Do these 5 things to make your miter saw better

Summary

This video shares five tips to enhance miter saw performance, including replacing the throat plate, using a hold down stick for safety, adding a zero clearance jig for cleaner cuts, ensuring proper setup and blade quality, and improving dust collection with a cyclone, iVac switch, and dust shroud.

Takeaways

• 🔧 Miter saws are useful for cross cutting boards but can be loud and dusty, often resulting in less than perfect cuts.
• 🛠️ Replacing the throat plate with a zero clearance throat plate or adding zero clearance tape can significantly improve cut quality and reduce tearout.
• 🔗 Using a hold down stick, either homemade or purchased, is a safer way to cut small pieces and keep fingers away from the blade.
• 📐 Adding a temporary zero clearance jig can make cuts safer, cleaner, and more accurate by providing additional support to the workpiece.
• 📚 Ensuring that the fence is square to the blade and the blade is square to the table is crucial for accurate cuts right out of the box.
• 🔪 Upgrading to a good crosscut blade with 60 to 100 teeth can result in cleaner cuts.
• 🏗️ Creating adequate support around the miter saw, such as a miter saw station or a stand, is essential for safety and ease of use.
• 💨 Dust collection is vital when using a miter saw, and connecting a shop vac or dust extractor to the saw’s dust port can be more effective than using the provided bag.
• 🔌 Automating dust collection with an iVac switch can make the process more convenient and consistent, ensuring the shop vac turns on and off automatically with the miter saw.
• 🏚️ Building a dust shroud or hood around the miter saw can further contain dust and improve air quality in the workspace.
• 👍 Implementing these tips can lead to better results with a miter saw, making the process safer, cleaner, and more precise.

Q & A

What are the main issues with using a miter saw?

Miter saws can be loud, dusty, and may not always produce the finest quality cut due to tearout on the bottom side of the board.

Why should you replace the throat plate on your miter saw?

The throat plate with a wide slot can cause tearout on your cuts because the board isn't fully supported on the bottom side.

What are the two options to fix the issue with the throat plate?

You can either remove the existing insert and custom build a zero clearance throat plate, or simply add zero clearance tape to the throat plate.

How does zero clearance tape improve your miter saw cuts?

Zero clearance tape provides better support for the board, resulting in cleaner cuts with minimal tearout and preventing small cut-offs from falling into the crack.

What is a hold down stick and how does it help with miter saw safety?

A hold down stick is a tool that allows you to safely hold down a small piece of wood while keeping your fingers at a safe distance from the blade, making cuts safer.

Why is it important to use a temporary zero clearance jig when cutting small pieces?

A temporary zero clearance jig helps make cuts safer, cleaner, and more accurate by providing support at the back of the workpiece and reducing the risk of kickback.

What basic adjustments should you make to your miter saw right out of the box?

You should ensure that the fence is square to the blade, the blade is square to the table, and upgrade the blade to a decent crosscut blade.

Why is it recommended to create adequate support around the miter saw?

Adequate support helps prevent the lumber from falling or catching on the spinning blade, which can cause kickback or other dangerous situations.

How can you improve dust collection on your miter saw?

You can connect a shop vac or dust extractor to the saw’s dust port, use a cyclone to separate sawdust, and automate your dust collection with an iVac switch.

What is the purpose of a dust shroud or hood for a miter saw?

A dust shroud or hood helps contain any dust that isn’t caught by your dust collection system, reducing airborne sawdust and improving air quality in your workspace.

How does the iVac switch help with dust collection?

The iVac switch automatically turns on the shop vac when you start the miter saw and keeps it running for a few seconds after you finish cutting to clear out the sawdust, then automatically stops.

Outlines

00:00

🔧 Improving Miter Saw Performance

This paragraph discusses the common issues with miter saws such as loud noise, dust generation, and poor cut quality. The speaker suggests replacing the standard throat plate with a zero clearance throat plate or using zero clearance tape to minimize tearout and improve cut quality. They also recommend using a hold down stick for safer and more precise cuts on small pieces, and building a temporary zero clearance jig for cleaner and safer cuts. The importance of having a good support system for the saw and the workpiece is also highlighted.

05:01

🛠 Basic Setup and Upgrades for Miter Saws

The speaker emphasizes the importance of proper setup for a miter saw, including ensuring the fence is square to the blade and the blade is square to the table. They suggest upgrading the standard blade to a crosscut blade with 60 to 100 teeth for cleaner cuts. Additionally, they recommend creating adequate support around the miter saw, such as a miter saw station or a stand, to prevent accidents and improve efficiency. The paragraph also covers the necessity of dust collection, suggesting connecting a shop vac or dust extractor to the saw’s dust port and using a cyclone to reduce filter clogging. An automated dust collection system, the iVac switch, is introduced to simplify the process of managing sawdust.

