How to choose a single or dual bevel miter saw for an ordinary consumer?
The most logical decision is to seek help from a consultant in a specialized store: they will explain everything, tell and even show.
However, in order to make the conversation with a specialist more substantive, it would be nice to get at least a general idea of the tool before going to the store. In this article we will show you the difference between single bevel miter saws vs dual bevel miter saw.

- What is a miter saw?
- What goes into a miter saw?
- Distinctions between a Single Bevel Miter Saw vs Double Bevel Miter Saw
- What is the difference between a miter cut and a bevel cut?
- Miter cut
- Bevel cut
- What is the difference between a single and dual bevel miter saw?
- Single bevel miter saws
- Dual bevel miter saws
- Which Miter Saw Should I Purchase?
- How to choose a miter saw?
- Decide what you need it for.
- Explore design features.
- Specifications.
- Pay attention to the brand.
- Price matters.
- What is the difference between a compound and dual bevel miter saw?
- Is a combination miter saw interchangeable with a simple miter saw?
- Final Thoughts
What is a miter saw?
Miter saws, to put it simple, are instruments that have circular saw blades that are usually used to cut boards. They are quite flexible in their use, being able to saw through siding, wood, flooring, and even PVC pipes.
Their main use, however, are crosscuts.
Crosscuts, for those not familiar with woodworking, are what happens when you try making bevel cuts across the wood grain.

A lot of single and dual bevel miter saws are stationary, meaning that instead of running your saw along the work piece, you just bring that saw’s blade downward. Its sliding counterpart is conveniently named a “sliding miter saw”.
A miter saw is often used at a 90-degree angle. But occasionally, a fresh perspective is required. The single bevel and dual bevel miter saws are utilized to make bevel cuts. Sometimes, sliding miter saws are also utilized (more on that below).

For certain customers who are performing difficult jobs, they are fairly convenient because rotating saw blades enable them to set that saw at various angles (a 45 degree angle for example).
In this post, we will explain the advantages and disadvantages of single bevel and double bevel miter saws and when it is preferable to use each.
What goes into a miter saw?
The main elements of a dual or single bevel miter saw are an electric motor and a saw blade made of high-quality heavy-duty steel. The engine, saw blade and the gearbox connecting them form a functional unit, here is also a handle with a toggle switch.
The entire block is attached to the base – the bed, on which the sawn work piece is placed. A turntable is fixed on the base, moving when the cutting angle is set, and an emphasis.

The beds of relatively expensive devices are made of durable and lightweight aluminum or magnesium alloys, which ensures not only the reliability of the base, but also the mobility of the entire tool due to weight reduction.
The functional unit is connected to the frame through a swing arm with a spring-loaded hinge. The swivel arm is called a pendulum, and the miter saws of this type are called pendulum saws.

The pendulum provides movement of the working module. To perform a compound cut, it is necessary to lower the lever down, “drown” the saw blade in a stationary work piece (there is a slot in the bed turntable for unhindered sawing). This is the simplest version of the miter saw.
As a rule, all modern models are equipped with a mechanism that ensures the rotation of the desktop along with all the mechanisms in a horizontal plane.
Distinctions between a Single Bevel Miter Saw vs Double Bevel Miter Saw
What is the difference between a miter cut and a bevel cut?
There are two types of angled cuts that you should consider before buying. It is important to realize the distinctions:
Miter cut
A miter is the corner joint of two workpieces that meet at an angle. These can be baseboards or the ledges of a picture frame that meet at a 90-degree angle in the corner. If you cut both strips at an angle of 45 degrees so that they fit together perfectly, you will get a miter.
Mitering or miter cutting refers to the cutting of workpieces to obtain the desired miter angle. When making a miter cut, it is important that the workpieces together form the required angle – you only cut half the angle per strip.
In most cases, you’ll be sawing a 45-degree miter unless you’re not dealing with right angles. This is often the case in old buildings, for example, where the corners of the room are a bit crooked. For example, if you want to miter skirting boards here, you have to deviate from the standard 45-degree miter.
Making two 45° angles where your material will meet to form a precise 90° connection, like when two sides of a picture frame are connected, is a typical cut. These are precise cuts that at can be done with many miter saws and chop saws.
Bevel cut
A bevel is an angled cut made in relation to the material’s face. A wooden plank may have an angle cut made at either the opposite side or along the full edge. This can easily be done with single bevel saws.
What is the difference between a single and dual bevel miter saw?

