WWGOA GOLD LIVE: Setting Up Your Miter Saw for Accurate Cuts

This WWGOA GOLD LIVE event is all about setting up your miter saw for accurate cuts. George Vondriska demonstrates the best way to prepare, make, and maintain consistently accurate with your miter saw (we know how important a perfect 90 degree angle can be).


THIS EVENT IS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR WWGOA GOLD AND PLATINUM MEMBERS

Log in now to view the event or become a GOLD Member today by clicking here and choosing the GOLD membership option!

Reply to Frank Albert
  • (will not be published)

65 Responses to “WWGOA GOLD LIVE: Setting Up Your Miter Saw for Accurate Cuts”

  1. Ronnie

    Great job George! Thanks for taking the time to show me how to get my new miter saw set up accurately.

    Reply
  2. Daniel

    Simple approach that I can replicate with my saw, that is what I love about George’s methods. Makes perfect sense once I see him do it.

    Reply
    • George Vondriska
      George Vondriska

      I’d google it and see if you can find a plan you like. Or check out Pinterest or similar places to find a look you like that you can duplicate.

      Reply
  3. aughtago

    if you recommend always having material on both sides of the cut, how do you “sneak up” on the cut like I’ve seen you do wit so many set up’s? stops and test cuts is the only thing that comes to mind.

    Reply
    • George Vondriska
      George Vondriska

      Best case scenario is material on both sides. However, sometimes you gotta to a slight trim, which will mean cutting on only one side. I do it often to tweak length, but would prefer to cut on both sides when I can.

      Reply
  4. Jeff

    When you make adjustments to the saw, how do you know which way to adjust? Do you just use trial and error until you figure out which way is closing the gaps in your test pieces?

    Reply
    • George Vondriska
      George Vondriska

      Pay attention to where the gap is; close to the reference edge or away from the reference edge, and that will tell you what direction to make the correction in.

      Reply
  5. Kirk

    What’s the theory / reason behind pulling the saw out and then pushing back during the cut instead of pulling the saw through the cut? Do you do that just for setting up the saw or do you do that with all your projects?

    Reply
    • George Vondriska
      George Vondriska

      You push so the saw won’t climb as it’s cutting. I do that on every cut. Always best to work against the direction of rotation of the cutter, no matter what tool you’re using.

      Reply
  6. JOHN

    Can repeated cuts, cause the blade to heat to such a degree, that it becomes warped and not cutting accurately.

    Reply
  7. John

    John, from Spirit Lake, ID.
    I recently saw a radial arm saw in a thrift store. What do you think of using a radial arm saw instead of a miter saw?

    Reply
    • George Vondriska
      George Vondriska

      I’d prefer a sliding miter saw over a radial arm saw any day. Sliding miter saws are much safer.

      Reply
  8. diane mason

    Hi George! I am late in discovering woodworking! I did not take it in high school, and have completed a beginner woodworking class in college recently. What advice do you have for the basics that are needed to have a home workshop? I am wanting to make some simple projects… Thanks!

    Reply
    • George Vondriska
      George Vondriska

      The best bet is to find a project you’d like to make, and then figure out what tools you need and what skills you need to make it. If it’s something you want, you’ll be motivated to move forward with it. That’s a great way to learn.

      Reply
  9. dan

    How to make accurate 45° cuts consistently the length of the cut on sliding Kapex.

    Reply
  10. PHIL

    I have a Vega Pro 30 fence system, with a woodpecker gauge, I can get the fence parallel within.003, the problem is once I clamp down the fence on both sides of the out feed side of the fence at .000 the fence shifts to .003. What the best solution for getting this fence perfectly parallel to the miter gauge slot? Thanks, George!

    Reply
  11. John

    Hello from Spirit Lake, ID
    I use my miter saw especially for doing projects that require several pieces of the same length. I have a piece of paper that attaches to the auxiliary fence. It has all the lengths, number to cut, and name of piece. It really shortens up the length of time it takes me to set up the job.

    I have 23 of your videos. Sometimes you are in a shop with a wooden floor and other times it is a tile floor. Which do you prefer. I’ve been thinking of putting in a false floor on 2×4’s that will allow me to run electrical wires and have outlets in strategic places around my shop.

    Reply
    • George Vondriska
      George Vondriska

      Either floor is fine. Plywood is slightly easier on the legs. Concrete/tile cleans up easier.

      Reply
  12. Frank Albert

    I notice that my miter saw table sits just a little bit back (maybe less than 1 degree) from the front when it is fastened to my miter saw stand. Should I be concerned about this?

    Reply
  13. Steve

    Hi George
    Do you have any advice on setting up ‘reliable and repeatable’ angle cuts on mitre saws?
    Just how accurate or inaccurate are the graduations and locking points on mitre saws?
    And do you have any tips on setting up a saw on a homemade bench? How to achieve squareness, rigidity and parallelism to the mitre saws fence.

    Thanks Steve – from South Australia

    Reply
  14. Claude Jay

    I’ve had my Festool Kapex for over 3 years and I never set it up properly. Hopefully I will see how it is done. Cuts have always been adequate for the things I’ve done, but now I want to start making some furniture and it might be a good thing to get the cuts right on.

    Reply