10:05

🏗️ Enhancing Dust Control with a Dust Shroud

The final paragraph focuses on improving dust control around the miter saw. The speaker demonstrates the effectiveness of a dust shroud or hood, which is essentially a box built around the saw to contain dust. They show an air quality monitor to compare the dust levels with the doors of the dust shroud open and closed, and with the shop vac disconnected. The results highlight the significant reduction in airborne dust when using the dust shroud. The speaker encourages viewers to build a dust hood around their miter saw for better air quality and cleaner workspace, providing links to more detailed information and related videos.

Keywords

💡Miter saw

A miter saw is a type of power saw used for making precise cuts in wood and other materials at a specific angle. In the video, the miter saw is the central tool being discussed, with various tips provided to improve its performance and safety. The script mentions issues like loud noise, dust generation, and the quality of cuts, which are addressed through the suggested improvements.

💡Throat plate

The throat plate is a component of a miter saw that supports the blade and helps guide the material being cut. The script emphasizes the importance of replacing the standard throat plate with a zero clearance throat plate or adding zero clearance tape to reduce tearout and improve cut quality.

💡Tearout

Tearout refers to the rough, torn appearance on the edge of a cut, often caused by the material being unsupported during the cutting process. The video discusses how the standard throat plate's wide slot can lead to tearout, and suggests solutions like a zero clearance throat plate or tape to minimize this issue.

💡Zero clearance throat plate

A zero clearance throat plate is a modification to a miter saw that provides full support to the material being cut, reducing tearout and improving cut quality. The script suggests building a custom zero clearance throat plate or using zero clearance tape as alternatives to the standard throat plate.

💡Hold down stick

A hold down stick is a tool used to secure small pieces of wood during cutting, keeping the operator's fingers at a safe distance from the blade. The video recommends using a hold down stick for safer cutting of small pieces on a miter saw, highlighting its importance in preventing accidents.

💡Crosscut sled

A crosscut sled is a device used with a miter saw to support and guide the material being cut, particularly for small pieces. The script mentions the crosscut sled as a preferred method for making small cuts, but also introduces the hold down stick as a quicker alternative.

💡Zero clearance jig

A zero clearance jig is a temporary support structure used in conjunction with a miter saw to provide additional support and alignment for the material being cut. The video describes building a jig using MDF and securing it to the saw, which helps achieve cleaner, safer cuts.

💡Crosscut blade

A crosscut blade is a type of saw blade designed for making straight, clean cuts in wood. The script advises upgrading the standard blade that comes with a miter saw to a good crosscut blade with a suitable number of teeth for improved cut quality.

💡Dust collection

Dust collection refers to the process of capturing and removing sawdust and debris generated during the cutting process. The video discusses the importance of effective dust collection to improve air quality and safety in the workspace, suggesting the use of a shop vac, cyclone, and an automated dust collection system.

💡iVac switch

The iVac switch is a device that automates the dust collection process by turning on the shop vac or dust extractor when the miter saw is activated. The script highlights the convenience and efficiency of using an iVac switch to ensure consistent dust collection without manual intervention.

💡Dust shroud

A dust shroud is a protective enclosure designed to contain and direct dust and debris away from the cutting area. The video recommends building a dust shroud around the miter saw to further improve dust containment and air quality in the workshop.

Highlights

Miter saws are great for cross-cutting boards but are loud, dusty, and don’t always produce the finest quality cut.

Replacing the throat plate with a wide slot is an absolute must to reduce tearout on cuts.

Custom build a zero clearance throat plate or use zero clearance tape for cleaner cuts.

Zero clearance tape is a strong vinyl tape that reduces tearout and prevents small cut-offs from getting stuck.

Using a hold-down stick, such as the 10 million dollar stick, keeps fingers safe when cutting small pieces.

A temporary zero clearance jig made of MDF improves cut quality and safety for small parts.

Ensure your miter saw is correctly adjusted: the fence is square to the blade, and the blade is square to the table.

Upgrading the blade to a good crosscut blade with 60 to 100 teeth results in cleaner cuts.

Adequate support around the miter saw is essential to prevent dangerous situations when cutting.

Dust collection is crucial; using a shop vac with a cyclone helps keep the workspace clean and air quality good.

Automating dust collection with an iVac switch makes the process easier and more efficient.

Adding a dust shroud or hood around the miter saw helps contain dust not caught by the dust collection system.

A dust shroud with sliding doors allows for easy adjustments and better dust containment.

Comparing air quality before and after using a dust shroud demonstrates its effectiveness in reducing dust.

Improving your miter saw with these tips leads to better results and a cleaner, safer workspace.

Transcripts

Miter saws are great for cross cutting  boards, but are also loud, dusty,  

and don’t always produce the finest quality cut.  But, there are simple solutions to improve all  

that. So, today I’m sharing 5 easy ways  to make your miter saw better.  

