table saw fence

1. Posted: May 5 2008

   I wanted to wait until I have used the saw extensively before passing judgment on the saw. I have found that a break in period i.e. learning curve is necessary for any type of new equipment especially something as often used as a table saw. I bought the saw packages with the 52 fence, cast iron (steel) extension wings and mobile base. As other reviewers have noted, the blade that comes with the saw is something that should end up on a chop saw, not making rip cuts. Replaced this blade almost immediately with a Freud blade, could not be happier. Assembly of the saw with all of the additional do-dads took a couple of day, spending an hour or two at a time. Instructions were generally straight forward, but would recommend going thru all of it before actually assembling the saw. Because of the 52 rails, some assembly needed to be removed to install rail components. Not a big deal, but added time to the entire assembly. Now to the operation, saw was pretty set, right out of the box, with some minor tweeking.needed for fence. Powerful and quiet the best way describe the beast, I do a lot of ripping on 4/4 red oak and have had very little saw related issues. Fence remained dead on and repeatable cuts have not been a problem. Dust collection is fair, I have a steel city DC 1200 cfm connected but still I get a lot under the saw. Just recently (still waiting for shipment) invested in a true cut system to replace the stock one, never could get it to sit right...and with the addition of a Incra 5000, makes cross cuts a snap. All in all, the saw was a good deal for the money spent, a year and 5-600 b/f of oak later, it might have been better to bite the bullet and get a cabinet saw, but what the heck, I can get another couple of years out of this one before looking for a replacement.

2. Posted: Jul 31 2007

   So many features about this saw impress me but I will try to be brief. - Power: This saw has all the power you need in a small shop and more to spare. Nothing seems to slow it down, not even for a brief moment. - Smooth: This goes for the saw itself (no vibration) and for the cuts it makes. I use the blade that came with it for most of my cuts and I never have to sand or plane any of the cut faces. I made a zero clearance insert for it and now it even cuts the cheapest, thin plyood without chipping or noticable marks. I bought a Freud blade for the cross cuts but have not had to use it yet. - The fence: Smooth-sliding as other reviews mention, very accurate, extremely easy to operate and calibrate. - The table: Solid and smooth table. The wings should probably be upgraded since they are not as smooth as the main table (made out of sheet steel rather than the cast iron as the rest of the table. - The controls: just what you need and right where you need them. Large power switch that is easy to bump off with your knee in an emergency. Smooth solid controls for the blade height and angle. - Solid machine: This is a very solid and heavy machine that will serve you for a long time if you take care of it. Make sure you get the deal with the mobile base (see heavy above) which is so smooth and easy to operate. There are some features that I would like to see improved. These are few and none of them diminish the value of this saw but I wanted to include them for completeness. - The splitter and guard assembly is one piece that has to be removed by using wrenches. This is inconvenient and time consuming when you need to remove them for dado cuts (or other non through cuts.) There are splitters that you can buy which do not require tools for removal and installation and DeWalt should learn fron them. Also, the splitter should be seperate from the blade guard so the latter can remain in place for non-through cuts. - The wings that come with the saw are made of sheet steel and not cast. There are optional ones that you can buy from DeWalt but they should be part of the saw to begin with.

3. ( 8 of 8 found this review helpful ) Posted: Nov 14 2005

   My woodworking hobby outgrew my starter saw a few years ago, but circumstances did not allow me to buy a new saw until this year. Since I really wanted to take my time with this decision, I studied the market, put my hands on every saw I could, and read everything I could find on the web about table saw features. Since I work in a library, I also had access to every table saw review in most of the woodworking magazines. Eventually I came up with the following criteria: - I have a one car garage for a workshop, so space was a big issue. I was only looking at saws with 30" capacity to the right of the blade. I also limited my search to saws that could be pushed flat against a wall if need be. This left only hybrids and cabinet saws to consider. - I wanted the most powerful motor I could get without having to switch to 240 volts, yet have the option to rewire the saw for 240v later if I so choose (thus eliminating 3hp saws). - I wanted a solid fence that was accurate and DID NOT DEFLECT when locked down. - I wanted some decent dust collection abilities. - I wanted a quieter saw with less vibration than my old Delta contractor's saw. - I wanted to spend less than $1000 to get the saw, yet have lots of options for upgrading/outfitting later. Eventually I chose the DeWalt 746, and here are my observations: The saw package arrived in relatively undamaged crating (seven days after I ordered it from Amazon), and the saw was in perfect condition. Here's a tip - I ordered this saw over the phone and was given the option to pay $25 to have the saw delivered on the ground in my shop - well worth it! Assembly was not too bad (3 hrs), but the manual could have been a bit better. In my mind it was a bit too small and the illustrations corresponding to each step of assembly were not always on the same page! This saw is heavy and the cabinet/stand is very stiff and strong. I feel that the base of this saw is a much better design than the open stand of my old Delta. The saw also runs very smoothly - it is A LOT quieter than my last saw and vibration is at a minimum. The motor is about as powerful as you can get while running 120v without popping breakers left and right (which I have read is a common problem with the 2hp motors running 120v). I have not had any problems ripping 8/4 white oak with a good sharp blade... Speaking of blades, the one that came with this saw is inferior. I will keep it just for those instances where I want to cut treated lumber for outside projects or some other such task not requiring precision or smooth cuts. I have always wanted a Biesenmeyer fence, but I read good things about the fence on this saw and was eager to try it for myself. I am pleased to say that it is a very sturdy (and heavy) fence with some ingenious features. Most importantly this fence operates very smoothly, it does not deflect when locked down, it was easy to adjust square to the miter slot and blade, and zeroing the fence scale could not have been easier. I did have to fuss with it a bit to get the fence face set 90 degree to the table, but once I got it there it seems to hold the setting well. Dust collection on this saw is absolutely excellent. I hooked up my Fein Turbo II vacuum and basically no significant sawdust escapes. I couldn't be happier in that department. As for safety features, I like splitters and hate blade guards so I was pleased to find that the splitter/blade guard on this saw is able to be separated (I did just that). The splitter is easily adjustable and works well. As far as downsides go... Well, as I mentioned earlier the assembly manual could have been way better and the blade that came with the saw is junk. Also (and I read this several places ahead of time) the table is not absolutely flat. Using a straightedge I found a couple of hollows in the surface. I don't think they are significant enough to throw off the accuracy of what I am doing with this saw, but be forwarned that if you use a tablesaw to cut something more intricate than tenons you may have a problem with this. Unlike other reviewers I didn't have too much of a problem with the steel extension wings that came with this saw. When installed properly are they perfectly level to the main table? Yes. Are they perfectly flat? No, but acceptible for what they are. I wanted a good saw that could be upgraded and these are good enough for temporary use. In fact there are a host of great accessories/upgrades available for this saw. I already ordered a cast iron router table wing (made by Bench Dog) and soon I plan to order the DeWalt cast iron wing for the other side of the saw. When it comes down to it, I am very pleased with this saw. The features all met or exceeded my personal needs. This is important, because I have no doubt I could have gotten a saw that performed nearly as well for a lot less money, but it would have failed to meet one or more of MY criteria. As for the price - I bought mine at a time when the saw was on sale and the mobile base was included (see my separate review of the mobile base). The sale price coupled with Amazon's ongoing deal of 25 dollars off any order over 199 gave me this saw at more than a seventy dollar discount. If your needs are similar to mine, then take a close look at this saw. I highly recommend it!

