Could someone please help an amateur on the correct way to use a power miter saw when cutting the casing for an interior door? I have a DeWalt miter saw that seems very well made, although it does not have a laser guide and DeWalt does not offer one for this model. In my limited experience in casing an interior door, I always cut the top (horizontal piece first). I cut one end of the casing at a 45 degree angle, and then hold the bottom of the 45 degree cut on the revel line on the left door jam, and then mark the cut on the right side of the casing where it intersects the reveal line I have marked on the right side jamb. I make this mark on the bottom edge of the casing, since this is where is intersects the reveal mark on the jamb. So far, so good. Where I am having a problem is that when I lower the blade the blade of the saw down against the molding, it obviously only touchs the casing in one spot (since the blade is circular) and this is at the top of the casing where it is the thickest. I try to sight along the edge of the blade so that the cut will exactly intersect the mark at the bottom of the casing, but I usually ruin two or three pieces of casing before I get it right. With an old fashioned manual miter saw, the saw blade itself acts as a sort of straight line to guide the cut. Is getting the cut right the first time with a power saw an art that comes with practice, or is there some technique that I am missing here? Sorry for the overly long message. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Replies
use double-sided tape to stick a piece of plywood to the table of your saw and bring the saw blade down to make a cut mark. you then line up your casing cut line with the cut mark on the plywood.
The middle part of the table probably turns with the blade so you will want to stick your plywood to the fixed part only.
Edited 5/13/2008 10:46 pm ET by Chucky
Chucky,
Thanks, that's an excellent idea and this is an excellent forum.
pwood
Excellent idea for sure :-) but it's not the method i use.
I do what everyone else seems to do...eyeball my casing but cut it 1/8" longer and then sneak up on the blade until i'm at my cut line.
i have a saw with a laser but maybe it's not the best one. i find that eyeballing is more accurate then the laser. perhaps a good quality saw with a good quality laser would give better results.
Hmm, it does take a little practice, but those of us who do this routinely probably take this skill for granted. You can try a couple of things. If you are having trouble eyeballing the cut mark along the edge of the blade (sometimes due to parallax issues, esp, if you wear glasses), try cutting the piece a little long, then test fit and shave off a hair at a time until it is right. You could also install both your vertical pieces first, then measure and cut to the long points on the head (horizontal) piece. For a really nice, tight-fitting joint, a good trim guy will knock the back edge off the miter on the head piece with a block plane.
pwood.....your miter saw has a slot in it's base where the blade recesses when you make a cut.......usually a bit wider than the blade itself. Hold your moulding so that your mark is either at the very edge of this slot, or a hair short of it. When you lower the blade and make your cut, the piece will be a tad longer than you want it. Slowly and minimally slide the moulding further past the adge of the slot and trim it until your cut is the proper size. After doing this a few times, you'll get a better idea of exactly where within the slot your blade comes down, and with practice you'll get your cuts closer each time.
By the time your finished with this trim job, you'll know exactly where within the slot to hold the mark of the moulding.
Then you'll need to learn it all over again come the next trim job.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Pp, Qq
Mark your casing, then set it against the fence so the blade is a little on the waste side of the line. Start the saw, lower it so the blade just grazes the wood, see how far off it is from the line, and then move the wood over a tad. Repeat as needed until the blade cuts right where you want it.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
If you want a 3/16" reveal on each side of the jamb, then the head casing inside corners length is jamb width + 3/8" [3/16+3/16]. To solve your sighting problem, add 2x width of casing to get width of cut measured at the outside corners.
Jamb width + 2x reveal + 2x casing width = length of head casing from outside corner to outside corner.
Side casings cut 45° first and measure height from outside corner. Jamb height + reveal + casing width. You will have to measure jamb height individually for right and left since they often are not the same.
Great idea, with some straightforward math. Thanks.
I would suggest you make your cuts slightly oversize initially, then trim to a perfect fit. One trick I use is to hold the saw blade down and push your stock against the blade. This will take of just a slight amount each time you cut. Another method is to pre-assemble your casing and then nail it to the door.
All good suggestions so far. Since I like to make my cuts before I bring the casing in, I don't hold it up the door and mark it. I measure instead. Of course, holding it up to the jamb is more accurate, but measuring saves me a few trips.
I use the Veritas miter hook to mark the casing. I find it to be a real time saver.
And yeah, I also "sneak up" on my mark. Don't use a thin kerf blade (too much flex) and cut slowly so the blade doesn't get pushed over as you shave off that final 1/32".
I'm not sure what the protocol is for responding to all of these great ideas. I guess I shouldn't thank each individual responder as that just clogs up the forum with extra messages. I'll just say that this is an excellent forum with great ideas, but next time I might buy a saw with a laser guide!
