 Excellent Saw |
| Review Date: October 30, 2005 |
| Reviewer: D. Clark, California |
I purchased the new DeWalt DW718 shortly after receiving an introductory DVD of the new 12" miter saws sent to me by DeWalt. I was impressed by the presentation on the DVD which exhibited the improvements, compact size, larger capacity, ease of miter and bevel adjustment and the new laser alignment system. I've had a 10" Makita compound slider saw for years and have used it extensively. The limited capacity and lack of a laser alignment sight were serious drawbacks. I've held off buying a new saw until now because none of the newer saws had that much of an improvement to justify replacing my old Makita. After seeing the DVD and personally examining and playing with the saw in a "Big Box Store," I decided the improvements justified the purchase. Another deciding factor was the smaller footprint and table height. My old Makita was mounted to a roll- around workstation with folding wings to support long material. I hated to give up the old workstation and build a new one. To my surprise the new DW718 easily fit my existing workstation, and the table height was exactly the same. All I had to do was remove the Makita, align the fence of the DW718 to the fence on the extension wings of the workstation and bolt it down. I was back in business in no time. I installed the laser alignment sight and took great pains to set the three adjustment Allen screws correctly to insure maximum accuracy.
When this was done my evaluation started. First, the quality of the saw, detents, table and overall build quality was excellent. Another reviewer complained of several flaws on his saw. I found none of these problems with mine. I did have to make small adjustments to the red angle indicator arrows and the miter detent bar. The adjustments took 5 minutes and were easy to do. The laser system is a real winner, and its illumination of the entire cut range of the saw, both vertically and horizontal, is excellent. The laser will be a real time saver as well as improving the accuracy of my cuts, especially with cutting miters and bevels. If you buy the saw, get the laser system. It works off the saw's power system and will work even when the saw isn't triggered. This is a good safety feature. I didn't find any problem with blade or head deflection mentioned by another reviewer. The slide works very smoothly and the large horizontal handle is a nice feature. The miter and bevel adjustments are easy to make and the detents snap into place firmly. The DW718 is noticeably quieter than my older direct drive Makita. The saw brake stops the blade quickly and the blade guard returns rapidly. Both are important safety features that work as they should. The standard carbide blade cut smoothly and was much better than I expected for an OEM blade. I have replaced the blade with a Freud LU91R012 but will use the OEM blade when cutting potentially damaging material. The only negative thing I've found about the saw is the dust collection system. Most miter saws, due to their ability to be set at many angles, do a poor job of collecting saw dust. My older Makita was one of the better ones, but the new DW718 does a very poor job of collecting saw dust. Other than that drawback, the saw is a definite improvement and will nicely fit into my shop. I can highly recommend the DW718 to anyone requiring a high quality large capacity compound sliding miter saw. |
Excellent Saw
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| Review Date: October 31, 2005 |
| Reviewer: A. Irwin, Vancouver BC Canada |
The new DeWalt DW718 is a very good saw.
For two months I have been looking at miter saws - and in the end it came down to the new Hitachi 12" or this one.
Who am I - for 20 years I have been building and finishing custom houses.
Why did I buy this one?
1. Because it cuts 16" - and sometimes I really need to do this - when I cut shelves for a closet, when I cut stair treads, 2x16 Lvl, 14" TrussJoists ...
2. Because it cuts a 2x12 at 45 degrees - sometimes I cut rafter tops and tails or facia...
3. It's lighter and less bulky than the Hitachi - I have to carry it to and from my truck.
4. I have used it for a month and I find it accurate ( with reference to deflection - I can make every sliding compound miter saw deflect by pushing it sideways - sometimes I do this when I am going down a line and the saw blade is not quite on it. )This one is no different than any other.
Why would I have bought the Hitachi if it had features one, two and three.
1. Because I really like the digital readouts - to read the Deltas' tilt I have to pull out my glasses.
2. I have owned a Hitachi for 15 years and I love my saw - I trust their workmanship.
PS - The Dewalt has the lousiest dust collection I have ever seen - I don't see how it could possibly work (in a shop this might matter )... |
Best one out there!
