We agree that it can be tough choosing between a single bevel miter saw and a double bevel miter saw.
So to help you make an informed decision, we went through the features and benefits of both types of miter saws.
We will go through the different characteristics of both a single bevel miter saw and a double bevel miter saw.
Features | Single Bevel Saw | Double Bevel Saw |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | Provides accurate cuts for 2x materials at 45 degrees and 90 degrees. | Highly accurate at 45 degrees in both directions. |
| Cutting Capacity | Cuts 2x4 and 2x8 material at 90 degrees and 2x6 material at 45 degrees in a single direction. | Cuts through 2x4 and 2x8 material at bevel angles and 2x12 at 90 degrees. |
| Cutting Angles | 90 degrees for sliding and between 0 and 45 degrees for bevel cuts or compound cuts. | Between 0 and 45 degrees on the left side and 45 to 48 degrees on the right side. |
Now that you are aware of the main features of both types of miter saws, let us look into a detailed description of a single bevel and a dual bevel miter saw.
Dewalt DWS715 Miter Saw Review - Durable and Modular
The Dewalt DWS715 is recognized as a very reliable miter saw due to its user-friendly features such as its portability and exceptional accuracy when cutting.
What are the technical specifications of the saw?
The DWS715 is an electric corded, 12-inch miter saw with a 15 amp motor and has a no-load RPM of 4000 rounds per minute. It is a single compound miter saw with a bevel between 0 and 48 degrees on the left side.
What are the supporting items that come with the saw?
In addition, the bevel miter saw also comes with a precise miter system and a machined base fence support to further help the operator.
Hence, if you want a reliable saw that is portable, cuts accurately and precisely in one direction, and comes with features that increase the accuracy of the cuts, then the DWS715 is a good choice.
- Highly durable design
- Portable
- Long useful life
- Can be fitted with additional parts
- Lightweight design
- No laser guiding
- Below average dust collection system
Benefits of Dewalt DWS715
As cited above, the distinguishing feature of the DWS is its miter plate with 14 positive stops. The plate has been specifically designed to give the user highly accurate cuts at set points in one direction. You can adjust the length according to need very easily.
Is the saw lightweight and portable?
The saw has a lightweight design and uses weight-saving materials in its construction to decrease its weight to 42 pounds which makes it easy to carry particularly around construction sites and workshops especially for a professional woodworker.
How many positive stops does the saw feature?
Moreover, the stainless-steel miter detent plate of the miter saw comes with 14 positive stops which result in highly accurate and precise cuts.
How durable is the saw?
Moreover, the saw is a highly durable and heavy-duty power tool that can cut through a variety of materials with minimal wearing to the saw. Dewalt rates the saw to work at least 10 years before it requires servicing.
The miter saw is also suitable for both DIY projects and professional use because of its overall user-friendly structure as well as capability to be fitted with parts of other Dewalt saws.
Factors to Consider before you buy Dewalt DWS715 Miter Saw
Bevel Angles
The defining feature of the DWS715 is that it is a single bevel compound miter saw. The cutting angles of the saw extend from 0 degrees to 48 degrees on the left side. This will help you if you are looking to cut picture frames or for crown molding in one direction.
Cutting Capacity
This miter saw can easily cut through the baseboard. The maximum cutting capacity for a 90 degree crosscut is 2 x 8 if you are cutting in the width and it is 2 x 4 if you are cutting in length.
The cutting capacity for a bevel cut is 2 x 6 at a 45-degree angle.
Durability
When comparing durability, Dewalt is known for manufacturing heavy-duty power tools. The DWS715 has a sturdy design and is made of high-quality materials that significantly increase its useful life.
Other Additional Features
Some of the other features that this miter saw comes with are its lightweight design and its portability. The saw weighs 42 pounds and has a built-in carry handle. This characteristic of the saw makes it easy to handle and carry across different locations.
Can the saw be fitted with additional parts?
Another factor of the saw is its modular design meaning that it can be fitted with other parts such as an LED cut line. Dewalt also offers specialized kits which add to the overall modular design of the miter saw.
What do the Customers think?
To ensure the capabilities of the miter saw, we delved deep into the customer reviews to check whether the single bevel saw is a good investment or not. Most of the customers appreciated the saw’s features, its accuracy, and its overall capabilities.
A few of the customers mentioned the addition of a light kit that Dewalt lists for the DWS715 which aluminates the blades and allows you to make accurate cuts. They also pointed out that the kit upgrades the miter saw at a low price.
Although there were complaints about the dust collection system, the customers liked the durability, versatility and additional features of the miter saw.
Skil MS6305-00 Miter Saw Review - Powerful and Versatile
The Skil MS6305-00 is a well-known dual bevel miter saw that has exceptional usability and capacity as well as cutting power.
What are the technical specifications of the saw?
The MS6305-00 is an electric corded, 15 amp 10-inch miter saw with a no-load RPM of 5000 rounds per minute. The dual bevel sliding miter saw has bevels between 0 and 45 degrees to the left and 45 and 48 degrees to the right meaning that it cuts in both directions.
What are some of the additional features of the saw?
Moreover, the saw comes with nine detents on the miter plate as well as eleven miter locations which enable the saw to cut the wood at commonly used angles. The saw also has a knob lock for increased adjustability and repeated accurate cutting.
Overall, the MS6305-00 is a good choice for you if you are looking for a reliable dual bevel miter saw because of its features such as ease of cutting wood at common angles, its accurate cuts, and the excellent dust collection system.
