Do these 5 things to make your miter saw better
Summary
TLDRThis 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
- đ§ Miter saws are useful for cross cutting boards but can be loud and dusty, often resulting in less than perfect cuts.
- đ ïž Replacing the throat plate with a zero clearance throat plate or adding zero clearance tape can significantly improve cut quality and reduce tearout.
- đ Using a hold down stick, either homemade or purchased, is a safer way to cut small pieces and keep fingers away from the blade.
- đ Adding a temporary zero clearance jig can make cuts safer, cleaner, and more accurate by providing additional support to the workpiece.
- đ 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.
- đȘ Upgrading to a good crosscut blade with 60 to 100 teeth can result in cleaner cuts.
- đïž Creating adequate support around the miter saw, such as a miter saw station or a stand, is essential for safety and ease of use.
- đš Dust collection is vital when using a miter saw, and connecting a shop vac or dust extractor to the sawâs dust port can be more effective than using the provided bag.
- đ 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.
- đïž Building a dust shroud or hood around the miter saw can further contain dust and improve air quality in the workspace.
- đ 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 sawâs 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 isnât 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
đ§ 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.
đ 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 sawâs 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.
đïž 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄMiter saw
đĄThroat plate
đĄTearout
đĄZero clearance throat plate
đĄHold down stick
đĄCrosscut sled
đĄZero clearance jig
đĄCrosscut blade
đĄDust collection
đĄiVac switch
đĄDust shroud
Highlights
Miter saws are great for cross-cutting boards but are loud, dusty, and donât 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, Â
and donât always produce the finest quality cut. But, there are simple solutions to improve all Â
that. So, today Iâm sharing 5 easy ways to make your miter saw better. Â
The first tip - and this one is super easy and an absolute must if you havenât done it already. Â
That throat plate with a really wide slot in it? You need to replace that immediately. Â
Because theyâre is so much empty space around the blade - I mean look how wide Â
that is - youâll almost always get tearout on your cuts because the board isnât fully Â
supported on the bottom side. Now there are 2 simple options to Â
fix this. The first one is to remove the existing insert and custom build a zero Â
clearance throat plate. Now I did this on my previous miter saw and it was actually one of Â
the first videos I ever posted on my channel if you want to have a good laugh and go watch that. Â
Iâll actually link it up here in the corner. The second, much easier option, is to simply add Â
this zero clearance tape. Itâs a super thin yet strong piece of vinyl tape made just for this, Â
and Iâll leave a link to it in the description. This is what Iâve been using on my miter saw for Â
years now and itâs held up really well - I havenât even had to replace it yet. But they Â
come in a pack of 5 in case you do need to swap it out. If youâre doing bevel cuts for example, Â
youâre going to need to replace the tape to get a fresh zero clearance line when you go back to Â
90 degree cuts. They peel up easily and then you can give it a quick cleaning with rubbing alcohol Â
and stick down a fresh piece. All thatâs left is to cut the kerf after making sure that your blade Â
is square before you do this. Not bad! By simply adding this piece of tape I get Â
much cleaner cuts with minimal tearout on the bottom side than if I was using Â
the standard throat plate. And having a zero clearance means thereâs no risk of Â
having small cut-offs fall into the crack and get stuck, so thereâs that advantage too. Â
Now youâve probably - at least hopefully - noticed the warning signs telling you to keep Â
your fingers aways from the blade - or maybe youâve made a cut or two where your fingers Â
felt uncomfortably close to the blade. Cutting small pieces on a miter saw can be Â
scary and pretty dangerous too. Ideally, I prefer to use a crosscut sled to make those small cuts, Â
but sometimes in a pinch you just want to make a quick cut without Â
the hassle of pulling out the sled. Now, thereâs a quick, safer way to make Â
these cuts on the miter saw, and thatâs to use a hold down stick. You can make one yourself - and Â
there are plenty of examples on the internet that you can look up - or save some time and buy one of Â
these. This is called the 10 million dollar stick, and it allows me to safely hold down a small piece Â
of wood, all while keeping my fingers at a safe distance. There is no way Iâd make Â
a cut like this using my hand to hold down the workpiece. But having my fingers far away from the Â
blade and knowing that the workpiece is held down securely, I can confidently make this cut. Â
Itâs got these little rubber feet to provide a solid grip, and I can use it in different Â
positions depending on what Iâm cutting. If youâre interested in checking it out, Â
Iâll leave a product link down below. Whether it be the 10M$ stick or a homemade Â
version, I highly recommend having some sort of hold down stick to hold down your Â
workpiece securely and keep your fingers away from that blade. Â
Now using a hold down stick is great and definitely makes cutting small pieces safer, Â
but thereâs something else I like to do to make those cuts not only safer, but cleaner too. And Â
thatâs to add a temporary zero clearance jig. Building this jig is pretty straightforward. Iâm Â
using half-inch MDF for this. Iâll start with a piece thatâs wide enough so that my blade Â
wonât cut all the way through it, then add a short fence using CA glue and activator, Â
and then I can reinforce that with a few screws. To secure the jig to my miter saw, Â
I can either use these mounting holes in the fence to secure it with a few screws from the back, Â
or I can simply use some double-sided tape to stick it to my fence. Once thatâs done, Â
Iâll cut the kerf, being careful not to cut all the way through the jig. And thatâs it, Â
the jig is now ready to be used. There are so many advantages to using Â
a jig like this. 1. It makes it easier to line up your cuts since you can reference off the cut in Â
the jig to precisely line up your cut. 2. Itâll result in much cleaner cuts since the board now Â