See all reviews...

1. Posted: Oct 31 2007

   Dewalt 10 inch table saw
   Very well made, yet light weight. Easy to set angles and measurements. Red on/off switch is an added safety feature. Blade exchange easy and fast. I would recommend this product to any serious builder.
   

2. Posted: Jul 31 2007

   So many features about this saw impress me but I will try to be brief. - Power: This saw has all the power you need in a small shop and more to spare. Nothing seems to slow it down, not even for a brief moment. - Smooth: This goes for the saw itself (no vibration) and for the cuts it makes. I use the blade that came with it for most of my cuts and I never have to sand or plane any of the cut faces. I made a zero clearance insert for it and now it even cuts the cheapest, thin plyood without chipping or noticable marks. I bought a Freud blade for the cross cuts but have not had to use it yet. - The fence: Smooth-sliding as other reviews mention, very accurate, extremely easy to operate and calibrate. - The table: Solid and smooth table. The wings should probably be upgraded since they are not as smooth as the main table (made out of sheet steel rather than the cast iron as the rest of the table. - The controls: just what you need and right where you need them. Large power switch that is easy to bump off with your knee in an emergency. Smooth solid controls for the blade height and angle. - Solid machine: This is a very solid and heavy machine that will serve you for a long time if you take care of it. Make sure you get the deal with the mobile base (see heavy above) which is so smooth and easy to operate. There are some features that I would like to see improved. These are few and none of them diminish the value of this saw but I wanted to include them for completeness. - The splitter and guard assembly is one piece that has to be removed by using wrenches. This is inconvenient and time consuming when you need to remove them for dado cuts (or other non through cuts.) There are splitters that you can buy which do not require tools for removal and installation and DeWalt should learn fron them. Also, the splitter should be seperate from the blade guard so the latter can remain in place for non-through cuts. - The wings that come with the saw are made of sheet steel and not cast. There are optional ones that you can buy from DeWalt but they should be part of the saw to begin with.

3. ( 3 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 17 2007

   So after using this saw for three years, I've finally gotten around to writing a review. The pros: It has good bones. The cast iron surface is as flat as could be expected. The motor is strong enough to deal with anything I throw at it. Its pretty heavy, and definitely stable. The dust collection works fairly well. Once adjusted properly, things stay locked down. The fence rail system is definitely stiff enough for my needs. These attributes alone make it worth buying, provided you're willing to deal with setting it up properly. The cons: The fence: Its a complete pain to align. I can't count how many torn up pieces of paper I had to use as shims. The aluminum extrusion used on the face is noodly enough that if the clamps are overtightened, it will deflect locally around each bolt. During use, it can deflect slightly under pressure. Not enough to cause binding, but it will leave burn marks or a rough finish on your cut (just to note, I use a Forrest Woodworker II blade) The Miter slots: They just arent machined well. I had a lot of trouble getting an aftermarket miter gauge to slide without binding. after checking it with a block of wood and some shims, I noticed that the slot width varies greatly. some careful work with a file corrected the issues, but I shouldn't have had to do that. The Miter gage: Looked like junk. Feels like junk. Got a Woodhaven around the same time as a gift, so I've never used the one that came with the saw. The Extension wings: Stamped steel junk slapped on to cut costs. I knew they were junk going in, and as soon as I could afford to, I replaced them with the cast iron ones. Much, much better. So there you have it. I love the saw, and now that its set up properly, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

See all reviews...