Customer Reviews

DEWALT DW716 15 Amp 12-Inch Double-Bevel Compound Miter Saw

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was ready to upgrade from my Delta 10" miter to a 12", but was waiting for Dewalt to come out with a laser system. I bought this DW716 about 2 weeks ago and so far I love it. I opted NOT to get the sliding miter, since they are not as accurate as the non-sliding, especially for making furniture. This saw is very powerful and smooth, and the laser works well, though it took a while to get it set up (the instructions are marginal at best, leaving you to twiddle with it for an hour or more to try to get it to line up in every direction).

One thing I HIGHLY recommend is a RIDGID MS-UV miter stand. I found one at Home Depot and it is the best miter saw stand on the market, and very reasonably priced. It folds and unfolds easily, and the wheels make mobility great. It is MUCH better than the Dewalt or the Delta miter saw stands. Why Dewalt doesn't have a folding one with wheels is beyond me, and the Delta one is just too small for a 12" miter. The combination of a stand and a 12" miter needs wheels, as it is very heavy. You can leave the Dewalt 12" miter mounted to the RIDGID, and even set it vertically in the corner out of the way when you don't need it. Anyway, Amazon doesn't sell the Ridgid MS-UV yet, but Home Depot does.

OK so lets make something clear really quick before I talk about the saw. A lot of carpenters ask me what I think the best saw is. Depends on what you do for a living and how you do it. No tool manufacture makes every tool they have in thier line perfect. For example the Dewalt 12" slider is very inaccurate, but this saw is not. The Bosch jigsaws are amazing tools but Bosch's 10" slider is always a pain to stay square and just doesnt hold up for finsih trim work. With that said here is my review on the DW716. I need two saws for being a finish carpenter. A 12" non sliding miter saw for cutting big material and big crown and base in position. All resonably portable 12" sliding saws have blade deflection due to the rail and 12" blade, but i need the capability os a 12" blade. I also have a Hitachi 10" slider that I love if I am doing a huge 8-10" crown, paneling, or lid work or small cuts with base cap or even large casing. I've beat the crap out of the DW716, cut miles of base, crown, deck work etc, in and out of the back of my truck, rained on, etc.. and it does a great job. I recommend for this product to get a thick kerf saw blade with 60+ teeth because of the saw capacity you will use it to cut tall material vertically, and you don't want a thin kerf to wander and deflect when you go down to make a cut. The stock blade is good for cutting things you dont want to cut with your expensive blades like demo material, pretreated wet lumber etc. A CMT or Forrest ChopMaster are great blades to use. The Freud Industrial blades are good as well but dont use the diablos, they dont last and are not in the same catagory as the industrial series. Another thing to mention is how convenient the miter over ride feature is for changing a 45 to a 45.5 etc.. This saw stays accurate and is very accurate. This saw is not the same as the cheaper 715 because the 715 has the motor on the right that gets in the way of big cuts and the 716 motor is placed higher up and has the bigger fence and dual bevels for changing weird base cuts etc. It is very accurate, cuts great and does a great Job for most tasks. It only cross cuts 8" however I flip the material over all the time and it always turns out a perfect 90.. I recommend also to build an auxiliary fence out of hardwood to not rely on the fence. They move a little with pressure because they are so tall but it's not worth discarding the thought to purchase this saw. Dust collection is suprizingly good and the bags fills up quickly. I could care less about dust collection because to me its no reason not to buy a saw. I think dust collection is over rated because u still have to sweep at the end of the day anyway so does it realy matter it all goes on the trash eventually. accuracy is whats important. The saw is very powerful and you can tell when you squeeze the trigger it jumps. No big deal if you're a carpenter, but an inexperienced do-it yourselfer might be intimidated by the power. I'm a finish carpenter and highly recommend in the Dewalt miter saw line as follows-the 708, the older 12" slider not the newer DW718, and this 716. The rest of them have been very disappointing on the job site. Hope this review helps a professional.

I purchased this as a replacement when my original De Walt single bevel 12" mitre saw bit the dust in November, right in the middle of a large deck job. I probably could have repaired the old one but it owed no service, having been with me for over 10 years in remodeling. A carpenter friend on my job last spring purchased the De Walt sliding compound 12" and I had a lot of chances to test drive its capabilities. It was an impressive saw, but it seemed like we really didn't use the sliding feature that much, with the exception of the oak stair treads...it was a great help on that task.

