Finally got my miter saw cuts dead on after a year of fighting it

I used to just eyeball the angle and hope for the best, which led to a lot of filler on crown jobs. After a bad trim job in a Maplewood kitchen last fall, I spent a weekend with a digital angle finder and a good square. Now I check the corner with the finder first and set the saw to that exact number, like 44.7 degrees. Has anyone else found a trick that fixed their miter game for good?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

leo5675mo ago

My buddy Mike spent three years fighting his miter saw on crown molding. He finally gave up one Saturday and drove two towns over to buy a fancy sliding compound miter saw with laser guides (you know, the kind that costs a small fortune). First cut on his next job was a 45 degree outside corner. Laser said it was perfect, but the joint still had a gap you could slide a nickel through. He was about to throw the whole thing in the dumpster when his neighbor (retired carpenter named Dave) came over and showed him how the saw blade was slightly warped from the factory. Mike swapped it out with a $15 blade from the hardware store and now his cuts come out dead on every time. Sometimes it's not the tool or the angle, it's something stupid like a bent blade that you'd never think to check.

0

jenny_carr525mo ago

Digital angle finder was the game changer for me too. I was having the same issue with crown molding where nothing would line up right. Now I check every corner and write the number down before I even touch the saw. Saves me from wasting material and swearing under my breath.

-1