Squaring Your Miter Saw

How to square your Miter Saw. In this video you will see how to square your Miter and Bevel cuts along with 45 degree tests. Square your saw is an important step to get high quality work from your saw.

[@danielrybin2006]

This is probably the most underrated, valuable video series and channel in all of KZbin.

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thank you!!! Really appreciate that, glad you like it!!😁

[@johnvodopija1743]

A detailed yet easy to understand tutorial. I have been putting off dialing in my mitre saw and this will really help. Thank you

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thank You! Glad it’s helpful!! 😁👍🏻

[@rippednino]

You just saved me some money was gonna give up on my current saw now I'll adjust like you showed. Thank you

[@texasstararsenal1840]

With the new biz, it's been a little under 5 years since I've been in my wood shop. I need to get back in there because it's so relaxing. First step wi be to re-calibrate all the equipment from joiner to tablesaw. Thanks for this vid! BTW, love that Woodpeckers gear. Awesome tools. Need to dust off mine.

[@jeffmattel7867]

By far the best instructional video on miter calibration I have even seen.

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thanks, Glad you liked it!!

[@markjarman7819]

This man knows what he doing. Great video 👍

[@travisradke9753]

Awesome video, thanks for sharing. Went right out and did this.

[@jonathanbrookshire4915]

Hey, love the video. Trying to find parts 1 and 2 in the series. I have 2 friendly suggestions: 1. Re-label the videos P1, P2, P3; and 2. Put the links to each of the other videos in the descriptions, so they're easy to find for your subscribers. Thanks and keep the great work!

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thanks!! Glad you liked it, good suggestion!

[@regibson23]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/l53Xq5mCrrGGrMU

[@regibson23]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYu2haGHa7OCfrM

[@mmholling87]

Great video. Thanks for sharing!!

[@Sinitman]

That was simple, and well explained. Thank you!

[@Wood_Slice]

phenomenal info didnt think about the angle cube

[@carpenterone3]

This was a awesome series bossman 💯 I learned a lot of cool tricks 👌🏽

[@johnlake6321]

Great tutorial. Thank you.

[@mfcosi]

Many thanks for sharing. Greetings from São Paulo - Brazil 🇧🇷

[@sfperalta]

I'm so glad I came across this video! I bought an off-brand miter saw from Harbor Freight a couple year ago which, while a decent well-built saw, was noticeably out-of-tolerance right out of the box. The blade didn't even center into the cutting slot on the base, though it was useable for rough cutting. I'm going to use the techniques here to hopefully whip that saw into shape and make it sing. Thanks!

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Nice, Good Luck!!

[@morokeiboethia6749]

I love how the excuse for that is always "sometimes saws are knocked out of proper alignment during shipping." My miter saw was way out of square as well but when you look at how it's built in order to knock it out of square it would have had to bent or torn through 6 thick screws to be knocked out. In other words the saw was never square with the fence to begin with. They are assembled in Asia and they just get the saw blade somewhere in the vicinity of square and then ship it out. If the saw was square and was moved that far out it would have torn through 6 screws to get that far out of square. It even gives you the "during shipping" excuse in the instruction manuals.

[@abdullahzaki3293]

Thank you for sharing all your experiences and wonderful guidance to new users like me.❤

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thank you for watching, glad it’s helpful!!😁

[@alunmorgan7869]

Excellent vid , thanks

[@williambirt914]

Thank You, excellent presentation.

[@ToffeenoseToffeenose]

Great series

[@americot]

The series of these videos are incredible well explained. You should do one for aligning the table saw as well.

[@marcnaidu5804]

Wonderful video. Very helpful. Thanks. I just subscribed.

[@Bob_F]

Great series. Thanks

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thanks!! Glad you liked it!!

[@uriuriuri]

Sensational. Thank you

[@jamesduncan2750]

Very helpful, thanks

[@BobL1]

Great technique for calibrating.

[@waynehighfield6056]

Such a simple video, i was gonna buy a more expensive mitre saw! Thanks the advice is great!

