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Which Miter Saw

3203 Views 14 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  DeanB
Alternate title, when will dewalt replace the DW717?

I'm in search of a 10" dual bevel sliding miter saw, and had settled on the DW717 based on it topping nearly every comparison. But it's discontinued and not available anywhere, and I think it's incredibly short sighted of Dewalt to remove that product from the market without a replacement, but apparently they know something I don't. I'm not interested in cordless, corded only.

What I've found from many reviews is that the Makita, while costing the most, has a little bit of deflection during slide cuts, and I'm less than impressed that on a 600 dollar saw, they chose to use an aluminum detent plate for the miter adjustment which wears over time. Shouldn't have to buy an aftermarket plate for a 600 dollar saw. I did see one person say they were able to correct the deflection in the cut by loosening the slide rails and twisting them slightly, but again, shouldn't have to do that. My last gripe with the makita is you have to remove the tall fence to do a bevel cut, which if you're trying to bevel something tall, that's pretty inconvenient; the sliding design on the dewalt is far superior.

The Bosch also had some deflection in the cut based on the reviews, and while that seemed to be the only complaint, it was worse than the Makita. I really don't want to spend 500+ for a saw (any saw) that can't be easily adjusted to cut straight right out of the box.

I would really like to hear from anyone that has personal experience with either of these saws, do you notice any deflection or curve to your cuts, was it a symptom of the stock blade and a replacement fixed it, is it a simple fix the reviewers missed? And if anyone knows when Dewalt will be offering another 10" saw, that would be nice as well. My use will be for trim and window casings, all around my house, no commercial use.

Here's the review I found most helpful:
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Is there a reason you aren't considering a 12-inch non-sliding saw for trim work (cuts a 2 x 8 at 90 degrees or a 2 x 6 at 45 degrees)? I've had the Dewalt DW716 for more than 10 years and it's never disappointed me. It's portable enough if you don't have to lug it around every day, and much cheaper than a sliding saw.
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Are you absolutely sure the DW717 has been discontinued? Dewalt is still advertising it on their site. Everyone is just out of them.

I had the exact same issue with a DW735X planer a few weeks ago. No one had any. Dewalt's supply line from China is held up with the shipping backlog off the coast of CA. After 3 weeks of no one having any there was a sudden surge in supply and they are now in stock again in a few places.

That said, I have an old Craftsman 10" sliding compound saw that is now my "beater" saw. For most projects I use a Hitachi 12" and love it. I know several guys that have Bosch 12" units and swear by them as well.
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I bought this one a few years ago, the Dewalt DWS780 12 IN. DOUBLE BEVEL SLIDING COMPOUND MITER SAW. So far, I have no complaints about this saw! :) (y)
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@RodW I will end up using it for more than just trim, but that's the initial project I'm buying for. I figured get all the capacity I can, shouldn't have to buy another saw unless I wear it out.

@JimR the woodworking forums I've looked at have people saying they've confirmed it with Dewalt as far back as a year ago; I haven't personally called them, but found multiple accounts of the same.

@glc I may end up with that saw, I wanted to stay with the 10" to be able to swap blades with my table saw, and due to the higher possibility of deflection with the 12" blades, but I'd rather have a saw that cuts straight than crooked cuts and blade interchangeability.
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I’m not sure which model I have other than it’s a Dewalt 12” slider. I much prefer it over the other brands. I work construction , for a couple of contractors. So I get to use a few different brands at work.
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Got a 12" dewalt dws779 sliding compound saw with collapsible stand on sale for $399 around Xmas. After they took 6 weeks to ship it to me and I got a rebate my final cost for the saw was $279.

Gotta say for the money it's one heck of a tool. It will cut a 1x12 in one pass. Plenty one power to easily go thru 4 by and 6 by lumber.

It unboxed true and square against after multiple calibration cuts. Trim cuts have always fit up tight and clean.

It's slot bigger than a 10" saw but for the money it's a great buy especially when it's on sale.

779949
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I have a DWS780 with the stationary stand. It's not very mobile but cuts nice. Handles larger dimension lumber too.

dsb
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DWS780 is the same exact saw, minus the backlit saw blade light guide, as the DWS779.

The 779 is like $150 cheaper than the 780. The back light guide can be added for like $5 in parts.
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Diehard Milwaukee tool fan here and I think Dewalt has one of the best mitre saws. Ridged is also great. Last few reviews I read did have DW, slightly ahead of both current MW & RD. I do feel the old Milwaukee 6955 with the digital angle readout is the best.
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Are you absolutely sure the DW717 has been discontinued? Dewalt is still advertising it on their site. Everyone is just out of them.

I had the exact same issue with a DW735X planer a few weeks ago. No one had any. Dewalt's supply line from China is held up with the shipping backlog off the coast of CA. After 3 weeks of no one having any there was a sudden surge in supply and they are now in stock again in a few places.

That said, I have an old Craftsman 10" sliding compound saw that is now my "beater" saw. For most projects I use a Hitachi 12" and love it. I know several guys that have Bosch 12" units and swear by them as well.
My Craftsman 10 inch sliding compound saw has served me just fine for something like 15 years. It gets used more than any other saw if I am working with wood. It was my main saw recently when I built a handicap ramp. Some of my cuts had to be cut on two angles, so it came in real handy. I am not that good with this stuff, so I would usually take a scrap piece and get it cut to fit like I wanted it and then do the same with a good piece.

Dave
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All sliding miter saws have some deflection and some blades make it worse.
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My Craftsman 10 inch sliding compound saw has served me just fine for something like 15 years. It gets used more than any other saw if I am working with wood. It was my main saw recently when I built a handicap ramp. Some of my cuts had to be cut on two angles, so it came in real handy. I am not that good with this stuff, so I would usually take a scrap piece and get it cut to fit like I wanted it and then do the same with a good piece.

Dave
Heh. I'm trying to think back to when I bought mine. I know I had it when I lived in Oklahoma so I had to have bought it somewhere around 1995. It still works so I can't complain but now it's been relegated to only seeing duty when I'm cutting pressure treated stuff. It's never given me any problems so it will probably outlast me.
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DWS780 is the same exact saw, minus the backlit saw blade light guide, as the DWS779.

The 779 is like $150 cheaper than the 780. The back light guide can be added for like $5 in parts.
Looking into this, Dewalt apparently "fixed the glitch" and started building the 779 differently so the conversion isn't simple. I found people stating the harness is no longer included in the 779, so it's not a plug and play change.

Currently leaning towards the 780, but I don't need the saw until August, so I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that Dewalt will release a new 10" on sale on July 4th. Or anytime between now and August, I'm not picky.
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@glc I may end up with that saw, I wanted to stay with the 10" to be able to swap blades with my table saw, and due to the higher possibility of deflection with the 12" blades, but I'd rather have a saw that cuts straight than crooked cuts and blade interchangeability.
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Table saw and sliding miter saw blades are different. Table saw has a positive hook while sliding miter saw blades have a 5 degree negative hook so they don't pull into the wood too hard.

Also I have the Bosch saw as a replacement for a 25 year old Makita and love it. No observed deflection.
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