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| Review Date: May 18, 2007 |
| Reviewer: D.L., Ojai, CA USA |
I finally decided to take the plunge and invest in a GOOD QUALITY compound miter saw and retire my large and heavy radial arm saw.
I did a lot of research, looked at the competing models and checked on-line reviews including those here at Amazon. I decided the DW718 was the right saw for me, that is until I saw Jay_C's harsh review on this site (as I was getting ready to order the saw). Because of a few negative reviews on Amazon I decided to wait and do more research. I invested the time to again visit the tool stores and look at all the comparable models. The Dewalt just outshined all the competitors saws feature for feature. Finally I decided it was either the Dewalt or the Bosch. Then while visiting Lowes I noticed they had the DW718 on sale ($100 off retail) with a free Dewalt finish nail gun in the box - so I took the plunge.
Due to the few negative reviews here, I did some pretty extensive testing of the saw prior to using it in production. I must say it came out of the box dead-on. Perfect miters, perfectly square and the factory blade made excellent cuts in hard maple, oak, pine and composites.
I've now used it on several projects and it has performed flawlessly. Tall base board, crown-molding and 16" shelving where all no problem. Anyone that knows me knows that I am an extreme perfectionist. I setup my saws with a dial indicator calibrated in thousands of an inch. I expect miters to be dead-on with no gaps and I can honestly say the DeWalt DW718 delivers.
Do yourself a favor, take the negative reviews listed here with a grain of salt (you just never know who is writing these things and what their motives are). Amazon has an excellent return policy - try the unit yourself before deciding it is junk... I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I am very happy with the saw, it is a pleasure to use.
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Good, Solid Saw
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| Review Date: April 14, 2007 |
| Reviewer: J. P. Urban, Omaha, NE |
I got a great deal on a DW718 last week at the big orange box store. I bought the saw even after reading the negative reviews on this website and I'm glad I did. I mounted this saw on the Ridgid MSUV stand and bought the laser and crown stops for it.
It took me about an hour or so to set up the saw, install the laser an tweak the settings for both. The adjustments are easy and dead on now. The laser is decent and will be great for quickly building decks, pergolas, and the like. You'll still want to eyeball fine cuts for furniture and the like.
The blade isn't the highest quality, but I've cut crown molding with it and had good success. Tear-out was almost nil with a slow enough cutting stroke. Someone complained that the saw cuts on the upstroke for crown near the fence. Well, that's true, but it is true for all miter saws. If they didn't, then they wouldn't have squat for horizontal cutting capacity. Think about it.
I've read some concerns about the play in the slider leading to cutting errors and I just don't see it. First, the 718 switched to horizontal rails vs. vertical rails on the DW708, which should really dampen side-to-side movement (the biggest cause for deflection error). There is a set screw on the right slide that can be adjusted to take all play out of the mechanism while still allowing easy sliding. I will admit that the slider is tight straight out of the box, but it slides smoothly after a short break-in process.
I read these mixed bag reviews and bought the saw anyway. I'm glad I did. You will be too if you take the time to set the saw up properly (which is easy) and put it on a good stand.
If you are considering other 12 inch sliders, the Bosch is a great choice too. I've used a friend's Bosch and it is a wonderful tool. I'd have probably bought the Bosch if prices were the same, but I got the DW718 for about $200 less (got an insane deal at HD). |
The Best of the Best
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| Review Date: October 16, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Butch, Memphis, TN |
I too have just recently purchased the new DW718 double-bevel sliding compound power miter saw. I must say it is totally out standing with it's real quality, workmanship,and innovations however most of all Accuracy. It would be nice if everything was made in America, but it's not. My opinion of this saw are based on the product it self and it's preformance.
The saw that I purchased had no noticeable finish flaws, are measurable head flex. The newly redesigned and located cam-lock work better then the old ones. The newly placed bevel lock handle, no problem for me, I'm 62 years old and I don't mind innovations and improvements that makes things better I can still adjust to change. So far I've had no jams are stick with any of the adjustments.