[@waynehighfield6056]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 my next project is to build my kids a little square den with an upstairs and a slide. But it got put off cause, the mitre saw was cutting all different wonky cuts , the frustration and madness pumping through my blood🤬 . But now following this video has got me building again 😆😂

[@waynehighfield6056]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 i think we would all pay an extra £20 for it to come out the box perfect working order 😂. Dragons den material lets be the middle men for the top brands, we put £20 on the price for alignments "perfect working order" . God knows how many people return because of the alignment issues

[@CarolinaFarming]

Recently saw an article that pointed out how saws with a movable detent plate like the Dewalt 780, could be dead on at 90 but off on mitered cuts like a 45 and the detent plate not be defective or any other part of the saw not be out of tune. The screw slots in the detent plate can have enough slop that the plate can not only move side to side but forwards and backwards. Enough movement of the detent plate towards or away from the fence can still have the saw set to 90 but throw off where the saw falls into a detent position at a not perfect 45 or other miter angle you choose.

[@neilalmond5907]

I have this exact issue with a Dewalt DWS780. Used the feeler gauge method to dial in the saw to exactly 90 (confirmed with 4 cut method) however my 45 degree mitres are off….by quite a bit. Very frustrating - do you have a link to the article? Many thanks

[@zafardurrani9544]

Thank you for providing me the best knowledge and information, Zafar from Quetta Pakistan

[@unclebob8746]

I remember Quetta. Like the Garden of Eden. Met President Bhutto there in 1972 or 1973.

[@JesusG90247]

Awesome !!!

[@Jikktastic]

Soooo amazing! Thanks thanks thanks! Your explanations are very helpful and very clear!

[@carlos2685]

Great. Thank you.

[@AV-sl5wv]

That is a great video bud

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thanks!!😁👍🏻

[@marvknox8196]

Great Video. New DeWALT arriving soon. Precision IS a decision... Thanks much for taking the time to make this video... :)>

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thank you for watching, glad you liked it!!

[@ron1martens]

My kapex is slightly out. I like your squares and straight edge. Over the years I bought a series of engineer squares different sizes. I wasn't satisfied with setting my mft table. I then bought a 450mm engineer square. That really helped with squaring. However there is a 600 mm engineer square I'm contemplating on getting. These large squares are rather expensive. Certainly the accuracy and tolerance are a lot lower.

[@JUST-UK-JAY]

hi guys, this is part 3 ..... subbed I need to see the other parts ! Thanks for the help, there's one under the tree already for me so this WILL be useful.

[@randytellez2451]

Great video. I have a fairly new Craftsman 10" sliding sgl bevel unit that needs this performed. Getting on it this week. Hope you have a video for a table saw. Liked and Subscribed.

[@randytellez2451]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 Cool..be looking for it.

[@kbbb4227]

Thank You.

[@art58wong]

Well done sir. Quite methodical and precise. You should be an engineer.

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thank you!! 😁👍🏻

[@arnoldolorenzo3474]

Genius!

[@charliethomas8253]

Great video would be nice to have listed in order hard to find list them under show more.

[@rogerazevedo4445]

Perfect thanks

[@dubre45]

thank you

[@josefacortes4554]

Exelente video

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thank You!!😁👍🏻

[@fl2779]

Great video ... Where did you get that corner clamping system from .. what's it called.

[@CarolinaFarming]

Thank you very much for showing the use of feeler gauges to square your saw. I used the 4 cut method that festool shows in their kapex manual and your feeler gauge trick to get my saw basically perfect. I’ve learned a lot from your videos so thanks again.

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thank you for watching, I’m glad it helps!!😁

[@brettlaw82]

I'm really enjoying your KZbin and Insta page. I've got the Makita LS1013 and it doesn't have a detent plate. The slots for the degree stops are cast into the base. Have to move the rear fence to square up the saw. Bit of a pain in the arse to get both sides of the fence square to the blade. Any advice for this one or just change saws?

