Look ma! No hands!

I use this setup or variations of it to clamp smaller pieces down on the mitre saw, then cut slowly in small increments to avoid excessive pressure.

Keep blades sharp

Not just required for a good finish but sharp blades are also a must for safety. That may be counter-intuitive until it's realised that blunt blades require excessive force to be applied, which destabilises the operation of the tool causing loss of control whether it be a machine or a hand tool operation. The sharper the better.