What is a Miter Saw?

A miter saw is used to make exact angle cuts in wood, masonry, metal or even concrete. Before power tools (and even still used today for those on an extreme budget) a hand saw and a miter box would be used to perform exact degree angle cuts. The exact degree angle cuts are necessary for joining two or more pieces of material together in a flush manner. So a power miter saw is simply a combination of the miter box and a circular power saw. It can provide amazing and exacting results in a very simple-to-use yet powerful way. A couple of the common uses of this type of saw are floor boards and crown molding; each needing to meet up flush at their joints.

What Types of Miter Saws Are There?

There are a few different and distinct types of miter saws:

When Where They Developed?

The manual miter saw has been around for thousands of years. The first power miter saw came  into existence in the early 1970's and was very limited in its capabilities. It wasn't until the later part of the 80's that the sliding compound saw showed up and it helped to revolutionize the do-it-yourself industry by allowing these individuals to suddenly create professional looking results.



Who Makes the Best Miter Saw?

There are a number of miter saws available at your local Home Depot or online at Amazon; from manufacturers such as Ryobi, Bosch, Makita, DeWalt and Black & Decker. Besides the various types listed above, there are also different sizes: 7 1/2", 10" and 12". And they can come with added features such as a laser guide, a stand or a light. Finally, you have to consider the cost and which one provides the best value for its features and functionality.

Sooo...Who Makes the Best Miter Saw?

The best miter saw in the do-it-yourself category - for the price and functionality, you just can't beat the LS1040 10" compound Makita miter saw. Brand new, it sells for about $190. Its 10" blade can handle just about any job around the house and because it is a compound miter saw, you can make precise cuts both horizontally and vertically.

The best miter saw In the professional category - I have to recommend the LS1216LX Makita mitre saw. This 12" blade saw has a laser guided cutting system and a sturdy stand that makes it both portable and ready to work when you are. A new one sells for about $870, which seems a bit pricey until you've used it a few times and then you will wonder how you ever worked without one.

Best Miter Saw Price Comparison

The Best Miter Saw selling today is the  12 inch Dual Slide Compound Miter saw (LS1216L). Buying from your local Home Depot is obviously the quickest way to get one and, unless it's on sale, the most expensive. It is usually for sale at around $645. Their website, homedepot.com, is much less at $599 with 6-14 business days free shipping. Ebay offers the Best Miter Saw three different ways: auction where the price is pretty close to the "But It Now" price, refurbished at $519 or the "Buy It Now" price of $626.99 and all three offer free shipping at 5-12 business days. Amazon looks like they offer the best deal consistently at only $579 (sometimes less) and include free shipping in 5-8 business days. This seems to be the best deal if you've got about a week you can wait. If you are interested in going to check it out for yourself and/or purchase, just click on one of the links below:

Amazon - click here
Home Depot - click here
Ebay - click here

Other Makita Power Tools Available

We also have another website with valuable information available for the Makita Drill. There is information provided for Makita Drills, the Makita Cordless Drill, the Makita 18V Combi Drill, Cordless Drills, and the Makita 18V Drill.