A Miter Saw Or A Table Saw: Which Tool Is Right For Your Next DIY Project?

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Many people tackle their first DIY woodworking projects with a handheld circular saw. Jigsaws are also popular with beginners. Both are affordable, but they do have their limits, and they aren't particularly good when it comes to repeatability. If you want to produce accurate cuts, time after time, the obvious step up is to buy either a miter saw or a table saw. In fact, both are among the recommended tools to invest in to start woodworking at home, but which is right for your next DIY project?

While the capabilities of these tools can overlap to some extent, they definitely have different strengths, with miter saws being best for precision cuts and table saws ideal for rip cutting. As a result, it's not unusual for enthusiastic home woodworkers to own both. Professional carpenters almost certainly will. However, many people don't have that kind of budget starting out, so there's a difficult decision to be made. To understand which tool is right for your next DIY project, we need to take a closer look at how miter saws and table saws work.

A miter saw is basically a crosscut saw: it cuts across the board or post rather than along it. You bring the blade down onto the workpiece. The head can be angled (beveled), usually to both left and right, and also rotated horizontally. This gives the tool the ability to create compound angles, thus giving it the name "compound miter saw." The Metabo HPT 10-inch Compound Miter Saw, available from Amazon for $119, is a popular example. Some models may incorporate a slide mechanism so you can pull the blade forward for increased width (a "sliding compound miter saw").

Miter saws usually have preset stops at 90 degrees, 45 degrees, and other common angles. This makes them great for cutting beams, stud work, crown moldings, door and window frames, and baseboards. They can also cut lumber for decking, pergolas, and fencing, or simple shelves and picture frames.

Although stands are available for miter saws (and you can convert an old dresser into a DIY miter saw stand), they are usually thought of as portable tools. This makes them ideal for use around the home and yard. It's also common to see them in the hands of contractors on jobsites. Although prices vary considerably depending on specification, miter saws can often be more affordable than table saws. If your DIY projects mostly involve crosscutting and you want to be able to take the saw anywhere, this is the tool for you.

Table saws are best at rip cutting along boards and through sheet material like plywood. The blade sticks up through the table, and you feed the wood into it. The biggest sliding compound miter saw will only cut a maximum of 14-inches, whereas even small, budget-friendly table saws like the SKIL 15 Amp 8-1/4 Inch Compact Portable Jobsite Table Saw, which Amazon sells for $229, will cut two feet or more. You may notice from the name that this saw is also designed to be portable, but it's important that table saws are properly anchored when in use. Large pieces of material can easily cause them to tip, leading to accidents. There are a number of woodworking safety precautions you should be taking for your next home project, so make sure you understand how to operate your saw without putting yourself in harm's way.

Table saws can also crosscut using a miter gauge, but it's not what they're best at. Long, straight cuts are where they shine. They can also cut grooves and rabbets for basic joinery. If your projects use a lot of sheet material, or DIY cabinet- and furniture-making is your thing, a table saw is probably what you need most. There are a few combo tools around, like the Evolution R8MTS Convertible Miter/Table Saw, but there are sacrifices in terms of both cutting capacity and functionality. Unless your DIY projects are small and simple, it's difficult to see who they benefit.