Know your tools: The mitre saw

Ah, the humble mitre saw. Every tradies' best friend and an important tool on building sites around the country. But what about bathroom DIY or building a deck - is the mitre saw still the go-to tool? As we continue our series on the most essential DIY equipment, you'll soon see why this versatile tool makes the list.

Repetitive by nature

A compound mitre saw is great for making repeat cuts with absolute accuracy. Clamping or bolting the saw down to a level surface and setting up a stop will enable you to achieve the exact measurement you're after time and time again.

What's your angle?

Not only can you get your cuts accurate and repeatable, but there are a range of angles you can use. Of course, a mitre is a a 90 degree joint, usually made up of two 45 degree ends joined together. Most mitre saw models go through a range of negative 45 degrees through to positive 45 degrees, giving you at least a 90 degree range to work with.

You can set your saw for any angle in between, and by simply flipping your work piece over, you can get the corresponding angle as well. You're not limited just to angles either, you can bevel your cuts as well, allowing you to create complex compound cuts that would otherwise be hard to achieve.

Variety out of your saw

Hiring a compound mitre saw enables you to complete a range of jobs. With the appropriate blade, you can get super-fine cuts or you could chew through large pieces of rough-hewn timber for DIY garden jobs. If you have a good stand set up and some rollers or saw horses, you can make multiple passes on extra long lengths of timber. Or you have the flexibility to get into tiny pieces of woodwork that need precise beveling.

A mitre saw can be used for everything from crown moulding to building your own retainer wall, and should be on the list of hire equipment for most DIY jobs at home. Becoming familiar with this tool and its capabilities will not only enhance your productivity, but will also open up a whole new world of DIY possibilities.

What more is there to learn?

There are many ways to extract more utility from your saw set up, from adding length to your table set up to finding ways to clamp round dowels in channels and more. When it comes to mitre saws, you truly are only limited by your imagination.