Thursday, 11 February 2010
Compound Miter Saw - dewalt, miter saws
Bought the saw in Jan-08 and have been using it for a major moulding project. I've borrowed a Craftsman "Professional" compound miter saw in the past and learned what I would look for if I ever purchased this type of saw. When you buy this saw, I feel you get higher quality things you need, not a feature laden saw with mediocre components. You'll appreciate the tall fence, the blade guard, a dust bag that actually catches sawdust, a high quality miter table/gauge without stickers, a 15 amp motor, and a stout and sturdy frame. The miter lock is so much nicer than a screw type, and the detent override comes in handy for those angles close but not quite at the standard angles.
The saw I used in the past would collect sawdust between the swiveling miter table and the miter gauge, eventually making it difficult to adjust your angle, eventually forcing you to take the table apart for cleaning. I'm very impressed by how smoothly this table adjusts from side to side.
For trim work, I have found you just don't need to buy a saw with lasers and clamps and whatever else. Just buy the right saw the first time, a sturdy one like the DW713. DEWALT DW713 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw
Overall quality is impressive. I especially like the cam miter lock, miter scale quality, detent over-ride, vernier miter adjustment, blade brake, light weight, and powerful 15A motor. The included blade (40 tooth) is surprisingly good. The only con I found was the bevel pointer/bevel scale setup. The "point" doesn't line up with the bevel degree marker area by about 1/4 to 3/8's half inch. It makes you guess the degree of bevel + or - 3 degrees. The manual says to set the top edge of the bevel pointer as the read point for accuracy. The only problem is that the top edge of the bevel pointer is not on the same plane as the bevel scale, leaving you without a good point to read the bevel. This is a 10 cent part, which is not in keeping with the quality and features of the rest of the saw. Good luck and Merry Christmas. 12/25/07
I use this on the job a lot as a pro trim carpenter. I work for myself so I have to buy tools that will last and pay for themselves many times over before having to be replaced. This one is no exception and I am very pleased with it.
I also own a 12 inch double bevel Dewalt and that is a great saw too. I user the ten inch one for most of the trim in normal house. The twleve inch is better for crown and stair work.
This saw has adequate power and does not bog down unless you really try to rush it which is a bad idea to start with. I cut plenty of hardwood with it and have had no problems.
The saw is very accurate, mine was perfect out of the box.
You should add the laser and a better blade if you want to use this to it's full potential. Well for trim anyway, the blade on it is ok for general use.
I do precision work and this saw does good for me (With a better blade than comes on it). I would reccomend it to anyone looking for a good ten inch saw.
I like the dewalt miter saw stand too, it works well with this and all dewalt saws.
I reccomend this as a pro carpenter, it is a good tool.
I purchased the factory reconditioned version of this product and was amazed that when I unpacked it the saw didn't even look like it was used. It came in a brown box but when opened you would have thought it was a brand new saw. I have owned 3 other miter saws, Craftsman, Hitachi and Makita and far and away this one is better. First, the quality of the construction is much better as it has less plastic pieces where it matters, table, fence, miter gauge and back throat. Second the miter gauge is the absolute best as it is metal and it has all the relevant notches for angles. Plus it the angles are much more accurate than the other saws. Third the dust collection is excellent even without a vac attached. The others tend to allow saw dust to go everywhere while the Dewalt shoots it straight out the back. Fourth the quality of the cut is better right out of the box with the blade it came with. While this is easily changed with the other saws it was nice. I cut primarily base board molding and crown molding with my saw. The base board molding is 3 1/2" and the crown is 3". No problem with cut sizes or having enough capacity available to do the job.
I did a lot of on-line shopping for a miter saw, read the forums on the American Woodworker site, etc. Finally decided on the DeWalt 10". The one point that kept bugging me was the lack of a laser, since it seems like every other brand has them. Then I read about issues with alignment, and decided to go with the DeWalt and the LED light add-on. Works great. You get a clear line where the blade cuts, including the width of the cut. Great design.
First thing I did was put a square on it to make sure the 0 was right, and it was dead-on. Both 45's are on, also. Haven't gotton to play with the bevel much yet, but it works easy enough.
Table is nice and flat, whole thing is very solidly built. Carry handle is a nice touch, much easier to carry around.
Another point- the standard 40T blade they give you with the saw makes some really nice, clean cuts. I had planned on getting a fine-cut blade for doing my 1/2 round trim, but so far, the 40T is working perfectly.
I narrowed my search to this saw and the Ryobi. The Dewalt just seems better built. The cut are square and clean. The included blade is fine for most work.
I was a little disappointed that no clamps or extensions are included. It has a provision for a laser, but that is also extra. A dustbag is included, but I have always found these things useless, and this one is no exception.
The saw is a handy size, and it has a nice carrying handle. The miter adjustment is the best design I have tried. I hated unscrewing the knobs, on my old Ryobi, each time I wanted to change the setting. The table and fence are just the right size.
To sum it up, this is a perfect saw for most people, and Amazon is the best place to buy it. Mine arrived in 2 days in perfect shape. - Miter Saw - Dewalt - Compound Miter Saw - Miter Saws'
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