How to Adjust a Miter Saw for Accurate Cuts

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.

You may also enjoy How to Change Blade on Miter Saw in 3 Easy Steps and 7 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 use the most for building our DIY projects. Today we’ll learn how to check 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 adjust a miter saw for accurate cuts, be sure to click the subscribe button at the bottom of this page to sign up for my FREE weekly newsletter loaded with helpful pocket hole tricks, space-saving workshop ideas, clever DIY tips and more!

NOTE: This is meant to be supplemental information. Always refer to your miter saw manual for safety information, how to adjust your specific saw and how to use your miter saw.

What is a Power Miter Saw?

A power miter saw has an overhead mounted interchangeable rotating saw blade. The wood to be cut, or workpiece, is placed on the table and against the fence. The saw blade is lowered to make the cut and then 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 angle is set for a 90 degree crosscut. The table features a handle that allows you to change the angle to common preset angles like 22.5 degrees, 45 degrees or angles anywhere in between.

The preset angles feature a detent, or catch 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, home decor projects, outdoor projects, installing baseboard molding, moulding around 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 cut is an angle cut made on the face of a piece of wood.

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

Compound Miter Cut
A compound miter cut combines a miter cut and a bevel cut. 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 compound miter saws are single compound, in other words, it only cuts a bevel in one direction. Other miter saws are dual compound and can cut bevels in both directions.

Sliding Miter Saw
A sliding miter saw, just like a compound miter saw, can make crosscuts, miter cuts, bevel cuts and compound cuts. The difference is the saw blade sits on sliding rails which allows the saw to cut much wider widths of wood than a compound miter saw.


Miter Saw Safety

Be sure to disconnect the power before making any adjustments to your miter saw. Never make any adjustments with the power 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 up our miter saw or pick up any tool for that matter we need to think about safety. Read, follow, and understand the safety instructions for your tools. If you don’t understand, contact the manufacturer or ask a pro. You also need to protect your eyes with safety glasses, your ears with hearing protection and your lungs with a quality respirator.


How to Adjust a Miter Saw for Accurate Cuts

You should check your saw for accuracy anytime you buy a new saw. Saws are set at the factory, but can come out of adjustment during shipping. You should also check for accuracy when you have kickback. You know, when you unexpectedly hit a knot in the wood and the saw kicks back?! That’s a good time to check your saw. Also it’s good practice to check the saw a few times throughout the year, because they can come out of adjustment during use.

What You’ll Need to Adjust Your Miter Saw

To check and adjust the saw you’ll need a speed square like this one. I also like to have a 3′ level on hand. Next, 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 Table?

The first thing we need to check is if the saw blade is square or 90 degrees to the table. Disconnect the power and hold the blade guard out of the way.

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

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.

The saw blade is properly adjusted when we sight down the blade, and the edge of the speed square makes complete contact with the side of the blade.

If there is either a gap at the top or the bottom edge of the speed square, then the saw blade is not 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 blade on this Hitachi miter saw first loosen the bevel handle at the back of the saw.

Then, adjust the bevel of the blade until it makes complete contact with the speed square 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 stop. Now if the bevel is changed, and then returned to 0 (zero), the bolt will stop the blade, so it’s square or 90 degrees to the table. Lastly, adjust the indicator, so it points to 0 (zero).

NOTE: Check the stop bolt if you’re having difficulty squaring the blade to the table. The stop bolt may be preventing the blade from being adjusted to 90 degrees. Drive the bolt further into the table and recheck for square.

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

Is the Miter Saw Fence Square to Blade?

The next thing we need to check is if the fence is square or 90 degrees to the blade. Disconnect the power and hold the blade guard out of the way.

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

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

If there is either a gap at the front or the back edge of the speed square the blade is not square to the fence and will need to be adjusted.

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

How to Adjust the Miter Saw Fence

To adjust the fence on this Hitachi miter saw first loosen the two bolts on the left-hand side of the fence.

Next, adjust the fence, so the speed square makes complete contact with the side of the saw blade and tighten the bolts.