- Good bevel angles
- An excellent dust collection system
- Versatile
- Exceptional cutting capacity
- Ability to perform bevel and compound cuts
- Heavy to carry
- No option to adjust the depth of the blade
- Complicated to use
Benefits of Skil MS6305-00
As discussed above, the distinguishing feature of the MS6305-00 is its dual bevel angles and its cutting capacity. The bevel saw can accurately cut at angles up to 45 degrees on the left side and between 45 and 48 degrees on the left.
It also has miter locations which further aid the user when cutting at common angles such as at 50 degrees.
What is the cutting capacity of the Skil MS6305-00?
The dual bevel saw has a very satisfying cutting capacity. It can cut 2 x 12 with ease at 90 degrees and can cut up to 2 x 6 at 45 degrees. This gives the 10 inches saw ample capacity when compared to bigger diameter saws.
Does the saw include slide fences?
The saw comes with left and right slide fences which increase the versatility of the miter saw. This enables the operator to perform crown cuts with ease. The adjustability of the fences also enables the user to perform bevel and compound cuts.
Is a dust collection system included?
This saw comes with an excellent dust collection system that minimizes debris produced by the bevel saw blade. This reduces the overall clutter as well as result in a cleaner result.
Because of its features such as good versatility, excellent bevel angles, and a clean result, the Skil MS6305-00 is a good option for DIY projects as well as professional carpentry.
Factors to Consider Before buying Skil MS6305-00 Miter Saw
Bevel Angles
Being a dual bevel miter saw, the Skil MS6305-00 can cut in two directions. It has bevel angles of between 0 and 48 degrees to the left and 45 to 48 degrees on the right. These bevel angels are helpful especially for vertical base molding and horizontal crown moldings.
Cutting Capacity
Our team noted the good cutting capacity of the miter saw. It can easily cut 2x material at 45 degrees on both sides. The team also commended the saw’s ability to cut 2 x 12 at 90 degrees.
Durability
When looking at durability, Skil is a reliable brand. The dual bevel miter saw has a good build quality and comes with blades that have a long working life. The rated life by Skil is upwards of 5 years if the saw is being used heavily.
Other Additional Features
Other additional features that this saw has are the blade guard for the saw head and the LED shadow line. Our team noted that the blade guard did not come in the way of the user’s hand when operating the saw and increased the overall comfort when using the saw.
How accurate is the LED Shadow line?
Moreover, our team noted that the LED shadow line works better than any laser guide system as it highlighted the area that the saw blade was cutting and resulted in highly accurate and precise cuts at all angles when using the dual bevel miter saw.
What do the customers think?
To verify the capabilities of the MS6305-00, we thoroughly analyzed the customer reviews on the internet and found that over 90 percent of the customer reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
The majority of the customers commended the cutting power of the saw. The dual bevel miter saw comes with a powerful motor that can easily go through 2x material without a hitch.
There were some complaints that the saw needed to be bolted down to the surface it was being placed on despite the saw being marketed as being portable. This can be an issue when sliding the wood through the saw head.
Buyers’ Guide
Important Features to look for when buying a Single Bevel Miter saw
Nature of work
A single bevel miter saw works best if you are looking for a saw that is user-friendly and cost-effective.
This saw is best for beginners or if you have to work at different locations as a single bevel miter saw is lightweight.
Single bevel miter saws are handy for more straightforward tasks and get you quick results with precision. They allow you to make super-accurate compound cuts, making them ideal for household or professional projects.
Capabilities
Single bevel miter saws have limited capabilities due to the saw only cutting in one direction. It can be an issue when crown molding as you will need to flip the wood.
Other than that, single bevel miter saws work best if you are making cuts at 90 degrees or when sliding.
Work Time
Single bevel miter saws cannot do a double cut at once. Also, you cannot perform an angled cut in both directions with a single bevel miter saw. So, for your intricate projects, it will take more time with a single bevel miter saw.
When to get a Single Bevel Miter Saw?
Single bevel miter saws are best for beginners as they are easy to handle and maintain. Single bevel miter saws are also beneficial if you are looking for a lightweight option as they are easy to carry. They also work great for home improvement and DIY projects.
Single bevel miter saws also work better than dual bevel miter saws when making miter cuts at 90 degrees.
Important Features to look for when buying a Double Bevel Miter Saw
Nature of work
Double bevel miter saws are handier than a single bevel saw as they can perform plenty of different kinds of cuts without the need to change the orientation of the wood.
They also have a greater cutting capacity and take on larger loads which makes them ideal for a professional woodcutter.
Capabilities
Dual bevel miter saws have an edge over single bevel miter saws as they can cut at angles in both directions. This makes crown molding and angled cuts an easier job as you won’t have to flip the workpiece.
The saw also comes with a sliding fence that secures the wood onto the saw and allows you to make a miter cut with added precision.
Work Time
Double bevel miter saws also reduce the time for a project because of their capability to perform matching cuts without the need to flip the workpiece.
Our team noted a significant time difference between a single and dual bevel miter saw when performing a compound cut.
When to get a Dual Bevel Miter Saw?
Double bevel miter saws are ideal for professional and time-consuming projects because of their capability to perform bevel cuts, compound cuts, and angled cuts without the need to flip the wood.
They also come in handy when you are doing projects that involve a lot of crown molding or bevel cuts.