blocks to the long 2x4s. Then screw the 1x8 bed extensions to the blocks.
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