Take Your Carpentry To the Next Level With the Best Miter Saw
Looking for a miter saws that will enable you to perform complex cutting jobs with ease? You’ve come to the right place! Here we run down some of the best miter saws in 2022, any one of which will make a useful addition to your workshop. Built to the most stringent standards of performance, safety, and ease of use, miter saws are some of the most durable and dependable power tools you could invest in.
Take the models featured below, for example. Constructed according to the highest standards, they utilize only the finest materials and assembly processes to ensure utmost reliability and safety even with rugged use. The quality of these miter saws is such that most any of them will represent an excellent deal. You simply can’t go wrong with any one of these, so choose the best miter saw at your preferred price point and find out what you’ve been missing out on all along.
What are the premier miter saws of 2022?
DEWALT 12-Inch Miter Saw
– Best Overall
The Dewalt 12-Inch Miter Saw combines a powerful 15-amp motor with a host of features to make cutting jobs easier and faster. The stainless steel design makes precise, smooth cuts with the 12-inch double bevel sliding design. The high-capacity cutting machine accommodates crown molding and base molding with equal ease.
The Dewalt also earns praise for its smooth and quiet operation, especially among those who have used other miter saws in the past. Features such as the XPS cross-cut positioning system enable you to perform accurate cuts without having to adjust the saw repeatedly, so even the most complex tasks can be done with ease. That’s why this is the best overall miter saw on this list.
- Features 14 positive dent stops
- Bevels go up to 48 degrees
- Tall sliding fences
- Owner’s manual missing from packages
Metabo HPT 10-Inch Miter Saw
– Runner Up
The Metabo HPT 10-inch Miter Saw is a lightweight, yet powerful compound miter saw. Its 15-amp motor is capable of 5,000 RPM no-load performance, making it more than capable of most crosscut and miter-cut tasks. This saw is equipped with a specially designed vice-clamping system that keeps workpieces securely in place. This helps ensure safer and more efficient operation, with much less safety risk.
A horizontal handle enhances secure fittings even further, and a dust collector attachment is included that reduces dust particles in the air. With its zero to 45-degree bevel range, it is an excellent choice for woodworkers that require utmost consistency and precision. It even has thumb-actuated positive stops that enable you to adjust miters quickly.
- Excellent precision
- Adjust miters quickly
- Handles secure fittings
- No laser guide
Delta Miter Saw with Laser
– Best Design
The Delta Miter Saw with Laser is a great addition to any woodworker’s arsenal of power tools. It offers superb value in an affordable and capable design. Features such as the battery-operated laser make blade alignment a breeze, speeding up even the most complex tasks while ensuring accuracy. It also has plenty of power to spare, with a 15-amp motor that can cut smoothly and cleanly in a single pass.
The Delta miter saw is quite a versatile unit that will work with almost any miter saw stand. The battery-operated laser guide is super helpful in conjunction with the motor. The spindle lock holds the spindle securely while the bade nut is loosened and removed. Get the most out of your woodworking session with this stellar miter saw from Delta.
- 15-amp motor works all day
- Laser guide cuts precisely
- Super versatile
- Not a high-end saw
Skil 10-Inch Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw
– Most Durable
This 10-inch dual bevel sliding compound miter saw from Skil is the most durable miter saw you’ll find on the market. The high-speed steel design can cut through anything from wood to stainless steel surfaces without any hesitation. The powerful 15-amp motor delivers 4,800 RPM for detailed, quick cuts. With the dual bevel, you can cut in four positive stop positions to get just the right angle on your surfaces.
The 2×12 cutting capacity cross-cuts lumber up to 2×12 at 90 degrees. It also cuts at common angles to get the most out of your miter saw. Not to mention the LED shadow lights show you exactly where to cut. Cut tough surfaces safely and efficiently with the Skil 10-inch Miter Saw.
- 2×12 cutting capacity
- LED shadow lights
- Cuts through tough surfaces
- Faulty sliding fence alignment
Genesis 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw
– Most Versatile
This 10-inch compound miter saw from Genesis comes in many different styles to fit all your woodworking needs. The nine positive miter stops are great for cutting at commonly used angles. It can make bevel cuts up to 45 degrees left and perform compound miter cuts with ease! The compound cutting mode works best on crown molding, shadow boxes, picture frames, and much more.