The first tip - and this one is super easy and  an absolute must if you haven’t done it already.  

That throat plate with a really wide slot in  it? You need to replace that immediately.  

Because they’re is so much empty space  around the blade - I mean look how wide  

that is - you’ll almost always get tearout  on your cuts because the board isn’t fully  

supported on the bottom side. Now there are 2 simple options to  

fix this. The first one is to remove the  existing insert and custom build a zero  

clearance throat plate. Now I did this on my  previous miter saw and it was actually one of  

the first videos I ever posted on my channel if  you want to have a good laugh and go watch that.  

I’ll actually link it up here in the corner. The second, much easier option, is to simply add  

this zero clearance tape. It’s a super thin yet  strong piece of vinyl tape made just for this,  

and I’ll leave a link to it in the description. This is what I’ve been using on my miter saw for  

years now and it’s held up really well - I  haven’t even had to replace it yet. But they  

come in a pack of 5 in case you do need to swap  it out. If you’re doing bevel cuts for example,  

you’re going to need to replace the tape to get  a fresh zero clearance line when you go back to  

90 degree cuts. They peel up easily and then you  can give it a quick cleaning with rubbing alcohol  

and stick down a fresh piece. All that’s left is  to cut the kerf after making sure that your blade  

is square before you do this. Not bad! By simply adding this piece of tape I get  

much cleaner cuts with minimal tearout  on the bottom side than if I was using  

the standard throat plate. And having a  zero clearance means there’s no risk of  

having small cut-offs fall into the crack and  get stuck, so there’s that advantage too.  

Now you’ve probably - at least hopefully -  noticed the warning signs telling you to keep  

your fingers aways from the blade - or maybe  you’ve made a cut or two where your fingers  

felt uncomfortably close to the blade. Cutting small pieces on a miter saw can be  

scary and pretty dangerous too. Ideally, I prefer  to use a crosscut sled to make those small cuts,  

but sometimes in a pinch you just  want to make a quick cut without  

the hassle of pulling out the sled. Now, there’s a quick, safer way to make  

these cuts on the miter saw, and that’s to use a  hold down stick. You can make one yourself - and  

there are plenty of examples on the internet that  you can look up - or save some time and buy one of  

these. This is called the 10 million dollar stick,  and it allows me to safely hold down a small piece  

of wood, all while keeping my fingers at  a safe distance. There is no way I’d make  

a cut like this using my hand to hold down the  workpiece. But having my fingers far away from the  

blade and knowing that the workpiece is held down  securely, I can confidently make this cut.  

It’s got these little rubber feet to provide  a solid grip, and I can use it in different  

positions depending on what I’m cutting.  If you’re interested in checking it out,  

I’ll leave a product link down below. Whether it be the 10M$ stick or a homemade  

version, I highly recommend having some  sort of hold down stick to hold down your  

workpiece securely and keep your  fingers away from that blade.  

Now using a hold down stick is great and  definitely makes cutting small pieces safer,  

but there’s something else I like to do to make  those cuts not only safer, but cleaner too. And  

that’s to add a temporary zero clearance jig. Building this jig is pretty straightforward. I’m  

using half-inch MDF for this. I’ll start with  a piece that’s wide enough so that my blade  

won’t cut all the way through it, then add  a short fence using CA glue and activator,  

and then I can reinforce that with a few  screws. To secure the jig to my miter saw,  

I can either use these mounting holes in the fence  to secure it with a few screws from the back,  

or I can simply use some double-sided tape  to stick it to my fence. Once that’s done,  

I’ll cut the kerf, being careful not to cut  all the way through the jig. And that’s it,  

the jig is now ready to be used. There are so many advantages to using  

a jig like this. 1. It makes it easier to line up  your cuts since you can reference off the cut in  

the jig to precisely line up your cut. 2. It’ll  result in much cleaner cuts since the board now  

has support both on the bottom and at the back  - so you’ll get virtually no tear-out using a  

jig like this. And 3. It’s much safer to cut small  parts because there’s now that support at the back  

of the workpiece. Unlike cutting a small piece  like this where the blade might want to catch and  

twist the board causing kickback or even pulling  your hand towards the blade. We definitely don't  

want that. So having a jig like this will make  cuts safer, cleaner and even more accurate.  

Before I get to the next tip, there are a few  basic things that you want to make sure to  

address with any miter saw right out of the box.  Number one is making sure everything is adjusted  

correctly, meaning that the fence is square to the  blade and that the blade is square to the table.  

And every saw will come with a manual explaining  how to do this for your particular saw. I make  

sure to do this first thing out of the box and  check it again every once in a while too.  

