Dewalt chop saw purchase a mistake?
I recently bought a new DeWalt 12″ (DW716) compound miter saw to replace my 10″ delta saw. I use my CMS primarily for finish work like large crown moldings and baseboards etc. I am not a pro carpenter but love doing finish work asa a hobby. The Delta just diddn’t have the capacity for large moldings I was looking for. I own a 14.4v Dewalt drill and I love it. The thing that appealed to me about the Dw 716 was the capacity. I keep seeing contradicting opinions about dewalt saws so I was wondering if I made a mistake. It’s still in the box. I wanted to hear what people think of the DW716 of Dewalt chop saws in general.
Replies
Your saw is a good all purpose saw for the money, and maybe one of the most common on job sites. You did fine.
ok ok. I don't know what my problem was. I have been on this tool buying kick lately and I am buying for life the way I look at it so I have been obsessing about finding the very best tools I could possibly buy for the money. you know, trying to build that ultimate collection. I don't know if anyone on this forum would know anything about that...ha ha. Anyway I am more than convinced this is the right saw for me, and just for everyone's information I did buy the laser which was an extra 60 bucks but I am guessing will be worth it. Mitre saw...check. Now whats next hmmm. Thinking about a Porter Cable or a Bosch router.
Miter saws and SCMS's seem to be one the things Dewalt has done a very good job with. Only complaint about their miter saws that I hear regularly is too much blade run-out on the 12" slider. I have a Dewalt 10" CMS and love it. Smooth, accurate adjustments and built super tough.
We trim with two of them everyday and it is one of our favorite tools.What does this situation in my life ask of me?
I'd like amend my "run-out" complaint. I finally changed the blade (too many hidden nails) what a difference. I havent had any complaints of run out all week.:)
OK, I have to ask, what does the term "run-out" mean?Craftwork Construction LLC
Runout is like blade wobble.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
the way I understand it (and could very well be wrong) is, for instance when trimming "just a hair" off the edge of a board I dont get a straight cut. Its like the board is stronger than the blade, it starts good but then walks down the edge instead of cutting straight.
Watch it real close and make sure the blade is not pulling the workpiece into it. Not a fault of saw or blade, just physics. At least that is what I have noticed.
Physics aside. All I know is that when I changed my blade, I got very good end cuts. No blade walk.
Could have been slightly dull/dirty blade too or thin kerf blade. All I know is I have seen the blade pull the workpiece if not held tightly.
I've seen it pull to the danger zone...too short a piece every time. Dull blade could definitely contribute. "what's in a name?" d'oh!
No disputing that. Ive had that happen before, usually when doing a bevel cut.
Agree, not an argument. Just trying to offer up some reasons. And protecting my dear DW (:-). I am tempted to get another one for a spare but cannot come up with the justification. One Christmas wife wanted me to get the slider but could not convince myself. I kind of wish I had. If they mark down the 708's like HDT did the 705 I may go ahead anyway.
Nows the time. I dont know where you live but here in metro detroit every Depot i've been in has the 708s for $100 off.
Runout is what happens on a sliding miter saw when the slides do not hold the cut in a perfect line. All sliding miter saws have runout, some are worse than others, abuse, riding in the back of a truck contributes to the problem.
Has anybody ever tried blade stiffiners like I used on my tablesaw to fight runout? I can't believe those slide rails are sloppy. Forrest Manufacturing in New Jersy sells great blades and stiffiners.
I have the Forrest blade stiffener and the Chopmaster blade. Honestly I haven't noticed much difference with and withoug the stiffener. I also don't seem to have much problem with runout on my 708 SCM. Of course, mine's bolted to the bench in the shop and doesn't get the abuse of daily jobsite use; I suspect it would be harder to keep tuned in that kind of situation.
"...can't believe those slide rails are sloppy."
Why not? Its a question of leverage. The slightest side pressure intentional or not will throw off the cut on a sliding miter saw. The more moving parts a mechanical device has multiplies its deflection.
This is my interpretation of runout on a miter saw, others say its a blade problem. Dull blade problem possibly. A sharp blade will cut what is below it.
