How To Adjust Ryobi Miter Saw

Is your miter saw cutting crooked? Information technology's like shooting fish in a barrel to fix! Unproblematic adjustments to the saw bract and the fence will guarantee directly and accurate cuts every time.

You may also savor How to Change Bract on Miter Saw in 3 Easy Steps and vii Miter Saw Tricks Every DIYer Should Know.

Is your miter saw cutting crooked? It's easy to fix! Simple adjustments to the saw blade and the fence will guarantee straight and accurate cuts every time.

A miter saw is one of the tools we apply the nearly for building our DIY projects. Today we'll acquire how to cheque if our saw is out of alignment and how to adjust our miter saw for accurate cuts every time.

Originally published September 27, 2016 updated March 26, 2019

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Before we get into how to adapt a miter saw for accurate cuts, be sure to click the subscribe push at the bottom of this page to sign up for my Gratis weekly newsletter loaded with helpful pocket hole tricks, space-saving workshop ideas, clever DIY tips and more!

Annotation: This is meant to be supplemental information. Always refer to your miter saw manual for safe information, how to adjust your specific saw and how to employ your miter saw.

What is a Power Miter Saw?

A ability miter saw has an overhead mounted interchangeable rotating saw blade. The forest to be cut, or workpiece, is placed on the tabular array and against the contend. The saw blade is lowered to brand the cut and so released to return to its original position.

Diagram showing parts of a miter saw including the blade guard, miter adjustment, table, fence, blade, bevel adjustment, and trigger switch.

The default miter saw bending is set for a 90 degree crosscut. The table features a handle that allows you to change the bending to common preset angles like 22.5 degrees, 45 degrees or angles anywhere in between.

The preset angles feature a detent, or grab that prevents the table from moving during the cut. Angles without a detent are held in place by tightening the handle.

The miter saw is a great choice for cutting parts for DIY furniture projects, dwelling house decor projects, outdoor projects, installing baseboard molding, moulding effectually windows and doors, crown moulding, plus much more.

Types of Miter Saw Cuts

Crosscut
A crosscut is made across the grain of the wood.

Miter Cut
A miter cutting is an angle cut made on the face of a piece of wood.

Bevel Cutting
A bevel cut is an angle cut made on the edge of a piece of woods. A bevel cut changes the profile of the wood.

Compound Miter Cut
A compound miter cut combines a miter cut and a bevel cutting. Chemical compound miter cuts are needed to install crown moulding.

Types of Miter Saws

Compound Miter Saw
A compound miter saw can make crosscuts, miter cuts, bevel cuts and compound cuts. Some chemical compound miter saws are single compound, in other words, it only cuts a bevel in one management. Other miter saws are dual compound and can cutting bevels in both directions.

Sliding Miter Saw
A sliding miter saw, but like a compound miter saw, tin brand crosscuts, miter cuts, bevel cuts and compound cuts. The departure is the saw blade sits on sliding runway which allows the saw to cutting much wider widths of wood than a compound miter saw.

Miter Saw Safety

Be certain to disconnect the ability earlier making any adjustments to your miter saw. Never brand any adjustments with the ability connected. Always refer to your miter saw manual for safety information, how to adjust your specific saw and how to use your miter saw.

Before we fire upward our miter saw or selection up whatever tool for that affair we need to think about rubber. Read, follow, and understand the prophylactic instructions for your tools. If you don't empathise, contact the manufacturer or enquire a pro. You as well demand to protect your eyes with safe glasses, your ears with hearing protection and your lungs with a quality respirator.

How to Conform a Miter Saw for Accurate Cuts

You should bank check your saw for accuracy anytime you lot buy a new saw. Saws are fix at the factory, but can come up out of adjustment during shipping. You should besides check for accurateness when you have kickback. You know, when you lot unexpectedly hit a knot in the woods and the saw kicks back?! That'due south a good fourth dimension to cheque your saw. Also it'due south practiced do to check the saw a few times throughout the yr, considering they can come out of adjustment during utilise.

What You'll Demand to Adjust Your Miter Saw

To cheque and adapt the saw you'll need a speed square like this one. I besides like to have a 3′ level on hand. Adjacent, begin by setting your saw on a stable work surface or miter saw stand. For this demonstration I setup my Hitachi miter saw on my folding workbench.

Is the Miter Saw Blade Square to the Tabular array?

The offset thing we need to check is if the saw blade is square or 90 degrees to the tabular array. Disconnect the power and hold the blade guard out of the style.

Place a speed square flat on the miter saw tabular array. Lower the saw bract down towards the table. Move the speed square against the side of the saw blade making sure to avoid the teeth.

