With advancements in technology, nearly all tools and devices you use have undergone some degree of evolution and transformation. Such power tools include those used for woodworking and architectural jobs.
Miter saws, also famously referred to as chop saws, have undergone a remarkable milestone thanks to the introduction of lasers for more efficient, faster, and more precise angled cuts for a wide range of boards.
You may be asking yourself, “is the laser worth it for miter saws?” Well, a miter saw with a laser will enable you to seamlessly work on several woodworking projects with less hassle. The more advanced Miter saw will allow you to make crosscuts, bevels, and miters more accurate for spectacular clean work.
When purchasing a tool for your woodworking duties, it is always vital to get your money’s ultimate value. Miter saws with a laser have been craftily designed to perform intricate jobs more safely and precisely as compared to regular miter saws.
This piece will give you much-needed insight on whether laser on miter saws are worth it. Let’s dive in,
How important is a Laser Guide on a Miter Saw
Since the late 1970s, the miter saw has been electrified and motorized. However, the manual pedigree was in existence for at least three centuries before that. Carpenters used to create their own miter boxes using scrap wood for 90° and 45° cuts.
Luckily, the introduction of a miter saw with a laser revolutionized the woodworking experience.
Miter saws with laser beams have been utilized to mark perfect blade paths across a wide range of wood types. This is a premium feature as not all saw has it. The lasers work reasonably well to enable you to make more accurate cuts using your miter saw.
The state of the art miters saws is now fitted with lasers with green diodes that are more conspicuous than the red diodes. The green diodes increase the efficiency of the laser, thus maximizing the productivity of your miter saw.
Even though miter saws with a laser guide are more expensive than ordinary saws, they will offer you remarkable performance that will be worth your money. It can be frustrating and stressful to use an inefficient tool as you will end up using much time and hassle.
Is the Laser Worth it for Miter Saws?
To enhance your readings’ accuracy when measuring heights and distances, you cannot help but appreciate the advancements and accuracy brought about by laser guide technology on miter saws.
As compared to the conventional old school miter saws that were manual and required much stretching and flexing, the advanced miter saws with a laser guide will save you the hassle.
The Miter saw laser helps the carpenter perform challenging duties with zero errors to guarantee more precise cuts and clean work.
Laser measuring and cutting tools are far less cumbersome and more accurate, especially when the wood surfaces are uneven.
The laser guide on the Miter saws emits a laser light beam similar to that of a laser pen. The beam will show you the path to follow while shaping or cutting a plank of wood.
Unlike shaping a wood surface with the freehand, which can be prone to mistakes and errors, the saws fitted with a laser guide will ensure your work is perfect and free from blunders.
In a big way, the carpentry industry has benefited from the advanced technology used in the production of miter saws with a laser.
Globally, renowned carpenters and woodwork specialists recommended using this tool due to its improved productivity and enhanced security features.
As you may be asking, “is the laser worth it for miter saws?” then you got the answer.
The laser marker system is an exclusive modern-day technology. You can activate it before the saw is in motion for accurate alignment and predictable placement of the blade.
Simply line up the saw blade with the laser guide to the wood’s mark, and the Miter saw with making a perfect cut across the laser guide.
Types of Miter Saws with Laser Guides
There are three categories of miter saws with a laser guide, and they include:
- Sliding compound
- Stationary compound
- Sliding dual compound (also referred to as dual or double bevel)
Depending on the beam design and the miter saws’ sophistication, these robust tools’ prices may vary.
Stationary compound miter saws with laser guide cut to the left and right. However, it can only perform a single direction for bevel cuts. The sliding compound miter saws have increased capability for moving back and forward along rails.
The sliding compound miter saws with laser beams have robust capabilities as they can perform all carpentry duties. It is ideal for left and right cuts as well as bevel cuts.
Laser guide enabled miter saws with sliding designs are the most recognized due to their blades’ increased crosscut capacity. Most have wider miter saw blades that measure up to 12 inches in diameter.
Benefits of Miter Saws with Laser Guide
As you may be asking, “how important is a laser guide on a miter saw?” Well, this state of the art tool offers a wide range of benefits that will enhance your carpentry and woodwork experience. Some of the benefits include:
- Improves accuracy while cutting a wide range of wood surfaces
- Increased productivity as much work is done using the tool
- Reduced mechanical force, thus less hassle
- Ideal for different types of surfaces
- Value for money due to increased efficiency
- The stakeout requirements are reduced
- Quick job cycles
- Idle machine time and rework
- Elimination of errors
Miter Saw Versus LED Shadow Line
Apart from miter saws using laser guides, advancement in technology has led to the production of miter saws using LED light. It works by casting the shadow of the blade onto the material.
The cuts made by this tool are accurate as the blade forms the shadow. Even if the LED light goes out, it’s much easier to see shadow even on bright days.
However, a miter saw with a laser guide is perfect as compared to a miter saw with LED lights.
LED guides are more accurate as they transmit length much further and with fewer errors.
Here’s a video discussing how to add LED light to your miter saw:
Can You Add A Laser To A Miter Saw?
Yes, it is very common, and quite easy to add a laser guide to your miter saw. You can purchase a laser attachment from most building home centers.
There are many different styles and types of aftermarket laser guides, battery powered or centrifugal force styles are available, depending on what works best for your situtaion.
How to Add Laser Guide to Meter Saw
Cutting a cramp of wood with a miter saw can be a challenging hurdle and full of errors. You may be wondering how to improve your work and have more accurate cuts.
Luckily, a wide range of Miter saw accessories, including laser beam and LED lights, are available.
You are required to install the new laser beam on your conventional Miter saw for an improved cutting experience. After installation, follow the straight beams for a more precise cut.
However, most miter saws nowadays come with a pre-installed laser guide, which is more advanced.
Is It Worth It to Upgrade your Laserless Miter Saw?
Even though the laser guide technology is a premium feature for modern-day miter saws, some of them, including the conventional ones, do not come with a laser beam.
To boost your Miter saw’s productivity, you may need to upgrade it with a laser guide for enhanced and accurate cuttings.
Installing a laser beam on your old miter saw will go a long way in ensuring that your woodwork and carpentry duties are done more efficiently without much energy.
However, depending on your financial capabilities, it will be ideal to purchase a miter saw with a pre-installed laser guide as they tend to be more robust and durable.
Unlike the conventional old school miter saws, which gave a more erroneous and untidy work due to the lack of beam guide.
Here’s a company that specializes in laser guides for machinery
The advanced miter saws with laser guide technology used in its production are more efficient and worth it due to improved productivity.
For carpenters and woodwork experts who go for quality over cost, the new advanced miter saws with laser guides are the way to go.
This robust tool guarantees you a more accurate and precise cutting experience.