[@RFing22]

Brilliant

[@McCuneWindandSolar]

now I wish I would have bought something other than the Preformax miter saw. because most of those adjustments are not on this saw of mine. like the bevel detent place or miter detent plate. all are fixed or molded in to the saws base ect.

[@kirksmith1902]

Do you have a video describing how you built the fence in this video for the miter saw? Thanks

[@Lamarvelous08]

Nice, I'm gonna have a go at this tomorrow on my Mastercraft dual bevel... it's cutting about as straight as a dog's hind leg.. wish me luck!!

[@oldfart269]

I feel for you. I have a Tool Shop 7 1/4" miter saw. It undercuts by about a degree vertically, and is off about 1/2 a degree horizontally whenever I crosscut a piece of wood at 90 degrees. I've tried just about everything and still couldn't get the cuts where they need to be.

[@thomasschmutter8875]

From Thomas, I have got, a Ozito mitre saw it cuts like Butter and it will do all the work for you all in one, place with the stakes sky high as well and it is good to get some training as well.

[@francisvazquez13]

As of now, no complains with the Ozito? China brand ?

[@haroldbrown3452]

was ready to throw my saw out, its cutting crooked. now i might try some adjusting.

[@dfasdf370]

Excellent video, thank you for this. Also what are the little camps you use to hold the test pieces

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thanks!! Those are called Collins clamps!!😁👍🏻

[@liamrussell-titcomb1540]

Hi there! This series of videos is incredibly helpful but I'm having an issue with my miter saw that I can't solve. It won't cut a perfect 90 (vertically) when cutting 45s but only when the table is turned to the left. If I turn the table to the right after dialing in, it cuts perfect. How do I fix this? Thanks!

[@judithrob1591]

This test is only if you want to saw with a precision miter saw. (not for rough work). Tips and Test: Very important if you would like to saw with precision. (avoid torsion as much as possible)! Always choose a Miter saw with a handle positioned in a vertical line above the saw blade. Everything must be aligned, slide rails, handle, and saw blade,it is much better this way the blade will not tilt. Because there is some torsion in the aluminum housing . And choose an engine with softstart on it to prevent wear of the gear and worm shaft. It is very important that everything is aligned. Here are some examples to show how the handle must be positioned above the blade. Bosch gcm 800 sj / Bosch gcm 8 sjl / Evolution rage 3 / FESTOOL KS 60 / Bosch GCM 8 SDE / FESTOOL KS 60 E KAPEX / Metabo KGSV 72 Xact / Bosch PCM 8 SD / Hitachi C10FSH. (This also is the case with the Miter saw without the slide rails). (If you want). You can test it yourself at home if there is torsion in the aluminum housing. Step-1. First you make a saw cut from +-5 mm deep in to a flat piece of wood about +- 20 mm thick to this with the normal handle positioned on the right side of the Miter saw (the wood it will remain in place until the test is completed). Step-2. Then repeat this by pushing the saw blade down with your hand (finger) on the aluminum protective cover were the saw blade is cased in. Just now only do this without the running engine. Step-3. Now you can see if the saw blade will be positioned in or next to the saw cut. If the saw blade is (+- 0,2 / 0,5 mm) next to the saw cut then there is torsion in the aluminum housing (test is completed). Conclusion: Therefor it is much better to choose a Miter saw with the handle positioned VERTICAL in line above the saw blade. The second option is the handle positioned HORIZONTAL in line above the saw blade. Remember this, the test is only about torsion and nothing else how further away the handle is from the saw blade how more chance of torsion in the aluminum housing, you better not go for that. (the choices are yours). Also with a cheap slide miter saw it is still better the handgriff in line a above the saw blade than on the right side. Maybe they will make it someday then we have a winner... P.S. When you measure the vertical 90 degrees angle square (Digital Level Box) of you're sawblade don't forget that there is always some torsion in the aluminum housing.

[@N1rOx]

Thank you Judith, tell Rob I said thanks!

[@judithrob1591]

Thanks for you reaction!

