Use and Care Manual

English
11
Cutting Trim Molding And Other Frames (Fig. 12)
Sketch B in Figure 12 shows a joint made by setting the miter arm at 45º to miter the two
boards to form a 90º corner. To make this type of joint, set the bevel adjustment to zero and
the miter arm to 45º. Once again, position the wood with the broad flat side on the table and
the narrow edge against the fence.
The two sketches in Figure 12 are for four-sided objects only.
As the number of sides changes, so do the miter and bevel angles. The chart below gives the
proper angles for a variety of shapes.
– EXAMPLES –
NUMBER OF SIDES MITER OR BEVEL ANGLE
4 45°
5 36°
6 30°
7 25.7°
8 22.5°
9 20°
10 18°
The chart assumes that all sides are of equal length. For a shape that is not shown in the
chart, use the following formula: 180º divided by the number of sides equals the miter (if the
material is cut vertically) or bevel angle (if the material is cut laying flat).
Cutting Compound Miters
FIG. 13
ANGLE “A”
(Fig. 13)
A compound miter is a cut made using a miter angle
and a bevel angle at the same time. This is the type
of cut used to make frames or boxes with slanting
sides like the one shown in Figure 13.
NOTE: If the cutting angle varies from cut to cut,
check that the bevel lock knob and the miter lock
knob are securely locked. These must be locked
after making any changes in bevel or miter.
The chart at the end of this manual (Table 1) will assist you in selecting the proper bevel and
miter settings for common compound miter cuts. To use the chart, select the desired angleA
(Fig. 13) of your project and locate that angle on the appropriate arc in the chart. From that
point follow the chart straight down to find the correct bevel angle and straight across to find
the correct miter angle.
Set your saw to the prescribed angles and make a few trial cuts. Practice fitting the cut pieces
together until you develop a feel for this procedure and feel comfortable with it.
Example: To make a 4-sided box with 26º exterior angles (Angle A, Fig. 13), use the upper
right arc. Find 26° on the arc scale. Follow the horizontal intersecting line to either side to
get miter angle setting on saw (42°). Likewise, follow the vertical intersecting line to the top
or bottom to get the bevel angle setting on the saw (18°). Always try cuts on a few scrap
pieces of wood to verify the settings on the saw.
Cutting Base Molding (Fig. 14)
Straight 90º cuts:
Position the wood against the fence and hold it in place as shown in Figure 14. Turn on
the saw, allow the blade to reach full speed and lower the arm smoothly through the cut.
CUTTING BASE MOLDING UP TO 4.5" (114 mm) HIGH VERTICALLY AGAINST THE
FENCE
Position material as shown in Figure 14.
All cuts should be made with the back of the molding against the fence and with the bottom
of the molding against the table.
INSIDE CORNER OUTSIDE CORNER
Left side
Miter left 45°
Save left side of cut
Miter right 45°
Save left side of cut
Right side
Miter right 45°
Save right side of cut
Miter left 45°
Save right side of cut
Material up to 6.75" (171 mm) can be cut as described above.
FIG. 14
Cutting Crown Molding
Your miter saw is well suited to the task of cutting crown molding. In order to fit properly,
crown molding must be compound mitered with extreme accuracy.
The two flat surfaces on a given piece of crown molding are at angles that, when added
together, equal exactly 90º. Most, but not all, crown molding has a top rear angle (the section
that fits flat against the ceiling) of 52º and a bottom rear angle (the part that fits flat against
the wall) of 38º.
Your miter saw has special pre-set miter latch points at 31.62º left and right for cutting crown
molding at the proper angle and bevel stop pawls at 33.9º left and right. There is also a mark
on the bevel scale at 33.9º.
The chart below gives the proper settings for cutting crown molding. (The numbers for
the miter and bevel settings are very precise and are not easy to accurately set on your
saw.) Since most rooms do not have angles of precisely 90º, you will have to fine tune your
settings anyway.
PRETESTING WITH SCRAP MATERIAL IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR CUTTING CROWN MOLDING LAYING FLAT AND USING THE
COMPOUND FEATURES
1. Molding should lay flat with broad back surface down on saw table (Fig. 15).
2. Top of molding against fence.
3. The settings below are for all standard (U.S.) crown molding with 52° and 38° angles.