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

Loosen the bolts on the right-hand side of the fence and place a 3’ level across the fences. Next, adjust the right fence until it’s flush 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 crooked cuts. Remember the kickback after you hit that knot in the wood you were cutting? Well, your blade could be bent. Disconnect the power. Carefully and slowly spin the blade with your fingers. Does the blade wobble? If so, you’re blade is likely bent and will need to be replaced.

Roughly cut wood or lots of splinter could indicate a dull blade. If it’s been a while since you replaced your blade or have never replaced your blade, it might be time for a new one.


How to the Change Blade on a Miter Saw

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


How to Make Cleaner Miter Saw Cuts

If you make a cut with your miter saw and then flip the board over is the cut smooth and crisp or rough and jagged?

If you said rough and jagged skate over to Prevent Miter Saw Tear-Out and I’ll share with you how I use a piece of scrap wood 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 NEED to check out my 7 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 now!

Get Your FREE Miter Saw Tricks eGuide

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

  • Why you should “leave the pencil line”.
  • Why you should let the blade come to a complete stop.
  • How to use the blade to make laser accurate miter saw cuts!

Plus 3 Bonus Sections:

  • How to Adjust a Miter Saw
  • How to Replace 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!


Final Thoughts

It’s easy to fix a miter saw that isn’t cutting straight. Simple adjustments to the saw blade and the fence will guarantee straight and accurate cuts every time.

Thank you for stopping by. If you found this information helpful, would you please pin it to Pinterest? Other DIYers would appreciate it and I would too! Thank you – Scott


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45 Comments

  1. I would like to know if there is an adjustment for the laser .I have the same saw but in 12″ and my laser doesn’t seem to line up with the cut.

    1. Hi Larry – Thank you for stopping by. I’m sure there must be a way to adjust the laser. Unfortunately my miter saw does not have a laser so I’m not sure for certain how to adjust it.

  2. Just found this page with great ideas for showing how to get the best out of my mitre saw . David in Thetford U.K.

  3. Thank you for the great info. I had used a Miter Saw for years, and then moved to a Double Bevel with Slider; but a heart problem has delayed me a number of years……and now I am ready to get back into my shop – I just printed your info out,

    1. Hey Ron – Thank you for stopping by and for the compliments. Glad you’re feeling better and back in the shop.

  4. Very informative!! Thank you..
    One head scratcher I have.. everything is square and true (i think), when i cut a 45 deg angle (floor boards), the cut is no 90 deg top to bottom… if i cut a 90 deg (from the fence), its square, but when i move the saw to cut a 45 for the corner, i put a square from the bottom of the trim and the top is longer by almost 1/4 inch…
    any thoughts would be most appreciated!!!

    1. Hi Eric – The saw blade tends to wander when cutting tall boards against the fence. I think you’ll get a more accurate cut if you place the board flat on the table and adjust the bevel to 45-degrees.

      1. Scott,
        Thank you for responding.. That is what i ended up doing, i am cutting floor trim for the house. I thought that a 45 degree miter should have a 0 degree bevel, if i set the miter and bevel to 0, I put a square against the blade and everything appears to be correct, as soon as i move the table to a 45 degree miter to the right, i get a negative bevel of around 3 degrees (which makes the bottoms look pretty bad).
        This just does not make sense to me as the saw and miter table are one piece and i measure from the miter table, not from the outside support tables.
        i went to the hardware store and took the same square to a saw there and it was square throughout the miter range.
        i am trying to make sense of why a miter change would introduce a bevel in the blade and just cannot reason out whats happening.

  5. I think Eric’s issue, and many other unexpected bevel angle findings, could relate to the saw’s flexibility as the blade arm is brought down. Test the saw’s arm for ability to twist. Except for high-end saws, there is often a twistibility, which is made worse by the fact that the human wrist tends to turn outward as it is brought down. This is accentuated by the fact that nearly all miter saw’s handles are horizontal, giving an off-axis lever arm to make unintended twisting easier to do. My solution is to pay attention to my wrist and elbow, and do my best to not allow it. (I noticed in one magazine’s review of miter saws that one model (I forget which) had their handle vertical, in line with the blade, and the reviewer downgraded for that. IMHO, it is the right way…at least for when the blade is at 90 deg to the table.

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