When performing the woodworks, it is necessary to choose the right saw: a saw that will outperform its job and ease the user. Now, you can choose one of the two basic saws; either a mitre saw, or a table saw. Both these saws are best, and you can’t declare one to be superior to the other. Both of the saws have different workplace conditions, and you should choose the one that best fits your requirements. If you are a professional carpenter, you may want to have both saws, which makes sense. But in case you’re a DIYer, you should better not buy both but choose the one according to your needs.
But before you go for a saw, you should keep in mind the following aspects:
- Available room; the space available to you is very important.
- Nature of work; the selection of saw depends on the nature of work, like you face heavy tasks or you are buying it just for home use.
- Power of saw; for continuous and heavy projects, the power of the machine is very important.
First of all, let’s have a brief look at both the machines:
Contents
Table Saw
Table saws consist of a wooden or metal table with a saw along its length. The table saw is very common and is easily observable at any wooden shop. It is a very powerful machine and is being used for a long time. These machines are confined to the workspace and can not be carried frequently.
Mitre Saws
Mitre saws are very portable and are used for angle cuts. It comes with many advanced features and can also be easily operated. Their small and portable size, and the variety of tasks these saws perform, attracts the woodworkers.
Table saw cuts large wood pieces easily
Table saws are powerful enough to cut even large pieces of wood. This is especially helpful when you are meant to cut large wooden sheets with normal accuracy. Table saw makes the simple cuts in no time, which in the case of mitre saw, is a time-consuming process. In the table saw, the blade is fixed and you don’t need to move the blade. What you have to do is simply adjust the scales and move the sheets towards the blade.
The table saw can also be used to cut small wooden logs, but that is a little work.
Mitre saws can do precise angle cutting
Although mitre saws cannot make lengthy cuts easily, most mitre saws can make 12-14 inches cut depending on the size of the blade. The sliding mitre saws are also limited to 16-18 inches cut. So, these are inferior to table saws in this case. But on the other hand, the precision is attainable only on a mitre saw. While making shelves, tables and especially crown moulds, mitre saw help out with greater precision.
The angle cutting for making frames, etc., needs to be done very precisely. Quality mitre saws have very precise scales and also have laser guides. The professionals always look for laser guides while buying a saw. The neatness in work owes not only to the knack of the carpenter but also the quality of a mitre saw.
Bevel cutting is possible with mitre saw
The compound Mitre saws also tilt aside to give two-dimensional bevel cuts. Most mitre saws can perform bevel cuts at 90 degrees. Bevel cuts are used to make the edges soft, make a joint of wood pieces, and design crown moulds. There are positive locks at 45 and 90 degrees. However, you can also set any other required angle; the saw will be locked there and help you attain precision in bevel cuts.
Table Saw Vs Mitre Saw – Main Differences
Now let’s discuss both machines based on some common carpentry terms
See Also: Mitre Saw Vs Circular Saw
Precision
Table saw
Table saw is usually used on a large scale for simple, small or large cuts. Mostly, high precision is not required in the projects where a table saw is being used. With good accuracy, it can also cut the wood at some specific angle.
Mitre saw
Mitre saw provides the results with high precision. That’s why mitre saws do all the precise cuttings. Mitre saws are used to design decorative borders and finishings due to the precision these saws ensure. Moreover, the bevel cuttings are also performed with neatness.
Rip cuts
The normal cuttings along the length are called rip cuts.
Table saw
Table saws are essentially useful in rip cuts. The lengthy pieces/sheets are just slid over the blade. While designing the wooden bookshelves, furniture, etc., large sheets of wood are required to cut frequently, and a table saw makes this cutting easy. Just imagine, how much time would it take to perform these cuttings if done by mitre saw?
Mitre saw
Mitre saws can be used in rip cutting, but these can produce a cut of 12-14 inches in length. So, for large sheets, mitre saws are useless or either very weird to use.
Crosscuts
Cross-cutting is cutting the width of the wood.
Table saw
Out of the two saws, only table saws can be used for cross-cutting. The wooden piece to be cross-cut is aligned to the scale of the table saw and is carefully pushed towards the blade. Table saw gives us very neat and well-finished crosscuts.
Mitre saw
Mitre saw can be used for cuts and are inferior in this case. This amazing machine is helpful in rip cutting and angular cutting. Although cross-cutting can be performed using it, perfection and precision are achieved greatly by using a table saw compared to a mitre saw.
Angular and bevel cuts
Bevel cuts are made at some specific angle along the face of the material. This could be a cut on the entire surface of the material and also on either side of the material.
Table saw
Table saw requires an expert and trained user to make precise angular and bevel cuts. Undoubtedly, this is a trustworthy machine that can help you cut a plank of wood or something at 45- degree angle, but it requires practice. It can also cause difficulty in cutting if you are a beginner.
Mitre saw
In terms of bevel and angular cuts, a mitre saw is a wise option. Especially if you are going to deal with a lot of cutting and framing projects, you should invest in a mitre saw. They come with high efficiency, and you don’t need to be an expert while performing angular cutting using them.
They also have an advantage for DIY’ers and small project owners at home.
Portability
An easily portable gadget is itself a blessing. You can easily carry it with you to your workspace. This is also very helpful if you are travelling and carrying something with you.
Table saw
Table saw ranges from smaller to larger ones. Larger table saws come with wheels that can be folded up and tooled away. Even the larger ones are lighter in weight than the competitor tools and can be transported easily.
A collapsible stand is an additional feature of the table saw. It makes your cutting experience smooth and convenient.
Mitre saw
Mitre saws come with a large range based on the working capacity. The larger ones come with portable stands that are transportable. Those coming with smaller sizes are easily foldable and movable. This feature of mitre saw makes them more tempting and appealing for the users.
They also come with top handles like a suitcase which make them easy to carry, but this feature is associated with small mitre saws.
Length of cut
The tools which are picked up specifically for cutting provided length of cut is a feature that should be considered.
Table saw
Different products are offering different lengths of cuts, but obviously, the length of the cut depends upon the size of the blade. With a 10 inch table saw, you can make 3.5 inches wide cut, and if you are using the 12-inch table saw, you can cut any material about 4 inches wide.
Mitre saw
It all depends upon your cutting needs. If you are expecting to get wider cuts, you should pick up a mitre saw with wider blades. This tool provided plenty of options to choose between the sizes of the blade. Usually, a mitre saw that comes with a spinning handle can make up to 16 inches wide cut. This reason is fair enough to choose a mitre saw.
Conclusion
Miter saw, and table saws are both equally significant tools. Users can pick one of them based on, their needs. There are some differences in both of the instruments which should be kept in mind:
- Table saws are perfect for making rips (lengthwise cuts). Table saws are not for making cross cuts (cuts across the width of any material)
- Mitre saws, on the other hand, are specifically designed for making widthwise cuts (crosscuts). They cant operate rips.
- In the functioning of a mitre saw, the blade of the saw moves, and the cutting material doesn’t. On the contrary, table saw works by movable cutting material, and stationary saw blade.