Single Bevel Vs Double Bevel – Find The Difference?

A bevel miter saw is a versatile power tool for making crosscuts to wood or PVC pipes with its circular saw blades. Usually, a bevel is a vertical or horizontal angle slope at an angled cut (0° – 45° angle) that cuts the material to any angle other than the right angle (90°).

A bevel cut is a specialized cut where a saw head gets tilted to the right or left while cutting the material (mostly wood). You can adjust the saw at different angles and cut along the material thickness to perform various applications like molding, trimming woodworking, or fine carpentry works. There are two types of bevel miter saws – single and dual/double.

Both these bevel miter saws are the same power tools with some similarities, yet some small things differentiate between them as well. Are you getting confused about which one to choose (single Vs dual) for your home/garage/shop? Here in this article, we will explain the single and double bevel miter saws and the difference between them, which helps you get one.

What Is a Single Bevel Miter Saw?

A single bevel miter saw swivels in a single direction (either left or right) to make bevel cuts easily in one orientation/direction (mostly towards the left). It can make miter cuts and bevel cuts together or separately. It is a lightweight, portable, and affordable option that makes smooth angled cuts. In case, if you want to make bevel cuts on both sides of the material, then turn around the workpiece (or) flip the board to cut on the other side.

This slows down the cutting process and might increase the chances of getting errors. So, it is an ideal option for beginners and amateur woodworkers. Though, this single bevel saw does similar to the dual bevel saw yet it takes a bit longer time and effort to have multiple cuts on both sides.

Benefits And Drawbacks Of Single Bevel Miter Saws

Single bevel miter saws is a simple, straightforward, and low maintenance machine that is ideal for DIYers, novice craftsmen, or hobbyists. Here are some of its pros and cons.

Pros:

• Quite a simple, straight, and easy-to-use device
• Can easily cut the material/piece at a 90°
• Portable, lightweight, versatile and affordable saw
• Effective in making smooth angled cuts
• Suits best for beginners or DIYers for home improvement activities.

Cons:

• Needs more time and effort for intricate projects or molding tasks.
• Lacks uniformity and accuracy while making matching bevel cuts or multiple angled cuts.
• Increases the risk of error due to its workpiece repositioning.

Dual Bevel Miter Saw

The saw blade angles of this dual/double bevel miter saw swivel to the left and right making it easy to cut a bevel in two orientations/directions (0° – 48° angle) without lifting and repositioning the workpiece. Since you don’t rotate and line up the material correctly, this saw lets you make uniform, precise, and smooth-finished cuts on both sides of the material.

As it allows you to complete the work quickly, and effortlessly particularly repetitive cuts, matching cuts, or identical bevel cuts. Thus, it offers versatile, efficient, and accurate cutting solutions compared to the single-bevel miter saw. However, its added mechanical components will make it heavier, and less portable and also drive the price up.

Since it enhances efficiency, and workflow, this dual bevel miter saw is a great option for professional woodworkers, contractors, or experienced craftspeople who use them repeatedly/regularly, yet overkill for hobbyists and beginners.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Dual Bevel Miter Saw

It is a versatile and efficient piece of woodworking machinery that offers the utmost precision, speed, and accuracy in your work projects. Here are some of the pros and cons of a double bevel saw you have to check before investing.

Pros:

• Enhance your work performance or handle more tasks easily with its dual-directional bevel cuts.
• Ideal to use for crown molding projects or intricate projects or identical bevel cuts.
• The perfect option for professionals, contractors, or experienced craftspeople.
• Improve the work quality by making precise and accurate matching cuts on both sides of the material.
• Saves a lot of time and effort as you don’t have to lift & rotate the workpiece around.
• No need to rotate or re-adjust the workpiece for cutting on the opposite side.

Cons:

• Expensive model than a single bevel miter saw
• A bit more complicated to use.

Single Bevel Vs Dual Bevel Miter Saws

Even though there are some similarities (both have circular saw blades and make bevel and miter cuts), yet some differences are found in their cutting capacity, price, functionality, type of cutting, and ease of operation.

We are here to differentiate between these two types of bevel miter saws and help you in choosing the best companion for your woodworking projects.

