Miter Saws, the Dummy Version

Sliding Compound Miter Saw

Ever had a parrot? Neither has anyone here at the Antisocial Network, though one staffer had a cockatiel for a while. Anyway, everyone knows that parrots can talk, and we hope that everyone knows that the birds don't know what the words they're saying mean. We see the same thing a lot with freelancers: they parrot miscellaneous information they've picked up somewhere (usually by looking at lists of words used in search engines) and try to make a few bucks for their misinformation. Take, for instance, hubbie June Campbell: We already caught her pretending to know about hand tools, now we found her over at EzineArticles.com pretending to know about the "Miter Saw – An Indispensable Tool for the DIY Woodworking Enthusiast."

Truth be told, Campbell picked a fairly easy topic, one about which there is a wealth of information out there already. That may be why she was able to cobble together a basic description of how woodworkers and carpenters use miter saws:

"When building a picture frame, you start with a length of wood, which you then cut into four pieces that will join together to form the frame. In some cases, the pieces of wood might be joined straight up and down at ninety degrees, but more typically, they are joined at a slanting angle. This is called a miter joint and it is considered a more attractive joint than the ninety degree type. Not only are miter joints considered more desirable for their appearance, but with some woodworking projects, they are the only possible option."

That's a pretty restrictive description of making a picture frame, but OK. We don't much care for the imprecision of "joined at a slanting angle," nor can any of our woodworkers think of a case in which a miter joint is "the only possible option." You might expect a mention of the relative strength of butt and miter joints, too, but hey: June's never made one, after all. And anyway, this is about miter saws...

...of which Campbell allows that there are three types. First, there's the captive miter saw:

"a metal base with a backsaw attached to it. Since the backsaw can rotate freely, it provides more precise cutting movements."

We're till puzzling out that "more precise cutting movements" thing, though. Then there's the miter box:

"Miter boxes have open ends and open tops with slots or guides cut in them. The woodworker places the wood inside this box, places the saw in the slotted guides and cuts... If you are using a miter box, it is a good idea to clamp your wood to a bench or other surface before cutting."

We think it's probably better to clamp the miter box to the workbench and then clamp the wood to the box, but what do we know? Probably more than June... And finally, there's the power miter saw:

"When you shop for a powered miter saw, you will discover many models to choose among. Perhaps the most basic of these is the sliding saw. Since this tool can slide along a rail, it can cut pieces that are larger than its own diameter."

We've owned a few power miter boxes (sometimes called chop saws) in our time, and we are well aware that a sliding miter saw is not "the most basic" version of the type. Combine that foolishness with the complete absence of the word "compound," and we're pretty sure anyone who thinks so is a perfect candidate for Dumbass of the Day!

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