How To Cut A 15 Degree Angle on A Miter Saw

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A miter saw is an invaluable tool that simplifies a lot of common woodworking projects. This tool can cut accurate and smooth angles for corner pieces, picture frames, and molding.

A miter saw comes with an adjustable skill saw blade which is used to cut wood at different angles. In this article, I’ll discuss how to cut a 15 degrees angle on a miter saw easily.

Miter Saw Cutting Angles and Blades

Miter Saw Cutting Angles and Blades

First things first, you need to check to see if your miter saw can natively make 15 degree angled cuts. Most entry level miter saws come with a mechanism that allows them to cut wood at an angle of 90 to 30 degrees. It means you can’t use them to cut a workpiece at an angle lower than 30 degrees

The blade of a miter saw can also vary in diameter from model to model, and commonly ranges from 10 to 12 inches. The smaller the blade, the shallower and narrower cuts it’ll make and vice versa.

Learning how to read the miter saw angle markings is important. Keep in mind the markings that you see on the miter saw don’t represent the actual angle degree. Most top end miter saws come with markings that start from 0 and go all the way to 60 in both directions.

The best way to find out the correct angle is to subtract the selected number (of markings) from 90 as the following table shows.

Miter Saw MarkingsActual Degree Angle
090
585
1080
1575
2070
2565
3060
3555
4050
4545
5040
5535
6030

How To Cut A 15 Degree Angle on A Miter Saw

Using a miter saw to cut a 15 degrees angle involves mathematical calculations that I’ll discuss in detail. Follow the steps listed below carefully to cut a 15 degrees angle on a miter saw.

Important Note: The following method will work for all types of miter saws including a sliding miter saw, non-sliding miter-saw, and compound miter saw

Supplies You’ll Need

Step 1: Square Up Miter Saw

Step 1 Square Up Miter Saw

Squaring up your miter saw is critical because it ensures the accuracy of the angle, no matter what angle cut you need to make. Squaring your saw means that it is making accurate cuts. Otherwise, you will not be able to cut any workpiece at a 15 degrees (or any other) angle. 

After making adjustments to your miter angle, cut a couple of scrap wood pieces to test its accuracy to make sure it’s perfectly squared.

Important Note: If you’re using a single bevel or dual bevel miter saw, also known as a compound miter saw, you’ll need to square up the bevel angle as well to get accurate results. 

Step 2: Clamp Scrap Piece of Wood

After squaring up your miter saw, the next step is to place and clamp the scrap piece of wood against your miter saw fence. I recommend you use a foot-long piece of 4 x 4 inches for this purpose.

Many miter saws come with a built-in clamp and if you have the same model, use it to secure the 4 x 4 piece against the fence firmly. You can use a separate clamp for the same purpose if your miter saw doesn’t have one.

Note: Make sure that you place the scrap piece of wood on the left side of your miter saw blade for this method.

Step 3: Ensure Safety

While using with a miter saw to cut wood, you must wear safety goggles and a face mask. It’ll protect you from the harmful dust that the cutting process produces, and any pieces that inadvertently come off. 

We also recommend you wear earplugs to protect your ears from the loud noise of the saw.

Step 4: Cut Scrap Piece of Wood

Next, you need to cut the scrap piece of wood at a 45 degrees angle by adjusting your miter saw angle. Discard the small triangular piece that you just cut and keep the other part clamped up in place. It will work as your new fence for this project and you’ll need to place the stock against it to cut a 15 degrees angle.

If you set your miter saw at 90 degrees angle (or 0 on the marking scale) and place the stock against the attached 4 x 4 piece, the blade will be at a 45 degrees angle.

In simple words, the new fence will be cutting the stock at 45 degrees angle when your miter saw angle is set to the normal 90 degrees.

Step 5: Understand New Angles

Now your miter saw will work based on the following mathematical equations.

Desired Angle = 45 Degrees – Miter Saw’s Normal Angle

It means that if you want to cut a 15-degree angle, you will need to set the normal angle of your miter saw to 30.

Desired Angle = 45 – 30 Degrees = 15 Degrees

Step 6: Cut 15 Degree Angle

Step 6 Cut 15 Degree Angle

Set your miter saw scale to 30 on the left side and place the stock you want to cut against the new fence (4 x 4 clamped piece). Turn the miter saw on, hold the stock firmly, and make the cut.

Keep in mind that your hands will be in a danger zone while using this technique to change the angle cut. Therefore, be extra careful while holding your stock.

You can use another clamp to secure the piece of wood that you want to cut at a 15 degrees angle to be on the safer side. It’s a time-consuming step because you’ll need to attach and remove the clamp each time to make a cut. But it’ll keep you safe from getting hurt.

You’ll also need to make sure that the clamp doesn’t get in the way of the miter saw blade or it’ll damage your equipment and can also lead to a serious injury.

Learn how to cut a 22.5-degree angle on your miter saw.

Tips to Use a Miter Saw to Cut a 15 Degrees Angle

Use the following tips in mind while working with a miter saw to cut the wood.

  • Never use a dull or damaged blade even if you need to cut the softest wood pieces because it can lead to unwanted accidents.
  • Check the blade guards of the saw to make sure they’re in place. Lower and raise the saw head twice without turning the machine on to ensure the bottom guard is moving as it’s supposed to.
  • Keep yourself, especially hands, at least six inches away from the saw blade while it’s moving.
  • If you want to make adjustments to the blade or need to change it, turn your machine off and disconnect it from the power supply.
  • Never force the blade through your workpiece. Let the blade cut the wood.
  • If you need finer cuts, consider using a blade that has at least 90 teeth.
  • Avoid wearing loose clothes and jewelry like necklaces and bracelets while working with a miter saw. Pull your hair back if it’s long as you don’t want anything dangling that can get stuck into the blade.

FAQs

Can You Use Any Other Tool to Cut at an Angle?

Yes, you can use many other cutting tools such as a jigsaw or circular saw to cut at an angle. The biggest downside of these tools is that you’ll need to take measurements manually using the angle measuring tools such as pivot square and digital protractor and mark your workpiece. Instead, a miter saw allows you to skip that step as it offers readings to set an angle at which you need to make a cut.

What Size Miter Saw Do You Need to Cut a 4 x 4 Piece?

You can use a 12-inch miter saw to cut a 4 x 4 piece in a single cut. You’ll need to use a 3 x 3 wood piece if you have a 10-inch miter to complete this process, or make multiple cuts. 

How to Use a Miter Saw - Shop Class Basics

Final Words

Cutting a 15-degree angle with a miter saw is a little bit of a tricky process because you need to use a scrap piece of wood to make a new fence. I hope this guide will help you understand how to achieve that efficiently. Make sure that you square your miter saw perfectly and follow the tips discussed above to keep yourself safe and achieve accurate results.

An expert at home repair, remodel, and DIY projects for nearly 40 years. His first experience came in completely restoring an antique home. Completely redone from the inside out, and restored to its original form, the home is a featured design by renowned Southern California Architect Cliff May, considered to be the father of the California Ranch Home. Now Dennis spends his time on fine woodworking projects and tool comparisons.