Popular Woodworking 2008-04 № 168, страница 61

down position before it is raised back up — especially when stops are being used. If the blade is still rotating as it comes back up through the wood that's trapped between the blade and the stop, it could lift the trapped wood, ruin the blade, possibly damage the wood and more than likely knock your stop out of place.

Power miter saws can be used with either hand running the trigger. These machines are ambidextrous. It is very important that you never cross your arms when making any cut. There is nothing wrong with positioning yourself to use your left hand on the trigger or positioning yourself to use your right hand on the trigger. As a matter of fact, several brands have a dual trigger switch that adapt for both right- and left-handed people.

Because all guards are made out of some type of plastic, it can be hard to get a clear and undistorted view of the blade when aligning the cut. Some manufacturers place slots in the front edge of the guard, which is designed to give a clear, straight-on view of the blade for easy alignment.

Make a Disposable Fence

One of the best ways to enhance the accuracy and quality of a cut on a miter saw is to add a disposable/sacrificial sub-fence. This sub-fence can do three things to help enhance the performance of the cut. First, it will help eliminate all potential kickbacks (with proper cutting techniques).

Second, it will help eliminate tear-out on the back edge of the board. And third, once the sub-fence is cut, it will identify exactly where the right- and left-hand sides of the blade are. This helps setup and locates board placement for very accurate cuts. It will eliminate guessing where the blade will cut; you now will know exactly where the blade will be.

Here is what I do to make my saws perform better. I use a scrap piece of V2" -thick MDF or particleboard that is at least as long as the two fences on the saw and as tall as possible while still allowing the motor/handle to be drawn completely down into the tool's cutting pocket. I use exterior-grade carpet tape to hold the sub-fence

Stuck, secure and super-accurate. I install replaceable sub-fences on my miter saw to control tear-out and increase my accuracy. Here I'm installing one with exterior-grade carpet tape (top). Then I simply press it into place (bottom).

One slice to accuracy. With the sub-fence installed, I'll make a straight cut into it (left). Now I know exactly where my saw will cut when crosscutting my stock. I simply line up the mark on my board with the kerf in the sub-fence (right).

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