MITER SAW VS TABLE SAW | KNOW THE DIFFERENCE（1）

Miter saws and table saws are powerful tools for getting serious work done in the shop or on the jobsite. Most Pros know how to use a miter saw vs table saw, but DIYers or those just starting out may not quite understand when exactly you want to use each of these power tools. 

THE PURPOSE OF A MITER SAW VS A TABLE SAW

At its heart, a miter saw cuts angles across narrow pieces of wood. That might be 2X lumber, but more often than not, you cut crown, base, chair rail, or cove molding with these saws. You may also find yourself cutting flooring. If you don’t need to cut angles, a miter saw makes quick work of cross-cuts when you need to shorten a board or piece of trim to length.

A miter saw cannot make longer cuts simply because you’re limited by a combination of the style of saw (sliding or non-sliding) and the blade diameter. As you can imagine, a 12-inch sliding saw has much more cross-cutting capacity than a 7-1/4″ non-sliding miter saw. Regardless of blade size, however, neither miter saw is equipped to rip a piece of 3/4-inch plywood!

Contrast that to a table saw, which excels at ripping wood or changing the width of a piece of wood. It typically cuts with the grain or otherwise alters the width of a board. It’s designed to make cuts that are nearly infinite in length.

TABLE SAW VS MITER SAW SAFETY

With a miter saw, you cut using the bottom of the spinning blade. A miter saw’s blade rotates so that the exposed part of the blade moves away from you. That also means that any wood caught up by the blade gets thrown away from you.

With a table saw, you cut using the top part of the blade. Because of this, the blade actually spins toward you. If a piece of wood gets caught on the blade (known as table saw kickback) it generally moves back toward you—very quickly.

Both tools have safety measures and guards to protect against these problems. Miter saws have a guard that covers the blade as it lowers to engage the wood. That keeps you away from the part of the blade that faces you as you cut. These saws also typically warn you against putting your hands too close to the blade when holding material against the table or fence.

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