mitre saw

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bking0217

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Oct 4, 2010
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Location
Apopka, FL
Anyone else using a miter saw to cut their blanks? What I was wondering is can I cut acrylics with it or is it going to shatter into a million pieces?
 
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Hi Brian,

I use a sliding compound miter saw exclusively to cut blanks and brass tubing to length.
Cover the saw table with an auxiliary plywood table and a rear fence. Clamp table/fence down solid to saw and make a cut with a good thin kerf blade and you will have the required zero clearance table slot you need.
Allow the saw to ramp up to full speed before contacting the material and you should have no problem cutting any blank material including acrylics and Trustone as well as brass tubing.
Once again, the good blade and zero clearance slot are necessary for good safe results.
 
Assuming you are using a power miter saw instead of hand saw style, you will need a zero clearance fence and table, a fine tooth blade with zero tooth angle to slightly backward looking tooth angle. It is referred to in degrees and for the life of me right now, I can't remember what it is called. but if you use the regular blade that comes on most saws, it is way too agressive and will destroy your blank. Advance the blade gently as it may tend to grab the acrylic and place it in the trash for you. A band saw is bad enough, do be careful, clamp the material down and keep your hands away from the blade. When anything goes wrong, it happens amazingly fast.DAMHIKT
Charles
 
What is a zero clearance table slot?

I have been using my mitre saw to cut my blanks (acrylic, wood & corian) and have not had any issues. Have I been lucky or is what I am doing okay.

I use the blank cutting jig from PSI to cut to the correct length. It is clamped to my fence, but that is all I have.
 
I use a Dewalt 12 inch compound miter saw with a 108 tooth Freud picture framing blade. I have it set up with the PSI blank cutting jig.

I made two sets of mounting holes for the jig. The first set up cuts the blank exactly the length of the tube being used. This setup minimizes blank squaring.

The second of mounting holes adds 1/2 inch to the tube length. This setup allows me extra room so as not to have to drill completely through "brittle" blanks.

This setup works perfectly for me.
 
Instead of a zero clearance throat plate (hard it find around here), I just put a piece of scrap mdf on the bed of the dewalt. It works just fine.

The PSI jig holds the blank above the bed if the saw and will work without any insert. I just like using the MDF or Masonite as I have lots of scrap pieces.
 
Last edited:
ctubbs said:
a fine tooth blade with zero tooth angle to slightly backward looking tooth angle. It is referred to in degrees
Click to expand...

The saw bade is a negative rake blade made for chop or compound saws. The table saw blades have a positive rake. Don't mix them up!!!!! A positive rake blade is too "grabby" for use in a compound saw. It will pull the blade into the work rather then allowing you to push the blade.
 
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