As a woodworker, you probably don’t have any other choice than to invest in a good miter saw to make your work easier. In the market today, you have a myriad of miter saws that you can pick from.
However, the 10-inch and 12-inch miter saws, are the two sizes that are common among woodworkers. Both miter saw sizes could actually be useful for various woodworking projects, but you may have to determine the one you want as both offer different uses.
Read on as we examine and take a closer look at the contrasting facts of these two miter saws.
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10-inch miter saw
Firstly, let’s look at the qualities that make up a typical 10-inch miter saw.
1. Speed
One of the perks of a 10-inch miter saw is that they spin faster as compared to its 12-inch counterpart. More paces are created with a 10-inch miter saw.
What explains this is the size of the blade – having a smaller radius makes them spin more rapidly and consequently creating a smoother and more accurate cut.
This doesn’t only help you get more work done in little time but also deliver superior quality work.
2. Blades
A sharp blade is an essential feature when it comes to creating a good quality workpiece. A smaller radius blade spins faster through material than a larger one leaving behind the smoothest cuts possible. Basically, the faster the blade, the smoother the cut it creates.
Additionally, it’s no doubt that a 10-inch blade is less likely to wobble, hence delivers straighter and more precise cuts.
Replacing the blade is also easy to do as it is more available, and you don’t have to search hard to get the best fit. And perhaps, you want to cut some budget, sharpening the miter saw blade also doesn’t cost much.
The small surface area of the 10” blade causes more pressure to be exerted on the material comparatively. You probably may have heard somewhere that pressure = 1/surface area.
Hence, when the surface is less, the pressure will increase.
3. Portability and flexibility
One of the good things about a 10-inch miter saw is its size plus versatility.
With this, a 10-inch miter saw will take up less space in your workshop or workspace and provide for a freer surrounding. That also means no need for a special room to operate. This also contributes to the ease of movement of the miter saw from one place to another.
Hence, it is possible to use at various locations like shuttling between job site projects and your workshop without much stress.
4. Price
As expected for any power tool, the more you take it higher, the more the price gets. Of course, a 10-inch miter saw is relatively cheaper in price than its 12-inch counterpart.
One of the best examples is the Genesis GMS1015LC 15-Amp 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw.
The emergence of Genesis GMS1015LC as our top pick is not so surprising. The power tool is an amazing one that offers quite a number of incredible features for a typical 10-inch miter saw.
First and foremost is the bevel cut that is up to 45 degrees left and the ease with which the compound miter cuts are made.
The compound cutting this 10-inch miter saw makes are used for picture frames, shadow boxes, crown molding, and much more.
It also comes with a laser cutting guide to ensure quicker alignment and improved accuracy. The integrated laser cutting guide also helps you to know where the cut will be ahead of time.
If you have a problem stopping the blade immediately after use, then you might need something extra for that. This model might be the right one for you as it comes with an electric brake to stop the spinning blade completely in a matter of seconds after releasing the trigger.
The presence of an Arbor lock and the electric brake facilitates a quick change of blade. Not only that, a clampdown mechanism is also included to hold your workpiece in place.
The installed 10-inch 60T carbide blade is absolutely great for finish carpentry cuts. This means no need to buy an extra blade to work on your projects. Besides are the precision miter cuts of up to 45 degrees left and right that can be made, with a total of 9 position stops at commonly used angles.
Another good thing to the Genesis GMS1015LC model is the low budget plan for its users. The compound miter saw is both inexpensive and versatile at the same time.
Other features include a dust bag for an efficient dust collection during cutting, two extension wings, and two AAA batteries for the laser and blade wrenches.
- 60T Carbide blade installed
- Inexpensive and versatile
- Integrated Laser cutting guide
- Electric brake
- Included hold down clamp
- Arbor lock for quick blade changes
- The dust collection bag is small
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12-inch miter saw
1. Power
No doubt, many of the 12-inch miter saws available are more powerful than the 10-inch miter saws. The amperage of the saw tells you the power capacity of the miter saw; all you have to do is check for it to find out.
Many of the 12-inch miter saws come with a 15-amp motor providing you enough power to cut through thicker and larger pieces of materials. However, you may not need a 12-inch miter saw for standard cuts.
2. Blade
Also, one good feature of some 12-inch miter saw is that you can also use a 10-inch miter blade.
The combination of the motor power and the 10-inch miter blade may be a big plus for faster and smoother cuts. The higher revolutions of the blade per minute help the saw to deliver more precise and accurate cuts for finer woodworking.
They also work well for laminates and plywood.
3. Construction
The durability that 12-inch miter saws offer is also something major to talk about.
The use of the powerful motor ensures there is no excess strain on the miter saw as it cuts through hard materials. No strain also means that the cutting blade will stay sharp for a longer period. This makes the miter saw last longer. Although this may shoot up your utility bill a bit, it allows you to make cuts in lesser time and saves you some time to do more.
They have tougher construction to handle more difficult jobs.
4. Price
The 12-inch miter saw typically costs more than a 10-inch miter saw. Also, the replacement of blades may incur more costs.
Check out our favorite 12-inch miter saw below.