Why Do We Need a Dual Bevel Miter Saw Over a Single Miter Saw?

The main thing that differentiates the single bevel saw from a dual saw is to lift and re-arrange the workpiece for its proper cutting at the opposite angle. Thus, it results in lacking efficiency and accuracy in the cut done by a single bevel miter saw over a dual bevel saw.

Though it might not be a problem for DIYers or those not using the saw on daily basis. But it can be a major problem for a professional contractor who uses the saw regularly for performing different types of cuts at different angles.

Here is a detailed explanation…

Usually, it takes some time to lift and reposition the workpiece/lumber for single bevel cutting, and also needs to reset the stop blocks and other secure mechanisms. The more the time-lapse, the less its cutting efficiency, especially while making repeatable cuts opposing bevel cuts, or installing crown molding. So, irrespective of professional or a DIYer, this efficiency reduction will affect the overall work/task.

When moving the material for opposing bevel cuts, there might be discrepancies in the measurements. If there is no exact clamping or aligning of the workpiece to the fence, accurate/precise cutting is not done all the time. Finally, it affects the overall work quality, particularly for visual appeal products. Simply, the less the accuracy in cutting, the less the visual appeal of the end product.

Apart from them, here are some of the main differences between the single-bevel and double-bevel miter saws.

1. Speed

The working speed of the saw is essential to check before making its purchase. Compared to a single bevel, the dual bevel is a bit quick and works fast. This is due to the reason that you need to stop the process, flip the board, and set it properly to cut on the opposite side while using the single bevel miter saw. Thus, it takes much time and slows down the process.

2. Ease of Use

A single bevel miter saw comes first in this ease-of-use category. This makes it an ideal option for beginners whose who won’t have any previous experience. But not like dual bevel saws where some experience is required to operate them.

3. Convenience

Coming to convenience, here the dual bevel tool takes the first position due to its versatile dual-directional bevel cuts. It cuts the board in dual directions without flipping/repositioning the material, as it comes with a bit of a learning curve, whereas the single bevel has a shorter learning curve.

4. Portability

Usually, a single-bevel miter saw is lighter, smaller, and portable compared to its double-saw counterparts. This allows you to move the single bevel saw from one workplace to another easily and perform various tasks. So, a single bevel saw is ideal for those working on multiple worksites. While a dual bevel miter saw is a bit heavier to move around.

5. Accuracy

A bevel miter saw provides accurate cuts, yet flipping or repositioning the material might affect the accuracy level and ruin the overall result if the cutting is done by a single bevel saw. While dual bevel tools are the perfect choice for those looking to have a high precision level.

6. Warming It Up

Usually, a larger miter saw takes a bit longer time to warm up for its proper usage compared to a compact-size saw. Even though the single and dual bevel miter saws can be used quickly and effectively as soon as you start the machine without any lag in its operation.

7. Type of Users

A single bevel miter saw is an excellent option for those DIYers where you won’t cut much trim or less frequent usage. While a double bevel miter saw is an ideal option for professional woodworkers where efficiency and accuracy are essential for the quick completion of tasks.

8. Cutting Direction

The cutting direction of both these types of saws is different. A single bevel miter saw can only cut in one direction (mostly towards the left), while a double bevel miter saw can easily make cuts in both directions.

9. Price Difference

The price of a double-bevel miter saw is a bit more expensive compared to a single-bevel miter saw. This is due to the extra parts or tools that make it swivel or tilt the saw head both ways.

How To Choose?

Based on the type and amount of the work, you have to choose either a single or dual bevel miter saw. If you are new to woodworking (or) working on the occasional projects, then go with a single bevel miter saw. While a dual bevel miter saw is an ideal option for professionals who need speed and precision and has to work a lot (like crown molding).

Here is the difference between a single bevel miter saw & double bevel miter saw explained in the tabular form.

Conclusion

Based on your work demands (cutting, trimming, or molding), and other circumstances, you have to choose either a single bevel miter saw or a dual bevel miter saw. If you need to do a lot of trimming or molding quickly, accurately, and effectively, then go with a double bevel saw having various features and accessories.

We hope this article will help you a lot in selecting the correct option for your work/projects. Feel free to share your experience with us in the comments section.