Single bevel miter saws
A single bevel miter saw is pretty simple as miter saws go. Due to the fact that in only has a single saw head, it can cut bevels on only one direction, as opposed to the dual bevel miter saw. All in all, a straightforward power tool (no pun intended).

Dual bevel miter saws
Double-bevel miter saws, however, are way more feature-rich. They can rotate freely both to the right and to the left, as the name suggests, allowing you to cut faster and save time by not having to mark, rotate or reposition your part, which is a striking difference from the single bevel miter saw.
An average dual bevel miter saw is much more advanced than a single bevel saw. You don’t need to be able to chamfer just one extra dimension and you’ll be able to make identical bevel cuts and picture frames, always at a correct angle.

Dual bevel miter saws often have better miter angle control, greater cutting capacity and a wider range of bevel cuts at full speed, while single bevels can cut only one direction bevels. So, double bevel can make identical cuts at full speed, not only in a single direction. Its adjustable arm can be used to rotate the blade in all the needed directions.
Its adjustable arm can be used to rotate the blade in all the needed directions. The double bevel miter saw costs more, has a bigger size and cutting power.

Double-sided miter saws have another advantage that many people forget about: their blade can be inserted deeper into the material. This is possible due to the fact that their motor is mounted at an angle to the spindle and does not interfere with lowering the disc at any inclination.
A dual bevel miter saw weighs about 1.6 times the weight of a singular one. They can be difficult to transport. A usual dual bevel miter saw sports more capabilities and has better control than other miter saws.
Extra degrees may be required when making complex frames or installing trim pieces around non-rectangular walls. This saves you from fiddling with spacers and washers, which impair work safety and cut quality. A typical dual bevel miter saw is stronger and more durable than other miter saws, but they can be sold for more cash, but lets you work on wider boards.

For example, the double-sided 12-inch DeWalt model allows you to make a 45° bevel in a 90×140 mm beam or saw across a 250 mm wide plinth lying flat. The 12″ DeWalt single-sided bevel is limited to 90x90mm timber and 200mm board width for the same cuts.
The ability to cut in more than one direction and making picture frames comes at a cost, after all. Still, if you have some disposable funds, this is not an issue. This is probably one of the major distinctions between a single bevel and a double bevel miter saws.
So, the dual bevel miter variation highly adaptable. A dual bevel miter saw is essential on a job site, waiting for the moment when bevel cuts need to be made. You’ll be glad you did buy it. Amateurs often take on more difficult tasks. If you want to make many small but delicate matching cuts, a dual bevel is better. The dual bevel saw can be more beneficial in the long run.
Knowing what differs a single bevel miter saw vs double bevel miter saw, now we will discuss the usability of both in different scenarios!
Which Miter Saw Should I Purchase?
Now that the distinctions between a single bevel miter saw vs dual bevel miter saw are set, let’s see which one will be better in your situation. Two of the questions that you need to answer are simple: what do you need to do and how much funds do you have?
If your budget is tight and you are a newbie in the world of carpentry, a single bevel miter saw will be just what you need. However, dual bevel miter saws are better if what you need is a flexible instrument able to take on different angles. In this case dual bevel miter saws will be more convenient than any single bevel model.
That said, the choice is yours. If you have the budget for a dual bevel miter saw, but right now you only have simple tasks to do, you might still opt for it. After all, who knows when a large project pops up! A single bevel miter saw might limit you in the future. You won’t be able to install crown molding with its saw head.
The same goes for single bevel miter saws. Even if you have disposable funds, your work may not be as difficult to require dual bevel miter saws
How to choose a miter saw?
Decide what you need it for.
For small home jobs, the basic single bevel miter saw will be best. Future professionals should focus on finding more powerful models of dual and single bevel miter saws with discs of sufficient diameter and auxiliary elements. But if you are going to do such task as installing trim or crown molding, making an opposing bevel cut or any other miter cuts at complex angles, then a dual miter might be a better choice.
Explore design features.
The best engine option is a valve engine, the frame should be made of a light and durable material, such as an alloy of aluminum and magnesium. The saw diameter of your single bevel or double bevel miter saw for home use is 21–25 cm.
Specifications.
The power of the motor determines which disk you can put on your dual or single bevel miter saw: the higher the power, the larger the disk. The optimal number of revolutions is 4000 per minute. The width of the bevel cut depends on the size of the workpieces that you plan to work with: the wider the workpiece, the greater the width of the bevel cut should be.
Pay attention to the brand.
Well-known brands often give a good guarantee and are ready to be responsible for the quality of the single bevel or double bevel miter saw you’re buying. In addition, it is worth reading the reviews: in them you can find information about how the saw has shown itself in practice.
Price matters.
You may have come across advertisements for miter saws for incredibly low prices, such as saw sliders under $100. Although such a purchase may be successful, we recommend that you resist the temptation. If you buy a cheap saw, you will most likely end up with a rough machine with constantly erratic settings, a weak engine that stops when you work hard, and parts that wear out quickly. This is especially important with single and dual bevel saws due to the complex saw head of these power tools.
What is the difference between a compound and dual bevel miter saw?
A compound miter saw is a larger, bulkier form of single bevel or double bevel saws. They are heavier and stronger and can perform all the tasks of a miter saw, plus a few more. Because they are larger and more powerful, they use larger blades that cut through hard materials faster and easier.

