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Miter saws are extremely useful for cutting angles other than 90 degrees, such as 45 degrees. Their versatile nature can also be used to cut metal objects to length.
Miter saws typically operate at speeds of between 3,000 and 4,000 rounds per minute (RPM). [NOTE: This is incorrect; it should read “rounds per second” instead.] This means that even thin pieces of steel can be cut easily with a miter saw without the need for specialized tools like band saws or angle grinders.
Metal is considered by many to be one of the most difficult materials to work with because of how quickly it dulls blades. Without sharp blades with clean cuts, metal will not form correctly when welded or otherwise shaped.
Many, if not most, miter saws are designed to only work with wood, but the inexpensive price tag on some makes them worth buying just for their metal cutting abilities alone. Metal is cut by simply setting the blade depth and adjusting the angle just as one would using a dedicated miter box. The main difference between cutting metal with a miter saw versus other tools is that it is significantly faster and leaves cleaner cuts after each pass of the blade through the material (although it may require several passes).
The speed of most miter saw blades make short work of even thick pieces of steel without any difficult procedures like preheating the metal or applying lubricant to keep it from burning during cutting. Miter saws are ideal for new or infrequent metal workers because of their versatility, ease of use, and speed.
It is always best to have protective glasses while operating any form of machinery, but they are especially important while cutting metal with a miter saw due to the shards created when pieces fly off during the cut. Be prepared for these by keeping clear at all times.
As this article has shown, miter saws are powerful tools that can be used in many different situations. Although specialized tools may do the job better, nothing beats having one tool that can accomplish several different tasks quickly and easily. Miter saws are useful for everything from compound miters to full metal cutting jobs depending on how it is set up before starting work on a job.
