You have read all the reviews for the Craftsman MiterMate and you still haven’t bought one because some of the reviews state you need a huge work area to use this saw.  I am going to show you how to make an adapter to mount this saw to a typical miter saw stand so it doesn’t use any more space than a conventional miter saw.  You can also use this adapter to to permanently mount the MiterMate to a bench.

I like the MiterMate. It is a great concept. It will save a homeowner who is trying to install trim in her house COUNTLESS hours of frustration. The angle finder that comes with the saw in conjunction with the movable material rest (fence) on the saw itself make cutting moulding and trim corners a snap.

A quick review of how the saw works:

Using the saw is easy.

Take the angle finder (clipped to the top of the saw) and go measure the corner you want to cut the trim for. Lock the red thumb-wheel on the angle finder tight.  (Click on the pictures to see a larger view.  Right-click and open in new window to stay on this page.)

Bring the angle finder to the saw and place it in on the bed of the saw in the slots for the gauge.

Align the movable fence (wings) to the angle finder.

Lock the wings.

Remove the angle finder and stow into the brackets on top of the saw.

Insert the first piece of wood you want to cut. (slide the other fence out of the way if needed) Make your cut.

Insert the second piece you want to cut. (Readjust the slides on the fences if you need to) Make your cut.

Done!

As you can see in the photo the problem arises when you want cut long pieces of trim at different angles each time.  If you have the MiterMate mounted on a bench or the floor you have to swing long pieces of trim all over the place.

The Adapter:

The adapter is designed to swivel (turn)  the MiterMate on a miter saw stand so you don’t have to swing long pieces of trim all over the place when aligning them to cut on the saw.

I wanted to keep this adapter as simple as possible and I wanted to use items I have laying around the shop.

Parts Needed:

1. Two boards   One 19 in by 24 in.

The other 12 inches by 18 inches.  The boards should be at least 3/4 in thick, flat and smooth on one side.  I found a piece of scrap MDF counter top out in the garage I had purchased from Spectrum Industries Outlet Store to use.   The MDF is 3/4 inch thick and has a laminate top similar to Formica.  The laminate is very slippery so it will work well.

2. One 1/2 inch or larger bolt, two flat washers (fender washers if you can get them,) and lock nut.  It should be long enough to go through two pieces of your board, two washers and two nuts.  In my case I used a 3/4 inch bolt, 3 1/2 inches long.

3. Three 1/4 inch flat-head screws, washers and lock-nuts (you can use lock washers and regular nuts)  to mount the saw to the swivel.  In my case they need to be 2 inches long.  (thickness of one board plus the MiterMate feet plus room for two washers and a lock nut.)

4. One 1/4 inch bolt and nut 2 to 3 inches long.  We will use this for stop holes.  A fully threaded bolt will work great!

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Making the adapter Assembly:

1.  Cut the boards, round over the edges if you want.

2. Layout the mounting holes on the small board.  To do this place the MiterMate on the board.  Center it on the board.  Mark the holes for the three feet. (I use a felt tip pen)

3. Using a square measure up 9 inches from the front hole and mark the pivot hole.

4. Center the smaller board (12×18) on the larger board. Clamp them together.  Drill the pivot hole.

5. Remove the larger board.   Clamp the smaller board and drill the mounting holes.  Countersink the holes on the bottom side so the flat head screws set inside the board.

6. Bolt the two boards together using the pivot hole.  Tighten the bolt just enough so you can swivel the top board easily.

Mounting and final assembly:

1. Bolt the saw to the top board.  Swivel the board around to get to a hole to insert the first flathead mounting bolt from the bottom.  Put your washer and nut on but don’t tighten it yet. Repeat for the other two bolts.

2. Tighten the bolts.

3.  Because each miter stand will be a little different, I left this step for last.  Place the saw with the fence lined-up with the stand.  Drill a 1/4 hole on each side of the front foot all the way through the bottom board.  This will be for the stop bolt.

4. Set the left fence to 30 degrees and rotate the saw to line up the fence with the stand.  Drill through the top hole again and make a hole in the bottom board.

5. Repeat step 4 with the fence at 45 degrees.

6.  Now do the same on the right side.  Take the  fully threaded bolt and run the nut all the way to the top of the bolt.  This will let the bolt stick out of the hole enough so you can easily remove it to turn the saw.

7. Done!  Click on the picture to see the adapter in action!

Options:

1. You can insert a couple of flanged bearings in the swivel if you want the adapter to swivel smoother.  Place a washer the size of the inner race to separate the bearings and make it work smoothly.  Any size will do, but the larger the better.
A chair swivel in place of the bolt will work even better.

2. You can use a lock nut in place of the two stop nuts.

3. You can use a threaded insert in the stop hole.

4.  The boards you got with you miter saw stand had a groove so it was easier to clamp the saw to the stand.  You can dado those grooves onto the base of this adapter if you would like.

Read My Review of the MiterMate: Craftsman MiterMate Review

Click here to purchase the MiterMate used here: Craftsman MiterMate

Click here to purchase the miter saw stand used here: Craftsman Universal Stand

The pictures of the Craftsman MiterMate and Miter Stand featured in this article were taken at the Sears, Eau Claire, WI. I wish to thank Chris for giving me the opportunity to use and photograph their new MiterMate display firsthand. Sears does not endorse this adapter and did not pay for it, this article or my time. It will work for me, but don’t hold me liable if it doesn’t work for you.