How to Attach a Miter Saw Laser
George VondriskaDescription
There are a lot of great reasons for having a laser on a miter saw, but not every saw comes with a miter saw laser. If your machine doesn’t have a laser don’t despair, there’s a solution.
Benefits of a laser
There are some great reasons for having a miter saw laser. A big one is safety. Since the laser shows you exactly where the blade is going to cut, you know where to NOT put your hands. This is great for any user, but especially beneficial for new users.
The laser will also help increase your accuracy. Instead of aligning the blade with your cut line, you can align the laser with your cut line.
Downsides
There are a couple downsides to adding an aftermarket laser. The lasers shown here don’t come on until the saw is running. When a miter saw laser has been built into a saw you can typically turn it on and off independently of the blade running. Additionally, there’s no way to calibrate the laser. Aftermarket lasers are pretty accurate, and better than nothing, but can’t be dialed in like a built in laser.
Where to get ‘em
There are more choices out there for lasers, but here are two we’ve worked with. The Bosch LS010 and the Oshlun LG-M01 MIter Saw Laser. Be sure to double check that it’s compatible with your miter saw.
Get the most from your miter saw
If you want to make certain you’re getting the most out of your miter saw, check out some additional info from WoodWorkers Guild of America. Double check your saw’s accuracy by having a look at how to set up your miter saw for perfect cuts. And make sure you’re using your saw correctly and safely by checking out the basics of using a miter saw correctly.
Not every miter saw that's in the marketplace has a laser on it, but I really like lasers. And part of the reason is accuracy, which is fine. A bigger reason is a safety thing, which is, when a saw's got a laser, it shows you exactly where the blade is gonna cut, so it gives you a great indicator of where your hand should not be. Now, if you own a miter saw that doesn't currently have a laser on it, all is not lost. This saw did not have one on it, but watch this. So here's the deal. There are available in the marketplace, devices like this. This is basically just an arbor washer. In fact, it replaces the arbor washer on the machine. And what happens is that, when we turn the saw on and this starts to spin, that motion, that centrifugal force causes a switch to close which causes a laser to come on, which shows the laser on your work. Now the downside of these things, they're not fine-tuneable. So if a saw came with a laser, in all likelihood, you can adjust it left to right to micro-adjust its position relative to the blade. So you can get a lot of accuracy on it. For accuracy, these aren't bad. But like I said, what I do really like is the safety aspect, which is, whenever the blade is running, the laser's on. Now, that's a thing to think about. If the saw came with a laser and it's already built in, it's probably on all the time or you can turn it on and off. So even when the blade is not running, the laser is being thrown on your work. In the case of these, because they require the blade to be spinning, the laser is only gonna be on when the saw is on. A little bit of a downside. But I do like the fact that it throws a laser line on your material directly in line with the saw blade, shows you where the blade is gonna cut. So, it gives you that great idea of where your hands should not be. Look for these at woodworking specialty stores, Amazon.com carries 'em. Make sure that when you're gonna get one it is going to fit your particular model of saw so that you know it's gonna work. It's a great addition to a miter saw.
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