[@jessesd07]

I have question, I recently purchased a Dewalt 7491RS table saw. And while aligning the blade and fence to the miter slots. I noticed that the blade housing had some play and would throw out my alignment. Is this something you noticed? Is it normal? Or should I replaced it? Thank you

[@carlos1000rr]

Need a little help. I have a Dewalt 708 double bevel compound sliding miter saw. If I have the saw fully extended towards me, it seems to cut square on a 2x4. But, when I’m cutting something bigger 2x12, when I’m cutting and slide the saw in, it’s off by a bit. I can’t seem to find where or how to adjust this.

[@luisestigarribia6929]

Hola, gracias por el video instructivo!!! Por favor subtitular en español para entender la explicación. PLEASE, subtitle in spanish to understand the explanation. THANK YOU.

[@zvibloom8946]

Could you please please do a review of the accuracy of the DeWalt 12inch miter saw dws780? I really like your reviews! You have a no nonsense, very clear, full disclosure style. Thanks

[@zvibloom8946]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 thanks very much! I've had several miter saws and haven't been satisfied with the accuracy. I've been eyeing the kapex for a while but I heard about the motor issues coupled with the fact that just feeling the deflection in the store is making me think otherwise. In terms of DeWalt, is it the luck of the draw weather the rails are straight or is it consistent? Thanks

[@sundancerproductions8290]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 Is this what you mean by sliding straight/ parallel ? I just bought a Ryobi, TSS103. The Blade is 90º to the table and fence is good. But the blade does not travel parallel through the throat plate. The blade sits in the middle of the the throat plate when its near the fence until I pull/slide it back to make a cut and then it sits up against the left side of the plate.

[@sundancerproductions8290]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 Thank You ! I'll return it, I'll get the Dewalt DWS779 instead. Hopefully better luck. :)

[@sundancerproductions8290]

THANK YOU !!!

[@BERGLLC]

Great video, I have the same dewalt saw and I can never get perfect cuts. Can you tell me where I can pick up those metal gauges, I cant find them online. Appreciate it!

[@BERGLLC]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 Ordered! Thank you.

[@hubnergreg]

What is the precision 254mm and where can I find it ?

[@giraffewithtattoos2770]

I used my speed square against the back fence. No cuts, no scrap, just locked the blade in the down position and aligned it with the squares edge. Once locked down, I made a cut to verify and I was done. That was months ago and it's still accurate

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Giraffe with tattoos Nice!!

[@williambirt914]

dw 718 compound mitre saw video "squaring your mitre saw" ? right next to the three bevel detent plate nuts is an allen screw that looks like it would have something to do with setteing the detent adjustment. What is that for? Thank you

[@marcnaidu5804]

When you say it must be set at this or that or do not do this or that, it’s very good that you say why. Many other videos do not say why. So please continue to say why to do something or not. What are the ramifications. Thanks.

[@dancarter2291]

How do you know you needed to move it .002 to the left?

[@brewster102]

I just got a 778 DeWalt and I have the 90 true to the fence (on both sides), and the right side 45 to the fence. But the left side 45 is slightly off, maybe .3 to .5 greater than 45. The table and the fence both are flat all the way across. Could the adjustable detent miter scale be faulty? Any suggestions?

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

If the fences are straight and one side is 45 then the detent plate is off.

[@huejanus5505]

Why did you cut the 2x10 at 45 degrees if you're just using the square side?

[@Gershwin48]

The measurement taken at the board needs to be the exact same distance (radius) from the circle center as the place you put feeler gauge.

[@scvic2006]

How did you come to the conclusion your 90* detent was .002" out of adjustment? Somehow I think you left some details out.

[@mmholling87]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 I think you could put the square on the test piece of wood and then put the feeler gage between square and test wood to determine your gap. After you find a feeler gage that fits snug use that gap to make your move??

[@CarolinaFarming]

I’ve wondered the same thing and conclude that was his guestimate based on experience. I set mine today and after making several adjustments, I got better on how many thou I should try for the next iteration. Eventually I got it basically perfect.

