Miter saws and circular saws are very familiar terms in the wood industry. This means if you are working on wood-related projects, you will have heard it a lot. Miter saws and circular saws are used alternatively in the tools list. However, which one suits your needs? You may be suffering from this conflict of miter saw vs circular saw!
Well, you are not the only person suffering from this dilemma. Each saw has its application and has special qualities. What matters is which one will fulfill your desire.
Both of these tools are interchangeable. This means you do not need to keep both the miter saw and circular saw in your workshop to complete your work. Therefore, you need to conclude which one would you rather take for your work. Moreover, you want your works to be very efficient and fast.
Miter saw has some qualities which the circular saw doesn’t overlap. However, the circular saw also has some qualities which the miter saw doesn’t overlap. This means you will be missing some important features for each one of them. Therefore, let us dive into the details about miter saw vs circular saw. Let us start with Miter Saw first.
Details About Miter Saw
Sure, miter saws are a very effective tool in the woodcutting industry. However, where did they come from?
Birth of Miter Saw
The idea of merging a miter box with a circular saw was done by Rockwell engineer Ed Niehaus. Further, he developed a work machine by a clamping method and used the help of a power saw to miter almost instantly. This design was a masterpiece. However, he could not patent the design and as a result, failed to prevent other companies from copying it.
Now its been fifty years since the original invention. Moreover, they are very accurate and eco-friendly too. They are a perfect companion for all wood workshops. However, what are the pros and cons of circular saws?
Pros of Miter Saws
They are very precise to cut
Miter saws are a master in precision cuts. Further, they are optimized to ace at four different types of cut called crosscut, miters, bevels, and compound cuts. So what are crosscuts?
They are to cut perpendicularly to the wood grain. However, miter cuts are used at any angle between 0 and 90 degrees. Further, angle cuts are made concerning the high of the wood instead of length. Miter saws are best for all these activities and can do this work in a snap without resistance.
Usability Ease
The upside of miter saw is the ease of usage over circular saws. Further, they are very precise and accurate while cutting. Moreover, you need to align a handheld circular saw right to avoid any imprecise cuts. Miter saw always offers better safety features and minimizes the possibility of injury while maintaining usability.
Now you know the pros of miter saw. However, there is nothing called perfect. Therefore, we have discussed the cons of miter saw too below.
Cons of Miter Saw
They aren’t practical
There are tons of upside of a miter saw. But portability is an important factor if you are traveling places with your equipment. A major downside of miter saws is they aren’t portable at all. Further, they are kept at a fixed place in the workshop and aren’t moved from place to place. However, you get a very precise cut at the cost of portability.
Not So Versatile
Another major downside of miter saws is that they aren’t versatile. They can make fixed shapes of cuts. Further, there are only four types of cuts the miter saw can do. However, you cannot expect it to do more than its limit. However, they precisely cut those four types of cuts. Moreover, miter saws are also very expensive compared to circular saws.
Now you know the upsides and downsides of miter saw. We know that miter saws are best at four different cuts. However, what is those four different cuts? What types of cut are they? Let’s talk about them below.
Four Different Types of Cuts By Miter Saw
Now we will be discussing different types of miter cuts.
Crosscuts
Crosscuts are the simplest cuts done by a miter saw. Moreover, boards are cut at a 90-degree angle. Further, if you want to cut a 2*4 into half, you can do that too here.
Miter Cuts
Miter cuts are perfect for a board on an angle. You should go ahead and look at those wood trims on your door. Moreover, two trims meet to make a 45-degree angle.
Bevel Cut
Bevels cuts are also optimized to cut the board’s end into an angle. However, there is a twist. The angle is cut through the thickness of the wood and not through the width of the wood. Did you ever use a doorstep? Those triangular woods are a result of miter saw cuts. These cuts are called bevel cuts. Further, these are some of the most important examples of bevel cuts.
Compound Cuts
They are the hybrid of bevel-cut and miter cut. You can find this kind of cuts on crown moldings. Therefore, you can see it by yourself if you have it in your house. Furthermore, those beautiful trims are only possible through compound cuts.
Now you know about miter saws. However, what is circular saws? Let’s discuss them below.
Details About Circular Saws
You might be asking yourself from where did circular saws come from? Today we will be discussing that too below.
Birth of Circular Saws
There are tons of myths related to circular saws. However, some stories say that they were found in England. Whereas some say they were found in holland or even Germany. However, our favorite myth is that of Tabitha Babbitt. This was an American member mainly of Shaker religious sector. They lived in the 19th century.
Babbitt found out that people cutting with the two saw strategy were less efficient and took long hours. This is because they could only cut in one way due to that strategy. Therefore, she took some ideas from her spinning wheel and then she connected a foot pedal. This foot pedal was linked to a circular blade which allowed the blade to spin without being moved physically every time. Moreover, it didn’t need to be reset.
The master plan was implemented in the sawmill industry and then was produced and used on larger scales.
Todays Circular Saws
The idea of the circular saw was so useful that it is still used today. However, things have been modified to make work more efficient but the concept remains the same.
Modern-day circular saws are very easy to use. Furthermore, they have a very big advantage of being mobile. Hence, workers can carry them from place to place without any hassle. Moreover, today circular saws are powered either by an extension cord or DC batteries. Further, they use diamond cut blades which are approximate of depth seven and a quarter inches. There are approximately 20-80 teeth.
We have talked enough about the origins of circular saws and how they behave in the present day. However, what kinds of circular saw cuts are there is a big question to ask. So let discuss them below.
05 Different Circular Saw Cuts
Circular saws are an expert in cutting just like miter saws. However, they can cut everything that the miter saw cuts along with one additional cuts totaling five.
People might prefer the miter saw for precise cuts. However, how can you take those bulky miter saws on an out trip work? This is where the circular saw comes into play. Sure, they will not provide precise cuts like the miter saw. But at least you can do your work rather than sitting idle and losing contracts and work.
The additional cut that the circular saw makes is the rip cut. Moreover, rip cuts are done from the down length of the board while maintaining a possible distance from the edges.
So what are the pros and cons of a circular saw? Why will people choose the circular saw in front of the miter saw? We will discuss them below to make the demonstration of miter saw vs circular saw more obvious.
Pros of Using Circular Saw
Portability is the main point when it comes to the circular saw. They are almost 100% portable. This means you can carry them anywhere. Further, this comes in handy when you go for an outside work trip away from your workshop where it is impossible to make a miter saw.
Moreover, circular saws weigh around 8 pounds which is very light. All you need to do is plug it into a power source and you are good to go.
Circular saws are very versatile too as they can handle five types of cuts compared to four for the miter saw.
Furthermore, they are also cheap to buy compared to miter saws which are very costly.
Cons of Circular Saw
Circular saws are made to cut through straight lines only. They aren’t precise like the miter saw too.
Conclusion
Now you know all about miter saw vs circular saw. We know this is a very conflicting choice. However, you cannot ignore one and dive into the other. The circular saw is very portable which makes your out workshop work much easier. Sure, they aren’t precise like the miter saw.
On the other hand, miter saws are masters in precision. Sure, they are bulky and very costly compared to circular saws. Further, miter saws aren’t mobile. This means you cannot carry them from place to place due to being heavy. You need to keep them fixed in a place in your workshop.
Therefore, you cannot opt for one tool only. You need the miter saw in your workshops. Furthermore, you need the circular saw for your outgoing works. Hope this clears out about the miter saw vs circular saw.
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