The saw blade is properly adapted when we sight down the bract, and the border of the speed foursquare makes complete contact with the side of the bract.

If there is either a gap at the top or the bottom edge of the speed square, so the saw blade is non square to the table and will need to be adjusted.

Using a speed square to sight down a miter saw blade to see if it is square to the table

How to Adjust the Miter Saw Blade

To adjust the saw bract on this Hitachi miter saw showtime loosen the bevel handle at the back of the saw.

And so, adjust the bevel of the blade until it makes consummate contact with the speed foursquare and tighten the handle.

Loosening the bevel handle to adjust the miter saw blade

With the saw blade square to the table adjust the stop bolt until it meets the terminate. Now if the bevel is changed, and then returned to 0 (nil), the bolt will finish the blade, and then information technology's square or ninety degrees to the table. Lastly, adjust the indicator, so it points to 0 (nada).

NOTE: Check the stop bolt if you lot're having difficulty squaring the blade to the tabular array. The stop commodities may be preventing the blade from being adjusted to 90 degrees. Bulldoze the bolt further into the table and recheck for foursquare.

Adjust the miter saw stop so the blade is at 0 degrees

Is the Miter Saw Fence Square to Bract?

The next affair we need to bank check is if the fence is square or 90 degrees to the bract. Disconnect the power and hold the blade baby-sit out of the way.

Place a speed square flat confronting the fence. Lower the saw blade downward to the table. Motion the square against the side of the blade making sure to avoid the teeth.

The blade is properly adjusted when nosotros sight down the bract, and the border of the speed square makes complete contact with the side of the blade.

If at that place is either a gap at the front or the back edge of the speed square the blade is not square to the argue and volition need to be adapted.

Using a speed square to check if the miter saw fence is square to the blade

How to Adapt the Miter Saw Fence

To accommodate the fence on this Hitachi miter saw kickoff loosen the two bolts on the left-mitt side of the contend.

Next, adjust the argue, and so the speed foursquare makes consummate contact with the side of the saw bract and tighten the bolts.

Loosening a bolt to square the miter saw fence to the blade

Loosen the bolts on the right-manus side of the fence and place a iii' level across the fences. Next, adapt the right debate until it'southward affluent with the left fence and tighten the bolts.

Using a straightedge to square the left fence of the miter saw to the right fence of the miter saw

Another Reason for Crooked Miter Saw Cuts

Other factors can contribute to kleptomaniacal cuts. Remember the kickback afterwards you hitting that knot in the wood yous were cutting? Well, your blade could exist bent. Disconnect the power. Carefully and slowly spin the blade with your fingers. Does the blade wobble? If and then, y'all're blade is likely bent and will need to exist replaced.

Roughly cut woods or lots of splinter could indicate a dull bract. If it's been a while since you lot replaced your blade or have never replaced your blade, information technology might exist time for a new i.

How to the Alter Bract on a Miter Saw

Need help irresolute your miter saw blade? Please skate over to How to Alter the Bract on a Miter Saw for a tutorial or check out the quick video below.

How to Make Cleaner Miter Saw Cuts

If you lot brand a cut with your miter saw and so flip the lath over is the cutting smooth and crisp or crude and jagged?

If you said crude and jagged skate over to Prevent Miter Saw Tear-Out and I'll share with you how I apply a piece of scrap woods to reduce tear-out and make cleaner cuts with my miter saw!

7 Miter Saw Tricks Every DIYer Should Know

Want to learn more about your miter saw? Then you lot NEED to check out my seven Miter Saw Tricks Every DIYer Should Know! It's packed with helpful tips and useful tricks for getting the most of your miter saw. Check it out at present!

Get Your Complimentary Miter Saw Tricks eGuide

Primary your miter saw with this Complimentary eighteen-page Miter Saw Tricks eGuide! The eGuide includes miter saw tips like:

Why you should "leave the pencil line".
Why you lot should allow the blade come up to a consummate end.
How to use the blade to make laser accurate miter saw cuts!

Plus 3 Bonus Sections:

How to Suit a Miter Saw
How to Supervene upon the Blade on a Miter Saw
How to Clean Your Saw Blades

Click the link below, and I'll skate over to your inbox with your FREE Miter Saw Tricks eGuide NOW!

Terminal Thoughts

It'due south easy to set up a miter saw that isn't cutting straight. Uncomplicated adjustments to the saw bract and the fence will guarantee straight and accurate cuts every time.

Thanks for stopping by. If you found this information helpful, would you delight pin it to Pinterest? Other DIYers would appreciate information technology and I would as well! Thank you – Scott

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