Blade stiffeners do help on a tablesaw because of the length of cut. On a tablesaw, you can run hundreds of feet of material through a blade in a matter of minutes. A Miter saw is a different animal. If blade deflection is a problem, ditch those cheezy thin kerf blades and get a sharp, full dimension, real blade.
Ditto on the blade issue, I got a blade from a garage sale (An older Forrest 1 woodworker blade) 1/8 Kerf. Had it with the shop tablesaw blades for a while then figured I would use it for the chopper, What a difference! I've been using frued thin kerfs (red blade) for a while and actually never thought about it.I cut the board twice and its still too short ! ! !
Actually, the DeWalt slider has an adjustment to take out the rail slop. It works pretty well.And, run out usually refers to arbor wobble ( your tablesaw has some run out, and I hope it's not cause it's sliding<G>). Everything that spins has at least a little.Side pressure seems to be getting taken out of the game. I have had sliders (the original Sears sliding radial miter saw comes to mind, and the single rail 12" Makita slider) that you could steer. That isn't always a bad thing, like when cutting to a curved scribe. It is real hard to steer the 12" DeWalt slider.And, in my experience, even the stiffest blades will deflect if your just trying to take off an RCH...the path of least resistance doesn't only apply to my help, just kidding<G>. That said, I agree, no way I'm using a thin kerf blade on any kind of miter saw, & I've tried...LOL "what's in a name?" d'oh!
A bigger blade stiffener will reduce the cutting capacity, might as well get a 10"What does this situation in my life ask of me?
Basically, it means that the finished cut isn't in the expected place and that the results aren't always the same (if it was always the same, you could adjust it out) and often the cut isn't square and plumb.As explained to me: Most common cause on a CMS is a non-symetrical blade moving to one side by using up all the "play" in the mechanism. An out of balance blade will affect a SCMS or a RAS too. Blade stiffeners sometimes help because then can force the blade back to its correct shape or the weight cancels the effect of being out of balance; both effects are what makes the blade run much quieter, cooler, and with a truer kerf with the stiffener; but, if the real problem is that the blade's teeth weren't ground symetrically, then you're out of luck..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I'm on my second...don't worry, first got stolen<G>. Very good, tough saw, and resonably priced. I'd buy another if something happened to this one.
I have had my DeWalt for about 4 years and find it brilliant.
I notice the new one has a better dust removal system to my one.Which I might add, the one on mine is a waste of time.
Saw one on special the other day here in NZ $1300.
So spare a thought for we hard done by sods.:-)
Saw one on special the other day here in NZ $1300.So spare a thought for we hard done by sods.:-)and, you're so much closer to China, hmmmm <G> "what's in a name?" d'oh!
The 716 is a brand new model, so take it out of the box and let us know how good it is. I have had the Dewalt SCMS for about 2 years and I think its great. I'm sure you'll like your saw as well.
I trim with that saw for a living and love it. Never mind the sliding compound miter saws, for accuracy this one beats them all hands down. For capacity, it is the ultimate non-slider. Probably one of the best purchases you could make.
The only complaint I have is the blade is so far forward it tends to throw more sawdust at you. Wear safety glasses, and get used to it. The belt drive makes the saw quieter than direct drives, it makes a difference at the endof a long day. Ditch the DeWalt blade that came with it and throw on a decent one. Enjoy.
I have the DW705 12", and have been trimming for almost a decade with it. I rebuilt it once and it's like new. I have four miter cut saws of various sorts, but this is the one that has a perminent home in my truck and jobsites. I want to get a slider and will but this thing is like my right arm. You have a great saw, take care of it.
Concur, concur, concur. This may be about the only tool everybody here will agree on. The 12" CMS is the tool that put DeWalt in the big time back when B&D had just bought the old name and was bringing the yellow brand onto the main. THey have some other good tools (and a few particularly lousy ones), but this one is the hands-down winner. A very good, very dependable, very tough tool.
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
Ok,Tell me what this is all about.