has support both on the bottom and at the back - so youâll get virtually no tear-out using a Â
jig like this. And 3. Itâs much safer to cut small parts because thereâs now that support at the back Â
of the workpiece. Unlike cutting a small piece like this where the blade might want to catch and Â
twist the board causing kickback or even pulling your hand towards the blade. We definitely don't Â
want that. So having a jig like this will make cuts safer, cleaner and even more accurate. Â
Before I get to the next tip, there are a few basic things that you want to make sure to Â
address with any miter saw right out of the box. Number one is making sure everything is adjusted Â
correctly, meaning that the fence is square to the blade and that the blade is square to the table. Â
And every saw will come with a manual explaining how to do this for your particular saw. I make Â
sure to do this first thing out of the box and check it again every once in a while too. Â
The other thing youâll want to do is to upgrade the blade that comes with the saw to a decent Â
crosscut blade. Now a good crosscut blade will have anywhere from 60 to 100 teeth, with a tooth Â
angle thatâs not too aggressive. I use a 60-tooth blade personally and have had good results. Â
But in theory, the more teeth you have when crosscutting, the cleaner of a cut youâll get. Â
The third basic Iâll throw in here - even if you might not consider it to be a basic - is Â
to create adequate support around the miter saw to support the piece that youâre cutting. This could Â
be a miter saw station like the one I have, or it could be a store bought stand - I got this miter Â
saw stand on sale at Princess Auto so that I can use a miter saw outdoors or even on the go if I Â
need to. In a pinch, you could even simply prop up some blocks on each side of the miter saw, just to Â
have something to support the lumber on. Because if you donât have any support, Â
itâll get real annoying real fast and can actually be dangerous too. You might make Â
a sudden move to catch the falling lumber or it might catch on the spinning blade and cause Â
kick-back - I don't even want to picture some of the worst case scenarios. But bottom line, Â
however you do it, my tip is to make sure your lumber is supported on each side. Â
Okay, getting back to my tips on how to improve your miter saw, hereâs number 4. Â
It goes without saying that having some sort of dust collection on your miter saw Â
is a must. Miter saws are notoriously great at generating a cloud of airborne sawdust Â
that'll ruin the air quality in your workspace. Now, most miter saws come with a dust collection Â
bag, but these can only do so much to contain dust. The best option is to connect a shop vac or Â
dust extractor to the sawâs dust port. Iâm pretty happy with the setup Iâve got, so let me show you Â
what that is. So I have a shop vac hooked up to the dust port here. But before going to the shop Â
vac, all the dust goes though this cyclone here so most of the sawdust drops into this bucket, Â
and very little actually makes it to the shop vac. This helps to avoid the shop vac filter from Â
clogging up all the time and makes clean up a lot easier. All I have to do is open up this bucket Â
and empty it out whenever it gets full. I have a video where I explain this setup in Â
more detail, and Iâll link that up in the corner here if you want to check it out. Â
Now having a shop vac and cyclone is great, but the real upgrade I want to talk about is Â
automating your dust collection. And thatâs where this little gadget comes in. This is an Â
iVac switch and what it does is basically tells yo ur shop vac to turn on as soon as you fire up Â
your miter saw. And it only takes a few seconds to set this up. Just plug your miter saw into Â
one outlet and plug your shop vac into the other, then switch your shop vac to ON. Thatâs it. Â
Now as soon as I hit the trigger on my miter saw, the shop vac fires up. And after I finish making Â
the cut, the shop vac will keep running for 6 seconds to finish clearing out the sawdust, Â
and then automatically stop. I donât know about you, but having to manually turn on Â
and off your dust collector every time you make a cut - I would forget half the Â
time or just not even bother. So having an automated setup like this is such a Â
game-changer for me. If you want more details about this set up, be sure to check out my Â
dust collection video linked up here. Iâll also link to the iVac switch down below. Â
Now, even with a shop vac hooked up to your miter saw and automated dust collection, Â
we all know that dust collection on most miter saws, well, sucks. And not in a good way. And Â
thatâs where my final tip comes in, and thatâs to add a dust shroud like the one I have here. Â
A dust shroud or hood is essentially just a box built around your miter saw. Itâll help Â
contain any dust that isnât caught by your dust collection system. So instead of having Â
all that dust floating around your workshop, itâll mostly be contained in this box. Â
The key is to make the box as closed-off as possible, but still be able to use the Â
saw without any issue. As you can see Iâve created a cutout to allow the saw to be used Â
in the 90 degree crosscut position. But if I need to make an angled cut, Â
I can just slide open the doors like this. Some people use screws or magnets to hold on the doors, Â
but I decided to go with sliding doors so I donât have to deal with where to put down the doors when Â
I need to open them up. So sliding doors just seemed like the easiest solution to me. Â
You can tell that it works by all the dust thatâs collected back here. But to demonstrate further, Â
Iâll use this air quality monitor which is just showing a baseline measurement right now before Â
I make any cuts. Iâll first make 5 cuts with the doors closed and check the readings. Next Â
Iâll make 5 cuts with the doors open and check the readings again. And you know what, just for fun, Â
Iâm going to disconnect my shop vac and see what happens. Mmm yeah, I think you get the Â
picture. So I highly recommend taking your dust collection one step further and building a dust Â
hood around your miter saw - and I provide more details on how I built this in another video that Â
Iâll link up here and down below as well. Having a miter saw doesnât mean you have to Â
breathe dust all day and get frustrating results. I hope these 5 tips will help Â
you get better results with your miter saw. Remember to check the links in the Â
description box down below for links to all the products I talked about and related videos. Â
Until next time, thanks for watching, see you soon!
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