You are a professional woodworker, who is going to take on a different job than usual. You decided to purchase an upgraded miter saw, more powerful than the older model you have.
The situation is you are a bit confused which miter saw to opt-with. The miter saw family comes in a range of saw options which can confuse anyone. In this article we discuss sliding vs non sliding miter saw properly.
You are going to spend a whopping amount of money, thus wanted to have something tailor your workload. Any of the two types can go through cutting, trimming and molding work.
I have been personally using a non-sliding miter saw to get my various kinds of the job done instantly.
But, the advancement of technology has offered us great ease to get different jobs done more precisely and easily than ever before.
So, let’s dive into the different types of miter saws and see what benefits and disadvantages they have to offer.
Related Article
What Is A Sliding Miter Saw
Types Of Miter Saw
Miter Saws showcase an intimidating look for a novice. With dozens of knobs, levers, complex adjustment and functions, it seems scary for a novice to get them properly and rightly used.
With tricky sounding phrases such as bevel cutting, angled cutting, dual bevel, and compound sliding, it is hard for even a professional to get all.
In a nutshell, a miter saw is a powerful tool to make angled and beveled cuts. It is the best tool in the market available to give these cuts in a fraction of second.
It just needs to be set up and make your job done with a slight handle moving. The miter saws as I mentioned come in a wide range of options and types.
Basically, there are three different varieties and whenever you go to purchase a miter saw, you will have one of them
- Compound Miter Saw
- Sliding Miter Saw
Now, let’s come to know the difference between both of them.
A Review Of Sliding vs Non Sliding Miter Saw
Sliding Miter Saw Review
A sliding miter saw comes equipped with about all features and functionality needed to do a complete woodworking project.
It allows you to make accurate cuts in larger width of a board using sliding motion. You can move the saw blade in the width direction if the wood piece is larger enough not to get cut with normal saw cutting.
It looks almost the same to the traditional miter saw other than few features which stand it out in the crowd.
The tweaks or features help you to get a woodworking project without going through any big trouble. In woodworking projects, we use to deal with larger wood pieces.
The larger width board cannot be handled using a traditional miter saw, you cannot cut through the width.
The sliding miter saw can go through the width using rails and give you precise required to cut through the width.
The Saw features complete accuracy of a standard miter saw but renders extra versatility.
It can cut through the boards and make you get the precise cuts you need for certain application or project in one go.
You would be happy to go through the width in one pass and have not to flip your workpiece over to continue the cutting.
Sliding miter saw also offers you angle cuts. You can dial a degree and get the desired angled or beveled cuts.
It allows you to get those special corners or style that is needed for molding and trim work. It also helps you to get the right pieces for edges to fit together without any trouble.
With a regular traditional miter saw, you will have to go through double-shift to get the same job done.
It is a hands-down choice for doing lighter duty cutting that needs to be completed in wider width or length.
Pros
- Ideal to cut wide trim boards on a regular basis
- Easy to use and cut through wider wood pieces
- Time-saving tool for the woodworker
- A hands-down option for dealing with huge workpieces such as crown molding, house renovation and wood installation
- It increases efficiency while cutting huge wood pieces
Cons
- Expensive
- Heavy and difficult to carry to job sites
- It involves extra machinery; you need to be familiar with the different function it comes with.
Non Sliding Miter Saw Review
A non-sliding miter saw is a traditional miter saw which goes through the all types of regular jobs you through at it. Such as cutting through the angles, beveled and compound cutting without using extra rails functions.
They do not come equipped with the rails over there the saw blade runs and gives extra length cutting. The saw cannot slide the blade, it only can cut a certain amount of area or width.
Like, if you need to cut through a board of 12-inches, you will go to cut through 5-inches in the first go, flip the board over, and get the rest length crossed.
Yes, for wider wood pieces, you will have to flip the piece and get the complete cut. It is time-consuming; still, if you are the one who goes through this kind of wider length job rarely, the traditional, non-sliding miter is more than what you need.
It cannot go through the extra length of the board, this does not mean it cannot execute other jobs a sliding miter saw can.
You can have angled cuts, beveled cuts and compound cuts like the way you get using a sliding miter saw.
The jobs such as cutting through the wider length can also be entails just flipping over the piece. You only need to stop cutting, shift your blade to new workpiece position and start over again.
The saw is not a good option to cut through the huge wood boards. It can make accurate, precise angled cut quite seamlessly.
The DIY enthusiasts or professionals who use to deal with decoration pieces, renovation antics, or carpentry can get the right use of it to carry out any kind of jobs.
The only limitation of the non-sliding miter saw is that it cannot cut through the larger wood boards, the pieces need to be taken out from the blade and move the blade all over again.
Pros
- It got the ability to make beveled cuts
- Ideal for creating corners to fit together
- A perfect grab for picture frames and crown molding
- You can create trim pieces for the exterior and interior of the house
- Light in weight
- Comes in hands at low price compare to sliding miter saw
Cons
- Cannot cut the larger width wood pieces
- Time-consuming to get big piece woods
Difference Between A Compound And Sliding Miter Saw
Compound Miter Saw |
Sliding Miter Saw |
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Is Sliding Miter Saw Is Better?
Sliding miter saw and non-sliding miter saws almost share the identical features. Both are ideal to go through any kind of woodwork. The former shares some extra features which add to the efficiency and you conclude your woodworking in lesser time span compared to them later.
I think both are good tools, it is the kind of job or the level which needs a sliding or non sliding miter saw.
If you are a professional who needs to go through an ample amount of woodworking, larger and smaller, a sliding miter saw will be the best suit for you. For DIY enthusiasts for someone who just goes through minimal work at home, Non-sliding can fulfill the job level or criteria.
Are Sliding Miter Saws Necessary?
Yes, it is necessary but for a professional. A professional needs to house up to date and upgraded tool to put good impressions on the customers. If you are a professional and have to go through various kinds of woodworking, having a sliding miter saw adds great navigation and easiness.
You would be able to cut through larger wood pieces in one go, without going through the trouble of flipping over the wood or changing the saw blade position.
Conclusion:
While coming with this guide, we went through sliding and non sliding miter saws. We witnessed that both are good pieces of tool to get the woodworking done.
Both are capable and shares amazing features to ease down your job. But, if you have to choose one piece to add to your workshop, you need to opt-with sliding saw.
The saw offers almost the same qualities what a non sliding miter saw offers but some extra functions.
The sliding saw will offer you the option to move the saw front and back to cut through a wood piece. You will be able to cut through wider length without flipping over the wood pieces.
For someone who is looking for a saw for doing small tasks at home or a DIY enthusiast, choosing a non-sling miter saw fills the bills.