[@rggot2relax]

Maybe I'm not the first to ask but what are the 'clamps' you use on the mitered corners called? Do you have a link to them? By the way a very helpful video.

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Thanks!! Those are called Collins clamps. www.collinstool.com/tools/miter-clamps/

[@rggot2relax]

Thanks

[@siriosstar4789]

i remember the days prior to the slide compound saw , when this was never an issue . i had an old makita chop saw with a cast iron table that never needed adjustment . i actually wanted it to be out of wack so i could re set it and prove my worthiness . but it was defiant . it was dropped , moved from job to job and abused on a daily basis but it never needed adjustment .

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Back in the day Makita was at the top of the miter saw game, for sure!!

[@rickyperkins232]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 do you tune up saws for a living?

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

@@rickyperkins232 I’m a builder so I always tune every saw I own.

[@befmx31]

@2:24. How did you determine which way you needed to move and how would you have corrected if you needed to move to the right? Thanks.

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

When you check the test piece with your square from the reference side, depending where the gap is tells you which way the saw needs to move. If the gap is by the ref side then the saw needs to move to the left, if its on the opposite side of the reference then it needs to move to the right. No matter which way you move the saw the adjustment is the same, using the feeler gauges, your either increasing the gap or reducing the gap from the plate to the stop. Hope that helps!!👍🏻

[@morokeiboethia6749]

Some study was done that found that like 65% (I think it was in the 60s%.... i know it was over half) of framing squares (multiple brands purchased from Home Depot, Lowes, and Amazon) were not truly 90%. I squared my saw blade to the fence on my ridgid 12" using my brand new Empire square from Home Depot. It looked perfect against the framing square but every time i did a test cut, my other squares were showing it was off about a 16th. Sure enough I checked that Empire framing square and it was exactly a 16th off at very close to 16 on one leg of the square. Moral of the story is do a 3, 4, 5 test on whatever square you're using to calibrate.

[@N1rOx]

If you're aiming for ultimate accuracy, rather than 3, 4, 5, just calculate the length of the hypotenuse (diagonal measurement) using the exact length of each leg of square and measure from end point to end point. This way, you aren't measuring a projection like you are with the 3, 4, 5 method, which could still be out past the point you 3, 4, 5'd to.

[@morokeiboethia6749]

@@N1rOx I understand what you're saying and thought about that but framing squares are 16x24 on outermost edge of each leg and 22.5x14 on the innermost edge of each leg. The longer leg is 2" wide and the shorter leg is 1.5" wide. In each case the hypotenuse would calculate to a value that falls between 16ths markers and not on a 16th marker on a ruler or tape measure. Also a regular framing square is not built to a 3,4,5 ratio so you wind up measuring from your shorter leg (which is your 3 leg) to some point short of 24" on your longer leg (which is the 4 leg). I just convert the 16" and 24" legs to 16ths (because that is the finest increment of marker on the square). That turns out to be 256 x 384. Then take your shorter leg (256) and find the highest number from 1-256 that is evenly divisible by 3 which is 255. Divide that by 3 and that equals 85. So 85 -16ths is "1" in the 3,4,5 ratio. We already know the 3 leg was 255 -16ths so the 4 leg would be 85x4 which is 340. So the largest 3,4,5 ratio points on a framing square is 340 (16ths) and 255 (16ths). This is the highest and most accurate points to check your framing square accuracy that would fall evenly on a 16th marker.

[@N1rOx]

@@morokeiboethia6749 ah, and there we have the difference. I am from metric land and our tapes have increments every 1/25th of an inch. Which is more than accurate enough to tell whether your square, is square. At least for the application that size square would be suitable for anyway.

[@morokeiboethia6749]

@@N1rOx I actually practice with the metric scale sometimes and I love the fact that it's so easily convertible and divisible being that it is structured in, 100ths, 1000ths. A lot of American engineering software uses English scale (inches / feet ) but they abandoned the 16ths increments of the inch and moved to 10ths and 100ths of an inch making it so much easier to express inch values with a decimal ending that can be input into a computer. I'm still terrible at looking at something physical and being able to judge it's length in centimeters/millimeters.