There’s an electric brake to stop the blade in seconds for the ultimate safety feature. The arbor lock allows for quick blade changes on different materials. The laser guide is super helpful as well to see where you’re going to cut next. It just takes two AAA batteries and you’re set! You can check out this miter saw by itself, or get the one with a clamp, sawhorses, table, or stand. The possibilities with this saw are endless.
- Makes 45-degree bevel cuts
- Helpful laser guide
- Versatile choice
- Clamp sometimes doesn’t function
Best Miter Saws Buying Guide
A miter saw is only as effective as its reliability and durability. Choosing the best miter saw you can find will ensure that you get the best performance possible and that you are able to enjoy your tool to the fullest. A careful comparison will also ensure that you get a powerful tool that meets the highest safety standards. This is always an important concern, especially when it comes to miter saws, which may pose a safety hazard when improperly operated or constructed under less than optimal standards.
Types of Miter Saws
Evaluating the different types of miter saws is a much simpler task when you know what you are looking for. There are actually a few different types of these tools, each designed for specific tasks. Each type also has its benefits and drawbacks.
First up are the basic miter saws commonly used for trim cutting and cross and miter cuts. Because these designs typically don’t have a bevel option, they are pretty much limited to making miter cuts. Although they may not be the most versatile miter saws around, they are quite accurate and sufficiently effective for most basic cutting jobs.
Compound miter saws can be used to make tilted or bevel cuts due to the addition of a bevel. They can also be used for miter cuts simply by making a quick adjustment. These types of miter saws come in single bevel and dual bevel designs. Compound miter saws are most effective at cutting crown moldings and the like, performing even more complex jobs with ease and accuracy.
For sheer versatility, a sliding compound miter saw is what you need. This is by far the most versatile type of miter saw available and the most costly one as well. It provides all the benefits and features of a compound miter saw, with the added capability to cut wide and thick pieces of wood due to the inclusion of a sliding arm. Although overkill for most home woodworking jobs, the versatility and enhanced capabilities of these models make them pretty hard to beat.
Shopping Guide for Miter Saws
Power is typically measured in amps. The higher the amp rating of a miter saw, the more effective it will be at cutting. When considering this factor, you do have to determine just how much power you actually need. While a high amp saw is indeed nice to have around, it will also cost considerably more than a miter saw with fewer specs.
Another factor you will want to look into is blade size. Miter saws typically come with 8-, 10-, and 12-inch blades, although some can accommodate even larger blades. The larger the blade, the more effective it is at making long cuts.
Other factors that may be equally important to you are positive stops, depth stops, and articulated blade guards. These features enhance the effectiveness and accuracy of miter saws, enabling you to perform more precise cuts. You may also want to look into electric brakes that enable you to stop the blade’s spinning motion quickly.
What Are the Benefits of a Miter Saw?
Miter saws are some of the most useful tools to have in your shed or workshop. Among their benefits are:
Enhanced accuracy and precision
Miter saws are known for their accuracy, which is why they are very popular among woodworkers and practitioners of fine carpentry. Saws that come with angle-locking features are even more accurate, ensuring that cuts are exactly the same angle every time.
Higher-quality cuts
Another thing miter saws are known for is their ability to make smooth cuts of the highest quality. This is especially true of compound miter saws, which are routinely used for tasks that require the finest quality results. With such saws, you never have to deal with rough edges that require a great deal of sanding later.
Make cuts of different angles
If you have ever wondered how experienced woodworkers are able to make so many differently-angled cuts, a miter saw is likely the answer. The best compound miter saws can even cut at various angles, even without stopping the motor.
Easy to use
Despite their ability to perform the most complex tasks, miter saws are surprisingly among the easiest power tools to use. Even if you have never handled a similar tool before, you could probably be performing accurate and complex cuts after a few trials runs.
They can save a great deal of time
Miter saws can make even the most difficult jobs go smoothly and more quickly. They are especially useful for making wide cuts in large pieces of material, which would otherwise take a long time to do with other types of saws.
If you want to learn more about what you can do with a miter saw, check out this video by Steve Ramsey on Youtube.
People Also Asked
A: In most cases, the blade in a miter saw is mounted on a rotating arm that can pivot from 45° to 90° allowing it to produce straight and angled cuts.
A: The blade in the 12-inch miter saw is heavier, which is why it spins a lot slower. It's also more expensive than the 10-inch miter saw, which spins faster and is more portable due to its size and weight.
A: It's completely safe to use a miter saw on the floor as long as it has a solid surface. However, it can be a lot harder to cut this way, especially if you're working on a long sheet of wood that requires additional support while cutting.
