Miter Saw: You can’t build anything without a saw and this will be the most used tool in your shop! There are a wide variety of miter saws that you can purchase to get started and the type of saw that you should purchase will depend greatly on what you intend to build, how often you build and your budget. Here is a run down of the saws we use and have used!

-Handsaw and Miter Box: We both started building with a handsaw and a miter box. We don’t have any pictures of these in use because we didn’t use them long 😉 They will get the job done and fit a tight budget but they take a lot of elbow grease and time. If you are on a budget and plan to build small craft projects like picture frames and some of our small gift ideas this is a good choice. You can find it HERE!

hand-saw-miter-box

-Sliding Compound Miter Saw: If you plan to build furniture and tackle larger DIY projects, we cannot stress enough to invest in this! We both have 12″ Sliding Compound Miter saws. The sliding feature allows you to cut a board that is wider than the diameter of the blade so it is great for building pieces that use hardwood plywood like our sideboards, desks and shelves. The “Compound Miter” feature means that it will make miter and bevel cuts (great for trim work) and the 12″ blade will allow you to cut 4×4 boards (10″ saws will not). Click HERE for a video tutorial on miter saw basics!

The new Ryobi 12″ Sliding Compound Miter Saw is a great buy, especially if you are on a budget. We use ours all the time and it won’t disappoint. You can find it at Home Depot HERE!ryobi-12-saw

We also have the Ridgid 12″ Sliding Compound Miter Saw. The main difference of the two is the price point. The Ridgid saw also has a double bevel so it makes trim work a little bit easier because you aren’t having to flip the trim back and fourth to get the correct cut. You can find it at Home Depot HERE!make-cuts

Bottom line: You only need one miter saw so buy what works with your budget and you will be happy with either! *There are also a variety of smaller saws (i.e. 10″ sliding compound miter saw, 10″ miter saw (not sliding) that are good options if you are on a tight budget. You will be more limited to what you can cut but they will work great with the majority of DIY projects.

Free Plans that Use a Miter Saw

See More Free Plans Using a Miter Saw