Do You Push Or Pull A Sliding Miter Saw?

Author: E. Silva (aka Mr. Awesome - The Niche Specialty Expert)

That is a good question, my reader, and there is no shame at all in having such a thought. After all, we all have to learn at some point. When I was a novice, I did ask the very same thing myself, so don’t feel bad you asked. In fact, I am going to take just 10 – 15 minutes of your time ( a worthy investment, if you ask me, he he he he heh ) to talk to you on this. So please listen up! Let’s talk ….

So first of all, to answer the question bluntly, the answer is this —- the way that these sliding miter saws are designed is, as a matter of fact, quite interesting. They are designed in such a way as to be cutting right on that push stroke, at the end of the day. So what that means, as a result, is this : If you pull that miter saw right through the cut ( instead of pushing, he he he he heh ) , what you will find is no bueno … the result being that you get a ‘climb cut’, which in a nut – shell, basically just means that your blade shoots straight up from the wood and comes right at ya. Be careful … this blade coming after you is never a good thing, and countless “careful sawers” have, in fact, lost fingers, hands and more from catastrophes. I don’t mean to scare you, but I just want you to be alert and aware, now … moving on, then ….

The next point I did want to mention is the fact that you always , in these instances, want a blade with forward – angling teeth ( and ideally between 0 and 5 degrees, by the way ) . The teeths’ positive hook is, in fact, quite aggressive and made to help you push through the wood with the slightest of ease ( and all while maintaining good control ) . So there you have it —- you ought to always push and not pull. Makes sense, eh? Push that sliding miter saw right through the cut and don’t be afraid ; avoid climb cuts by not pulling. Easy peasy ….

You might also want to consider how big the cut is, and also how long the slide is, at the end of the day. And this can all vary, based on which saw and parts you are using, of course. But if you’d like to see some of what I just talked about visually, for yourself, then have a look at what these folks on YouTube have to say : How to Use a Slide Compound Mitre Saw

I personally love this collection of videos, which has taught me so much on this. I hope you will be educated as well. Thanks for stopping by! Read more blogs here …