The other thing you’ll want to do is to upgrade  the blade that comes with the saw to a decent  

crosscut blade. Now a good crosscut blade will  have anywhere from 60 to 100 teeth, with a tooth  

angle that’s not too aggressive. I use a 60-tooth  blade personally and have had good results.  

But in theory, the more teeth you have when  crosscutting, the cleaner of a cut you’ll get.  

The third basic I’ll throw in here - even if  you might not consider it to be a basic - is  

to create adequate support around the miter saw to  support the piece that you’re cutting. This could  

be a miter saw station like the one I have, or it  could be a store bought stand - I got this miter  

saw stand on sale at Princess Auto so that I can  use a miter saw outdoors or even on the go if I  

need to. In a pinch, you could even simply prop up  some blocks on each side of the miter saw, just to  

have something to support the lumber on. Because if you don’t have any support,  

it’ll get real annoying real fast and can  actually be dangerous too. You might make  

a sudden move to catch the falling lumber or  it might catch on the spinning blade and cause  

kick-back - I don't even want to picture some  of the worst case scenarios. But bottom line,  

however you do it, my tip is to make sure  your lumber is supported on each side.  

Okay, getting back to my tips on how to  improve your miter saw, here’s number 4.  

It goes without saying that having some  sort of dust collection on your miter saw  

is a must. Miter saws are notoriously great  at generating a cloud of airborne sawdust  

that'll ruin the air quality in your workspace. Now, most miter saws come with a dust collection  

bag, but these can only do so much to contain  dust. The best option is to connect a shop vac or  

dust extractor to the saw’s dust port. I’m pretty  happy with the setup I’ve got, so let me show you  

what that is. So I have a shop vac hooked up to  the dust port here. But before going to the shop  

vac, all the dust goes though this cyclone here  so most of the sawdust drops into this bucket,  

and very little actually makes it to the shop  vac. This helps to avoid the shop vac filter from  

clogging up all the time and makes clean up a lot  easier. All I have to do is open up this bucket  

and empty it out whenever it gets full. I have a video where I explain this setup in  

more detail, and I’ll link that up in the  corner here if you want to check it out.  

Now having a shop vac and cyclone is great,  but the real upgrade I want to talk about is  

automating your dust collection. And that’s  where this little gadget comes in. This is an  

iVac switch and what it does is basically tells  yo ur shop vac to turn on as soon as you fire up  

your miter saw. And it only takes a few seconds  to set this up. Just plug your miter saw into  

one outlet and plug your shop vac into the other,  then switch your shop vac to ON. That’s it.  

Now as soon as I hit the trigger on my miter saw,  the shop vac fires up. And after I finish making  

the cut, the shop vac will keep running for  6 seconds to finish clearing out the sawdust,  

and then automatically stop. I don’t know  about you, but having to manually turn on  

and off your dust collector every time  you make a cut - I would forget half the  

time or just not even bother. So having  an automated setup like this is such a  

game-changer for me. If you want more details  about this set up, be sure to check out my  

dust collection video linked up here. I’ll  also link to the iVac switch down below.  

Now, even with a shop vac hooked up to your  miter saw and automated dust collection,  

we all know that dust collection on most miter  saws, well, sucks. And not in a good way. And  

that’s where my final tip comes in, and that’s to  add a dust shroud like the one I have here.  

A dust shroud or hood is essentially just a  box built around your miter saw. It’ll help  

contain any dust that isn’t caught by your  dust collection system. So instead of having  

all that dust floating around your workshop,  it’ll mostly be contained in this box.  

The key is to make the box as closed-off  as possible, but still be able to use the  

saw without any issue. As you can see I’ve  created a cutout to allow the saw to be used  

in the 90 degree crosscut position.  But if I need to make an angled cut,  

I can just slide open the doors like this. Some  people use screws or magnets to hold on the doors,  

but I decided to go with sliding doors so I don’t  have to deal with where to put down the doors when  

I need to open them up. So sliding doors just  seemed like the easiest solution to me.  

You can tell that it works by all the dust that’s  collected back here. But to demonstrate further,  

I’ll use this air quality monitor which is just  showing a baseline measurement right now before  

I make any cuts. I’ll first make 5 cuts with  the doors closed and check the readings. Next  

I’ll make 5 cuts with the doors open and check the  readings again. And you know what, just for fun,  

I’m going to disconnect my shop vac and see  what happens. Mmm yeah, I think you get the  

picture. So I highly recommend taking your dust  collection one step further and building a dust  

hood around your miter saw - and I provide more  details on how I built this in another video that  

I’ll link up here and down below as well. Having a miter saw doesn’t mean you have to  

breathe dust all day and get frustrating  results. I hope these 5 tips will help  

you get better results with your miter  saw. Remember to check the links in the  

description box down below for links to all the  products I talked about and related videos.  

Until next time, thanks for  watching, see you soon!