For Christmas, several years ago, my wife gave me a DeWalt 12” compound miter saw. It was a wonderful surprise. This was the third major power tool that I added to my home shop. The first is still ‘wintering’ over and the second was air compressor and 18 gauge brad finish nailer. More about these tools in a future post.
Right out of the box this tool is ready to go. Well, just about, you need to install the blade and store the wrench. The wrench is stored on the left hand side of the base on the back side. The wrench is kept in place by a unique spring locking mechanism.
Changing the blade is fairly straight forward with a little caveat you need to partially remove the blade guard. It takes about two minutes to change out the blade. Tools required changing the blade wrench tool and a long handled, big, slotted screw driver. Pull the retractable blade guard all the way back. On the left hand side a slotted screw will be exposed. Loosen the screw just enough allow the blade guard to slide up. Now the blade nut is exposed. Use the supplied wrench to remove the hex head blade screw.
The saw is nicely balanced and fairly easy to carry. It is a little bulky. The cutter head can be locked when it is all the way down. On the hinge there is a little lock on the left hand side. Push the cutter head all the way down and push the button in, and let go of the cutter head. On the top of the cutter head is large D handle that makes carrying the saw quite easy.
This miter saw is a solidly built machine that wants to chew wood and lots of it! The trigger is on the inside of the large D handle that you use to lower the cutter head. The trigger is easy to engage. The blade reaches the full RPM within 1 second. When the trigger is released a powerful electric brake stops the blade within 2 seconds! This is very important safety feature. I would never consider purchasing a miter saw that did not have this feature!
The saw feels solid and does not shift or move when cutting stock.
The motor noticeable torque when it starts. When you start the saw the torque from the motor and blade will lift the cutter head up a bit. When cutting I bring the blade down close to the material and then start the saw. You can also start the saw with the blade all of the way up and then lower it down to cut.
The saw comes with a forty teeth blade. The blade is good for rough cuts such as framing. I strongly recommend that you purchase an eighty teeth finishing blade for your trim cuts. The eighty tooth blade makes very clean smooth cuts.
Tip: To reduce tear out from the blade put masking tape around the cut point.
The saw will cut up to 6” wide stock. Anything wider will require two cuts and flipping the stock. Another option would be to step up to the compound sliding miter saw. However, it is significantly more expensive.
The saw’s bevel gauge is constructed out of stainless steel and has stops for the common degrees. The stops are indents where the slider locks into place. On the degree adjusting handle is a large knob that allows you to lock in the degree. A nice thing about this design is that it allows you to dial in a 1/2 degree off of one of the preset indentations.
Overall this saw has exceeded my expectations. Over six years and 1,000 of cuts on both blades it has worked flawlessly. If you are in the market for a miter saw I highly recommend considering this model.