"but next time I might buy a saw with a laser guide"
If you do, you'll have more trouble next time than you're having now! Lasers are OK for rough framing, but the line's too wide & fuzzy for an accurate cut when trimming. A laser can't replace the skills needed for measuring, marking and cutting to close tolerances.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
I think it's too easy to rely heavily on the laser and that's probably where a lot of mistakes are made.
However, with the proper lighting (in other words, not too much), once I get familiar with where the actual cut is with respect to the laser, I find that the laser saves me a little time. I may still have to sneak up on the mark if I really want an accurate cut, but at least I do a lot less sneaking.
Bottom line: the laser is a convenience, not a necessity.
I agree this is a great forum to ask questions or chew the fat on any topic.
I would suggest to you that most of the carpenters here would say the laser on the mitre saw is pretty much useless.
Have a good day
Cliffy
"but next time I might buy a saw with a laser guide!"
just read thru ...
master your tool instead of buying a crutch.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
It reads like the casing is "standing up" against the fence of the saw and your mark is ending up next to the bed of the saw.
Could you transfer the mark to the more visible location? Wouldn't add to much time for you.
or
Lay the casing flat on the bed of the saw so the mark is right there so you can see it clearly.
other than that, sneak up on the cut.
I mark the casing at the inside of the corner or miter. What I do and I think many people do is you set the trim so it will be cut a little long. Then you slowly push the trim sideways toward the line. You keep the blade spinning and bring it up a bit to get the trim under it. You are working toward the line.
As you get more practice it will come faster. Since it is a power saw it doesn't cost you anything to creep up on the line like this.
I've seen guys get VERY frustrated trying to do this as fast as someone who does it all the time.
It sounds as though you may have solved your question/concern. But if you would like to solidify your understanding, I strongly recommend that you review the DVD produced by Gary Katz on trim/casing. I know there are others out there, but Gary's is what I've watched, and I can say that he has tricks that even pros can benefit from. BTW, I have nothing to do with Gary or his biz..I just like his method of presentation. Check on GaryKatz.com. Good luck.
"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a governmental program" -Ronald Reagan
rule number one with trim work ...
sneak up on the cut.
if U aren't sure ... cut it long.
U can always make a long board shorter ... hard the other way around.
U could always use a speed sq or combination squareto pencil a line to get you close
there are also "three cuts" U can make with your miter saw blade.
once U get real close ...
"touch the line" or "side of the tooth"
"touch the blade" which takes off more than "side of the tooth"
and "split the tooth" which takes off the most.
usually works out to be about 1/32nd , 1 /16th and 1/8th.
when I trim I don't expect each cut to be "the" cut.
plan for making a coupla trips back and forth to the saw to get a perfect fit.
sneak up on it ... a little at a time.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
New tip for a new construction worker. Before you cut anything, take a piece of blue tape (any tape will work really)and stick it over the length of the slot in the lower bench cutting surface (the part that swivels to the left and right). Turn the saw on and with the blade at full speed, lower the saw through the tape and back up to the start position. Now you've got an instant gauge of where the blade is going to cut the wood. Another trick if you will, is to back cut the pieces slightly by placing a thin shim under the wood so that the actual cut is just slightly longer on the exposed surface then on the back side. When you nail the pieces up the exposed edges will butt up against each other w/o any gap.
One more tip just because I'm not working today...cut the piece a bit long then nibble off 1/32 or less by doing the following. With the saw off, lower the blade all the way down and butt the cut edge against the motionless blade and hold the piece in place with your holding hand. Raise the saw and start position, turn it on and lower the blade again to cut off just a "hair" of the length of wood.
No more free stuff , the rest will cost you.
Edited 5/14/2008 5:44 pm by woodway
I have the plastic zero clearance on my saw. I have been using the blue masking tape on it for a few years now. New tape each job. I haven't snuck up on a cut since.
You really shouldn't have to sneak up on a cut if the tape is fresh. Trouble is, a lot people get lazy and try to make the tape last a month or so before they change it out. Their cuts tend to be off so they have to sneak up on the cut because they were lazy in the first place. Other times it just seems easier to cut long and sneak later.
Thanks to all for all the great replies. I should be able to do a better job now, and I believe I can forget about "trading up" to a laser-guided saw.
You have a DeWalt miter saw? I hold the guard up with my right thumb so I can eyeball my cut along the blade.
As I finish the cut, I let my thumb off the guard.
This works with pretty much every DeWalt miter saw except for the 718 slider. "Perfect is the enemy of Good." Morrison
I would suggest that you make your finished 45 degree cut first on the long leg stock. Then, turn the piece upside down and ever so gently touch the long piece to the floor. Mark the top of the head casing intersection.
Take this piece to the saw and make a square cut.
Should be perfect every time.
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07