Now for the down side I did have to re-adjust the flexible red plastic" single arrow on the miter-scale, it was off. It does look cheap. However, it didn't get off, are get bent are broken when I bumped it with a piece of base stock.
I must be lucky, it all works very well for me above my expectations. There's no better then the best of the best DW718.
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If you have a problem, don't blame this tool
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| Review Date: March 22, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Peter Hughes, |
This saw is excellent, everything anyone could want in a miter saw, including a 14" out-of-the-box capacity. But if you want it to produce good results, set it up right.
First of all, if you want to make cuts for fine woodworking, don't put it on a portable contractor's stand! I got the DeWalt and it's going back to the store. Mount the saw on a STURDY work table.
Second, get a real woodworker's blade. I found a top-of-the-line German 90-tooth blade, distributed by Amana, brand new for about $60 at a local sharpening shop.
Third, don't assume everything is aligned properly right out of the box. I was going crazy trying to make a good sliding cut through 1"x12" cherry...until I checked the blade parallel at 0 degrees. It was off quite a bit! The adjustment is so simple all it took was about a minute with 1/2" wrench (supplied) and a square. (Both 45 stops were dead-on, as was the miter table.)
Fourth, there's a technique to making a sliding cut with this saw. I pull the slide all the way out, start the saw, letting the start-up torque die out while the blade gets up to speed, plunge slowly, push in slowly until the stop, then quickly lift the blade out of the wood, release the trigger, and let the spring lift the blade assembly up. Then LET THE BLADE COME TO A STOP before doing anything else.
For the sake of clarity, I have removed the blade guard, but this is not suggested.
BTW, there is no trigger lock to prevent accidental starting should you goof and grab the saw in the wrong place. However, there is a hole for a padlock to lock the saw...so I just drop a large nail into the hole when I'm setting or adjusting the tool, and that way the trigger cannot be depressed.
Problems? My biggest gripe is that there's just no place to clamp the work to the table. The material clamp supplied does not provide enough holding power, and you can't even use it when making a 45 degree bevel! For wider boards, I can get a "C" clamp to grip the saw near the end of the sliding arm, but this is mickeymouse. And narrower boards...forget it. I think I'm going to have to build a pair of custom support tables.
Needless to say, the dust collection is non-existent, but since everything is so exposed on this type of saw, what could they do?
I also must point out that the smoothness of the cuts, even with a top-quality blade, do not come close to those made with a similar-quality blade on a table saw. Plus, there's usually a tiny bit of tearout. HOWEVER, just try and do some of the compound bevels on a table saw that this saw does, and you'll understand why you need one. The errors - blade parallel, blade perpendicular, miter gauge true - add up quickly on a table saw, especially since you have to rotate the work 180 degrees to do the second bevel. And how can you tell where it's going to cut, when you're cutting the outside dimension, and your pencil line for the inside dimension is facing the table?! Plus, try setting an accurate 7 degree bevel, 44 degree miter (for a box with sides sloped at 10 degrees) on a table saw! Then switch back to a square cut, then back again, etc. Then change blades and do a rip. Then set your 7 degree bevel, 44 degree miter again. You'll be there for a day and nothing will come out right. With a double-bevel miter saw, just flip the head, line up the blade against the second pencil line, and go. It's done before the blade on the table saw can be cranked to the 45 degree stop!
If I had the space and the money for a really good radial arm saw, I probably would have gotten that. But I couldn't exactly throw a radial arm saw into my truck and take it to a job site.
I paid $566 for the saw and got a free pneumatic finish nailer. (The table and the laser are going back.) Plus I spent $60 on a good blade. So for $620 (plus 8% tribute money to the Beast) I have a great tool that will enable me to do all sorts of tricky stuff without the hassle I used to encounter trying to do it on a table saw. Plus it seems to be built like the proverbial tank. Plus it takes up less space than a router table. |
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