Dewalt Miter Saw

MAKE | Tool Review: Dewalt DWS780 Sliding Miter Saw

Dewalt’s DWS780 saw ( Dewalt ) is a 12-inch double bevel sliding compound miter saw. The DWS780 provides MUCH more functionality and cutting capacity than a non-sliding 10-inch saw, such as Dewalt’s DW713 saw (left). Dewalt’s XPS work light casts a shadow of the saw blade onto your workpiece to help align your cut-line with the blade. Cheaper homeowner- and DIY-oriented saws often require a bit of adjustment and tweaking to get the fences, miter angle, bevel angle, and the blade all zeroed and where they should be. It’s always nice to be able to unbox a new tool and put it to...  A miter saw makes quick work of crosscuts in wood, and with the appropriate blades it can be used to cut plastic and (certain types of) aluminum materials. There is a handle at the top of the saw, and two (more practical) hand grooves at both sides of the saw. As I mentioned before, I found the XPS light to perform far better than any laser  as it requires no alignment and will always cast a shadow of the exact width of your saw blade’s kerf, or thickness. Dewalt includes a robust hold-down clamp with the saw. The yellow cam-action switch is a 0° bevel stop that must be pulled out or rotated to enable the saw to bevel to the right. The sliding mechanism greatly increases the cutting width compared to non-sliding saws. At the rear of the saw, the 3-wing knob is used to loosen and lock the bevel adjustment. I used the saw to to cut wood studs, 2. The included dust bag is itty-bitty, but if it were any larger the saw would require even more rear clearance.  There are no outfeed supports included, however, which is understandable since many users will use the saw with portable or stationary stands. The saw weighs in at 56-pounds, so while it is portable, it is not a joy to move around all day. A depth stop, which consists of a depth adjustment screw, wingnut, and the stop itself, can be used to limit the cutting depth of the blade to provide much more control for cutting grooves and taller workpieces. The DWS780 can be adjusted to cut horizontal (miter) and vertical (bevel) angles at the same time, allowing users to make complex cuts with a single operation. It’s not necessary to spring for a better blade right away, but premium blades will often provide cleaner cuts. Dewalt claims that their dust collection chute can collect over 75% of dust generated. Dewalt bundles the DWS780 with a 12-inch 60-tooth fine finish blade. 6° miter setting to cut molding for 90° joints....