A miter saw assembly includes a cutting tool configured to perform a cut along a cutting axis. A stop mechanism is linearly translatable in a first direction. A rotary motor includes a selectively rotatable rotor and a motion conversion mechanism configured to transform rotary motion of the rotor to linear motion of the stop mechanism in the first direction. A controller is configured to selectively rotate the rotor to cause linear translation of the stop mechanism toward or away from the cutting axis. A position detection system includes a visual sensor coupled to the stop mechanism and a ruler strip. The ruler strip includes a plurality of spaced apart position indicators configured for detection by the visual sensor in order to determine a position of the stop mechanism relative to the cutting axis of the cutting tool via position correlating perform by the controller.