Delta 26-2250 Dual-Bevel Sliding Cruzer Miter Saw is one of the best examples 12-inch miter saw.
The Delta 26-225012 is definitely one of the superb 12-inch miter saws available on the market today. It comes with a good number of intriguing features that are worth talking about.
First and foremost, the 12-inch miter saw features a cutting edge, patented load arm that will help you make cross cuts that are up to 18-inches. In its class, it provides widest crosscut capacity.
It also features an arm constructed with a heavy-duty bearing and military-grade aluminum that provides a fluid smooth cut when necessary. The easily adjustable sliding tension adjustment allows you to have your tension setting for good work experience.
For the cuts, a flip-down slide lock is available to ensure super accurate plunge cuts of wide crown molding and other professional cuts. The product also features a lever override that helps to move between stops and can be reached easily.
Not only that, the miter saw comes with seven positive stops at the bevel angles that are commonly used. There is also the dual bevel 47 right/47 left, with a front bevel release. Besides, included is 60 right miter and with a 50 left miter capacity plus positive stops and detents measuring ten miter.
Also, you can achieve a quick movement, thanks to the front bevel release, push-button miter detent override, and one-hand front miter control. The patented Delta 26-225012 12-inch miter saw uses an innovative new saw arm design that allows you to take back control of the wasted space in your workshop.
The space-saving design makes it very easy to transport and fit against the wall in a shop.
- Space-saving design
- Supports 7.5 inches crown
- Delivers a wide cross cut
- Military-grade aluminum arms
- Delivers clean cuts
- Reported cases of the accuracy issue
- Dust collection may be poor
Differences between a 10-inch miter saw and a 12-inch miter saw
As you have similarities between the two miter saws, you also have their differences. Here is a layout of some of the differences between the two miter saws.
10-inch Miter Saw | 12-inch Miter Saw |
|---|---|
Less expensive | More expensive |
Portable and can be easily moved around | More weight, hence not easily moved around |
Spins faster | Spins Slower due to larger blade radius |
Consumes less power | Higher amperage consumes more power |
Blade stays sharp longer | Blade gets dull with use |
Easy blade replacement because of availability | The blade is harder to find |
Cannot handle thicker work | Heavy-duty cutting |
Which one is better: A 10-inch or a 12-inch miter saw?
“Which one should I go for?” You probably have asked yourself that same question over and over again. Hence to clear your mind as regards this, here are some tips to help you decide.
Do you think a larger work will come up at some point?
If yes, then a 12-inch miter saw might be the right option to choose. The power and the cutting capacity a 12-inch miter saw offers might be what you need for such a large volume of work.
Also, some 12-inch miter saw models offer both a 10-inch and 12-inch blade options. This means you are allowed to change to a 10-inch saw blade if that is what is required for the work at hand and change back to a 12-inch blade when needed.
Technically speaking, the 12-inch is a worthwhile investment when it comes to tackling a large chunk of work, even in the future. Otherwise, you may not need it.
- 12 in. Blade with versatile flip-down fence design for industry-best 18 in. Crosscut capacity.
- Adjustable Crown fence lock increases stacked Crown capacity at 45 to 7-1/2 inches
- Dual bevel 47 left/47 right with front bevel release and 7 positive stops at the most popular bevel angles and an easy to reach lever override to move between stops.
- 50 left miter/60 right miter capacity with 10 miter detents and positive stops
- One-hand front miter Controls with push button miter detent override and front bevel release for quick movement.
For an average woodworker, a 10-inch miter saw could be a jackpot for your carpentry work. Firstly, it doesn’t cost as much to get and also you can easily replace the blade and get it sharpened without spending so much.
Besides, you can save some money on your utility bill because you do not require much power to operate a 10-inch miter saw. Lastly, the portability of the miter saw contributes to easy mobility – this is great as regards working in various locations or job sites.
Lastly, in case a 12-inch miter saw will be your final choice or decision, I will advise you to go for one that will allow you to make use of 10-inch and 12-inch blades. When you have works that involve large materials, make use of 12-inch blades. But if you will work on smaller materials, use the less expensive 10-inch blades and save the more expensive 12-inch blades.
In the end, when it comes to miter saws, you will experience the best of two worlds.
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FAQs
What miter saw should a DIYer go for?
Well, just as it has already been well explained, it all depends on what you want.
Perhaps, you don’t intend to do so much with the miter saw, you should consider a 10-inch miter saw for a start.
What materials can I cut with these miter saws?
You can use miter saws to cut through plastic, wood, and some metal materials. However, the effectiveness and result depends on the type of blade you’re using.
Conclusion
Finally, to choose the right size for yourself, you might want to weigh your options well enough.
To be honest with you, both miter saw sizes are quite good in their own individual classes, but first, you just need to determine what and how you want to use the miter saw. I suggest you put in mind possible future uses as you decide.
In addition, when shopping for a good miter saw, ensure to compare warranties, the amperage of the saw, and other customers’ reviews.
You can surely get the best one that meets your needs by doing all these.
Having shown you what both sizes of miter saws are best used for and the differences between the two of them, the ball still lies in your court; the decision is still yours, buddy!
We hope we’ve been able to help you make the right decision. Good luck buddy!