A miter saw is one of the most critical tools for a pro carpenter. The reason why people prefer this saw as it can make many specific cuts such as bevel, miter, or crosscut accurately.
However, not many people know how to use this device correctly; users must calibrate their miter saw before turning it on to get the best cutting process.
So how to adjust a miter saw?
To answer your question, we bring you all the information you need for this problem. Let’s check it out!
Things In A Miter Saw That Need Adjusting For Better Cut
The blade
Before adjusting your blade for a precise cut, you need to check whether your blade is still sharp or not. If it’s getting dull, then you need to sharpen it.
Otherwise, spinning it some round to check if your edge comes with warps, bends, or any other irregularities, then you should replace with a new one.
Remember to turn off the power when you check the blade for safety purpose.
The main point of this work is checking if the blade is square to the table or not. To test the angle of your edge with the table in the flat area, you have to use a specific measurement tool named “speed square.”
Place the speed square on the saw table, then slowly pressing down the blade system until the side of the saw blade touches the measurement tool.
If the edge of the speed square doesn’t wholly contact with the side of the blade, then it means the blade doesn’t make an angle of 90° with the table. If this situation happened, you should adjust the blade immediately.
To calibrate the blade, you can follow these steps.
Loosen the bevel handle
Adjust the angle to make the blade square to the table.
Tighten the handle when you finish.
The fence
The second essential thing we need to adjust in a miter saw is the fence. Similar to adjusting the blade system, you need to check whether the fence square to the blade or not.
Again, use the speed square to test the angle. Set the measurement tool horizontally then pressing down the blade to the table. If the edge of speed square didn’t contact entirely with the blade, then you must adjust the fence.
These steps below show you the proper calibrate process for the fence:
Find the place of two bolts on the left side of the fence, then loosen them slowly
Adjust the fence until the side of the saw blade contact entirely with the edge of the speed square.
Tighten two bolts on the left when you finish
Find the station of the bolts on the right-hand side of the fence. Do the same with the left-hand side but remember to adjust a 3’ level across the rails.
Tighten all the bolts when you finish.
After the adjustment process, you can test the machine by making some cuts. You should do all types of trimming such as bevel, miter, or crosscut to check if there are any problems or not.
If your device works perfectly, then congratulation, you have made the right calibration.
Now you know how to adjust a miter saw properly to have the best cutting process.
However, we have to recommend that you should clean and oil the system annually, especially your blade as it can increase the durability, so you don’t need to calibrate the system many times.
If you find this article helpful, please comment and share it with your friends.
Leave a Reply