On October 5 I get an email flyer from HDT Tools reading:
View Image View Image DeWalt 705S 12" Compound Miter Saw With 3 FREE Milwaukee Pathfinder Bits - Only $219 Shipped ! While Supplies Last Only (Yes - These Are Factory New)
Then on October 7, I get another HDT reading:
View Image View Image DeWalt 705S 12" Compound Miter Saw With 3 FREE Milwaukee Pathfinder Bits - Only $194 Shipped ! While Supplies Last Only (Yes - These Are Factory New)
So, these guys just decide to drop $25 off the price in 2 days time.
You think response was so unexpectedly poor they decided to sweeten the pot or what?
I see the 'our price' was $176 in both listings so is it just they found a better price on shipping?
We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper. - Albert Einstein
Rez,Maybe the first ad was a goof, or typo, and they were correcting it? DeWalt is probably clearing out the old saws so they can focus on selling the new models just introduced.Bill
Yeah, $194 ain't too bad delivered to your door.
be but I like my 5 year old model better tho'.
We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper. - Albert Einstein
Maybe the first 'flyer' was in $CAN?? (And BTW, how do you use a Milwaukee Pathfinder Bit in a chop saw...?)
I've got one of the 'original' 12" DW CMS's, bought in '95 just after they hit the Canadian market. They were very much in demand as soon as people saw them, and went for top dollar; no discounting at all. I think I paid dang near $500 for mine. The model # was D-705-04 or something like that. 13-amp motor. It's a beast. Triple-stack a bunch of 2x6's, and just wail on through in one chop using a framing blade. But put in the 80-tooth blade and it will also cut a perfect 45 mitre vertically through a piece of 1x6 base, leaving a glass-smooth cut.
I've only ever had one problem with that saw. Many years after I bought it, one of the set screws that holds the hinge pin in place (for the chop arm) worked its way loose, and the hinge pin eventually drifted sideways until I finally noticed it (duh!) when the motor, blade and chop arm came free one day as I started a cut. Whoo--ee! Surprise, surprise, surprise, seargent!
Called up DeWalt to give them a heads up and the rep on the phone about tripped over himself trying to give me stuff that hadn't broken. All I really needed was a new set screw and a tube of Loctite, but he insisted on sending me a new $150 blade ("Are you sure your blade wasn't damaged? Maybe it got knocked out of true...?"). I think he was afraid I was gonna sue them even tho all I got was a bit of a scare.
I even found that lost set screw about a year later when doing a major clean-up in the shop. It was lying in a pile of sawdust behind where the saw sits when I use it in the shop....
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
The bits are just a bonus, pot sweetener. Mark packages things he has sometimes.
Glad to hear someome else happy with DeWalt. My 705 has been pretty much bullet proof.
Yep, it's a trouper. Been dropped outta wheelbarrows, rained on, snowed on, had 2x's fall on it, been run 14-16 hours straight on long summer days...just keeps on working....
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
yes you made the right move!! Its a great saw!
I just played with that new saw at HD the other day and think it is very well designed. The miter detent override works well to let you adjust the blade to any fraction of an angle.
Did you get the laser?
Get a Forest Chopmaster blade it's worth the $ and keep the dewalt blade for framing.
I have two 12" Dewalt miter saws. The first one I got about 1990 when they first came out (I think). It is the very basic model and has been beat to death being constantly loaded and unloaded from the truck, cutting deck parts, etc. I now also have the belt drive 12" CMS and like it even better. I can't see how they could have f-ed up a good thing with the new models unless they just wanted to build something cheaper.
I always wanted the slider but couldn't justify the price, plus don't want to deal with the weight and bulk.
Edited 10/8/2005 9:27 pm ET by Matt
I'm also a hobbyist.
I have the earlier version of your saw, and it's worked great. Two comments:
1) The Forrest chopmaster blade is pricey, but great. I've done a ton of finish work with it, and it's performed well.
2) I used the saw for a couple of years, on sawhorses with 2x4 and plywood, then happened to buy DeWalt's mitre saw stand. Big mistake - buy the saw stand first. It's easy to put the saw on and off of it, and you don't spend all your time bending over.