How to Cut Baseboard Inside Corners with Miter Saw – A Detailed Guide

Miter saw is one of the most useful and easy-handled wood cutting tools.

However, cutting a baseboard with a miter saw can be a bit of a tricky task if not done properly. But if you follow a simple process with some tips, you can ace this task with ease. 

Are you about to renovate your house that involves a lot of baseboard cutting and trimming? 

Following this guide, we have added some precautionary tips so you can master the art of woodcutting. 

Before we start with the detailed process, let’s have a look at the list of all the tools that are required for this process. 

Things You Will Need

• Pencil (to mark the material for accurate cuts)
• Measuring tape 
• Dust mask 
• Safety glasses 
• Clamp 
• Miter saw stand or table (for extra support and stability)
• Miter saw 

Types of Joints 

To cut the corners of your baseboard, you need to know the type of joints a baseboard has. Following is the list of types of joints that will help you in that case. 

Scarf Joint 

A scarf joint is obtained by joining two tapered ends of wood or metal. This joint is usually used when the material runs short so you use the joint to provide the required length. 

Miter Joint 

A miter joint is a junction that is formed by the intersection of two beveled wood pieces at 45 degrees or a 90-degree angle. 

Coped Joint 

A coped joint includes one end that is trimmed uniformly to fit in/butted in the wall corner. This will result in adjoining the piece of baseboard with the wall. 

Step by Step Process of Cutting Baseboard Inside Corners 

Step 1: Gear up for the Task 

Before you get started with the corner cutting process, you need to make sure that you are following the safety measures to ensure a hazard-free working experience. 

Make sure to wear safety goggles and a dust mask before you start the task. 

Moreover, always ensure that your saw is turned off while you are doing the other tasks i.e taking measurements and marking points. 

Step 2: Taking the Exact Measurements 

This step is significant because if you don’t take correct measurements, you might end up cutting wrongly and that will waste your material. 

So, in this step, you will have to carefully take the measurements of the baseboard and especially the adjacent corners. The corners are not to be missed since that is what you are going to be dealing with. 

Moreover, do try finding wall studs, measure them and mark them accurately with a pencil. This will ease your job and will provide an excellent output due to the accurate stud location. 

Step 3: Adjust the Miter Saw 

To make your job easier, first, you need to locate the inside corner where you will run the blade and mark them on the exterior surface of the baseboard. This way you will be able to make accurate cuts. 

Along with that, make sure to adjust your saw according to the task requirement. The bevel of your miter saw should be at 45 degrees and the miter at 0 degrees. 

Step 4: Cutting the Inside Corner

Here comes the tricky part! Now is the time when you cut the previously marked inside corner of the baseboard. 

Now that all the points are marked and the miter saw is set with right angles, you can turn on the saw and start cutting the inside corner.

Run the miter saw blade on the marked areas and cut it in a way that the backside of the baseboard should be lengthier touching the corner of the wall. 

While cutting the baseboard, make sure that your hand is firmly holding the saw handle and the baseboard is well-supported. 

No extra pressure is required since the efficient miter saw blade will easily do the job on its own. 

Step 5: Conclude the Process 

When you are done cutting the inside corner, give a thorough look and see if any further trims are required or not. If not, then turn off the saw, removing the blade aside. 

Can the same cutting process be used to cut the outer corners of the baseboard?

Yes, you can use the same steps to cut the outside corners of the baseboard. The only difference would be the placement of the miter saw blade i.e outside of the walls. 

Safety Tips 

After reading the entire process, you might be thinking that handling a miter saw is not as hard as you thought. We do agree with you but it also depends on your working experience and knowledge about miter saws. 

If you are a beginner, then the following tips can help you have a safe working experience and will also increase the longevity of your miter saws. 

• As mentioned earlier, you need to make sure that you have all the necessary safety gear like protection goggles, dust masks, gloves, and hearing protection (if you are sensitive to loud noises). 
• Before you cut the inside baseboard corner, you need to measure and mark the baseboard first. Therefore, the miter saw won’t be used immediately. Be careful with the power source and make sure that the saw is turned off until you start the cutting process. 
• To ensure the longevity of your miter saw, get the service and maintenance checked by the manufacturers. 
• If you want to retain the sharpness of the saw blade, you need to make sure that you use different blades as per the task requirement. 
• Make sure to use the right length of finish nails to attach the baseboard to the walls. This will increase the durability and sturdiness. 
• To increase the support and stability during the cutting process, invest in a good miter saw stand.  

What is the alternate way of cutting baseboards?

If you struggle with angled cuts, then you can opt for a square cutting method. This method involves straight cuts and perpendicular joints. Moreover, it can easily be done with a miter saw. 

All you need to do is adjust the miter saw accordingly. Set the bevel to 0 degrees and the miter at a to90-degree angle. 

Moreover, it will be beneficial to use a compound miter saw to cut straight cuts of lengthy baseboard pieces. 

What miter saw is recommended to cut a baseboard corner? 

Electric miter saws are most commonly used for cutting and trimming baseboards. However, some woodworkers prefer miter boxes because they provide efficient working at an affordable price. 

Following are some types of miter saws that are used to cut baseboard corners. 

Compound Miter Saw 

A compound miter saw is the most widely used miter saw for cutting baseboard corners. The bevel and miter angle features in this saw allow the user to cut the baseboard corners at different angles. 

The versatile angle movements and sliding positions of the compound miter saw make it easier for you to cut the inner/outer baseboard corner efficiently. 

Chop Saw 

A chop saw works from a single point to make different cuts. There is no need for multiple angle positions to cut the corners accurately. 

Dual-bevel Compound Miter Saw 

This saw can be used to perform dual tasks efficiently. Along with the corner-cutting, it can be adjusted for cutting/trimming all sides of the baseboard. A bevel at a 45-degree angle is mostly used for cutting the front area of the baseboard. 

However, the miter cut angle can be obtained by cutting two pieces at a 45-degree angle and joining them at a 90-degree angle.

Conclusion

Now you must be all set to perform the baseboard cutting tasks for your home or office renovation projects. We really hope that these simple steps help you in cutting baseboard corners. 

However, it might take some attempts for you to master the cutting of inside corners at different angles. Keep practicing and you will surely get there! 

And with this, we have reached the end of our article on how to cut baseboard inside corners with a miter saw. 

Let us know in the comments if you’ve got any secret tips to cut baseboard corners.