Almost all compound miter saws allow for installing crown molding, compound miter cuts. The machines provide very precise control of the miter angle. What really makes a miter saw special is the sliding handle.
The secret of the compound miter saw is its sliding compound miter saw head. Its sliding compound miter can simply outperform them. Moreover, if you opt for a double bevel compound miter saw, you’ll be able to make a bevel cut both the right and the left side of the cut, making more precise compound angles.
Is a combination miter saw interchangeable with a simple miter saw?
There are many similarities between with single vs dual bevel miter saws. After all, both of these tools are miter saws. With both of them you’ll be able to make straight bevel cuts due to the same blade size.
While single and dual bevel saws are quite heavy on their own, ompound saws are 25-50% heavier than conventional saws. And because of the large number of moving parts, which inevitably weaken the entire structure, you will have to deal with adjustments more often.
Also keep in mind that if you want to mount the pull saw on a workbench against a wall, you need at least 30 cm of free space behind the machine. Together with a dust bag, a 12-inch slider can require more than a meter of space; while the distance from the wall being around 70 cm.
However, there is a unique Bosch Glide slider saw, available in two versions with discs with a diameter of 10 and 12 inches, which requires much less free space behind, since its saw unit does not move back and forth along straight guides, but with the help of an articulated lever mechanism.
The functionality of both the miter saw and the double or single bevel compound miter saw is almost the same, so those accustomed to a single bevel saw, will find the compound double bevel saw pretty similar.
Final Thoughts
The miter saw is a practical tool that is highly sought after by professionals and home users due to its efficiency. The presence of additional functions and equipment makes this unit a reliable assistant in solving production, home and country tasks.
Nothing beats miter saws for fast, clean and accurate cross cuts on any long piece, from framing and cornice profiles to floorboards and rafters. These saws make it simple for users to work at the intricate angles required in professional carpentry.
If there is a need to cut any material at a certain absolutely precise angle, then in such a situation one cannot do without such a saw.
Now you know the vast majority of info and difference between a single vs dual bevel miter saws Before purchasing a tool, decide what you need it for, how often you’ll use it, and whether you’re willing to trade off the portability and lightness for the power and more features of a professional tool. Go ahead and choose the best miter that is able to make multiple cuts at no additional cost or extra money.
Feel free to share this post with you friends that are into carpetry! We are sure that they will find this information useful.
A single bevel miter saw is enough for me. But later I will buy a double miter saw.
An average double bevel miter saw is a really good and very useful tool. Never regretted buying it.