[@garvielloken3929]

Nooice!

[@063317Art]

This is for a Dewalt Saw? Mine is different as it is a Delta and is not a sliding miter saw.

[@TopOyster]

The biggest factor out of your control is the angle on that wall lol

[@quocle867]

Hi Building Guru - what is the purpose of adding extra wood fences?

[@quocle867]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 Thanks!

[@bartalexherbherb8286]

Can you do review about dewalt 777 please

[@mava1040]

Help ! I just used my Dewalt miter slider , after sitting for 5 yrs. I've noticed that my cuts are uneven. The joints are tight at the top , but open at the bottom

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

Hey! Watch the whole series on setting up a mitersaw, then square up the saw using the method in the video and you should be good.

[@rickyperkins232]

What is the best saw that maintains its accuracy after be tossed in the back of the pick up truck for every job

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

The one you don’t toss!!!

[@enduringpromise]

@2:23 there should have been a video explaining or showing how he got that measurement. I think after watching the rest of the video, I understood he measured the gap at and then used that as the measurement.

[@ginovella4893]

how would you know that the detent plate is defected because when i do 90degree the 45degree will be off by 3mm is there a setting on the fence Miter Saw DEWALT 780 thank you

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

If you set the 90 degree position accurately then all the other detent positions should also be set if not the detent plate is off. 3mm is a lot of discrepancy something doesn’t seem right there.

[@ginovella4893]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 thank you for your help

[@alanmatthews9260]

I didn’t see how you determined you needed to move 2000ths to the right.

[@allanstewart758]

It would have been a hole lot easier if I'd have seen this vedio before I set up my saw. How about a 6" delta jointer table

[@piesho]

Use pressure washers to stop the screws from loosening with the vibration.

[@Johnwickpifpaf]

When I cut straight my bevel is 90 degrees but when I cut 45 degrees miter my bevel is not square. What could be the reason?

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

What do you mean by bevel?

[@Johnwickpifpaf]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 vertical 90 degree

[@Johnwickpifpaf]

@@thebuilditchannel8609 when the blade is 90 degrees to the fence it is 90 degrees to the table but you turn the blade 45 degrees to the fence the blade is out of square to the table

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

@@Johnwickpifpaf That is wierd!! It might be cut technique. Check out this video and see if it helps, If it’s the saw then the rotating base must be off.

[@thebuilditchannel8609]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gneuiZ-Bqq2Lj6M

[@tornadoalleystudios2283]

1:18 :)

[@4EvaGrindin]

You never showed how to tell which way to move it

[@NMranchhand]

This video appears to be a few words short of reaching its goal of explanation.

[@buckylaine]

Great video but when doing the 45 degree miter, it doesn't matter how long the pieces are, it's the length of the mitered edges. So, a wider board is more important than a longer one.

[@PaulWolfe1]

I just use an L Square and flush it up against an untightened non-moving blade, then tighten.

[@89Ayten]

.001 over 12" I don't think anyone is noticing that

[@georgetteboyd1046]

This is waaaaaay to complicated for women out here trying to make things easier!!!

[@robertsmith3518]

There is a lot missing ,This guy is a hack .... Next

[@jason4547]

Your Miter Saw will only be as true as the square your referencing it off of...

[@l.rey-era2413]

Hard to argue that any Woodpecker square would be off. They are great and durable, so even if you don't treat them as well as their should be, they will remain pretty true to their original shape.

[@jason4547]

@@l.rey-era2413 Wasn't implying that Woodpecker tools were not of quality / square. It was a general reference intended for other viewers.

[@thumperman8490]

MDF dust is highly toxic, where is your dust collection...your saw will be accurate, but your lungs will be shot? It's a very poor idea to cut MDF indoors with no collection system. You should surely be aware of this fact!