Under the gun to have a mitre saw, I quickly but intensely researched the sliders on the market and read every review I could find (including those at Amazon, thank you very much, fellow woodworkers). What worried me the most about them is, across the board, there seemed to be issues about accuracy due to play in the slider mechanism. Since I do custom work of all types, from framing to quality trim, stairs and built-in cabinets, accuracy in a saw is top on my list. My old De Walt was as accurate at the end of its life as it was when I bought it, with few adjustments needed in between. I looked at most of the popular sliders at the Home Depot and could definitely see how play could be an issue. Add to this their bulkiness and extra weight and you have some serious minuses on the old scoreboard.

So, I decided to stick with the strongarms of the staionary mitre saws, and purchased the double-bevel this time. So far, I have been very pleased. We were building an IPE', or ironwood deck ...one of the heaviest, hardest woods you will come across. With the included 60 tooth blade, the De Walt chewed through the IPE' like it was Spruce. I really think the belt drive on this model is an improvement. I was careful to let the saw get up to RPM (about a second) before starting the cuts, but then it was smooth sailing on even the nitpickiest angle. There is no room for error with IPE'... either it fits or it doesn't. We used the double-bevel feature a lot. It saved time when we had different, slightly off-square cuts to make on both ends of a board...didn't have to turn it end-for-end. When we were finished the deck looked like a piece of furniture, much to the delight of my happy clients.

If I had a con, it would be that the dust collector bag is small and stingy....I am using the one from my old saw. I have bought a better blade for when I do delicate stain-grade finish work, but I have not put it on yet. The 60 tooth works fine for most purposes.

I will try to give an update in 6 months or so. Right now, I'm a happy customer.

UPDATE: May '09 -- OK, so I forgot to do the update. Better late than never. This mitre saw is still going strong, and I use it frequently, though not every day on some jobs. Table still rotates smoothly, and cuts are still accurate and dependable. Still recommend it highly.

I love the saw. I put a Chopmaster on it and it cuts real nice. I went for the 716 instead of the 715 since I wanted the motor away from the handle. The 716 also has the dual bevel which is an added bonus but I don't think I'll need it alot.

Get the zero clearance kerf plate ASIN B0009E6JG6 to reduce tear out. (Note to Amazon - I could not find that part using your search engine. I had to find the DeWalt part number at the DW site and use that to find it on Amazon.)


Setup took a bit extra because:

1) The throat plate (yellow insert in the table the blade passes thru) was installed poorly. The screws are on the outside edge and tightened down so much they forced the inside edges up. The wood rested on the up-edge and thus it would not have cut 90 degrees to the table. This was found using an engineer's square. The fix was simple - loosen the screws just a bit.

2) The miter and bevel scales needed very minor adjustment.

The 716 is still the trusty model 706 saw with 1 change and 1 new feature.

Gone is the twist knob to set the angle,
in its place is a push lock, like a table saw fence, which is quick and easy to use
( make sure you adjust it if its to stiff).

The new preset miter stop release lever is a very nice feature,
allowing you to over or under cut angles without the saw snapping itself into the preset lock

Excellent saw, powerful and accurate.

Growing up, I was spoiled by my dad's DeWalt radial arm saw that was built like a tank. There are few tools that can compare to a good radial arm saw in versatility and accuracy; however, it sorely lacks in portability. After using the DW716 for awhile, I've finally found a tool I like more than the tank of a radial arm saw. While the sliding compound miter saws rival the cutting capacity of a radial arm saw, the sliders tend to be less accurate. Furthermore, the sliders take up a huge amount of area on a workbench because of the added depth of the rails. While the cutting capacity is nice, I find that I don't need to cut 14" boards very often (a circular saw can suffice for cutting 2x12s since that's generally a roughing project anyway).
The DW716 has several features that are extremely useful. The miter detent override is particularly useful for those not-quite-45-degree miters by preventing the saw from slipping into the normal detents. The tall fence is great for large crown molding, and the double bevel feature comes in handy then too. The way the saw is set up allows for very tall vertical cuts, which is much easier on the saw. The belt driven operation makes a much different noise than traditional direct drive saws, but the motor is then out of the way for bevels to the right and vertical cuts.
There are several complaints people have about the saw. Firstly, it's expensive, but like that radial arm saw, it's built to last, and it works much better than cheaper saws. Secondly, people are disappointed that for the price there is no attached laser or work light. The work light might be nice, but a normal worksite light works better. Lasers are a joke for serious carpenters. The best way to get an accurate cut is by inching the running blade up to the line with a false cut or two on the scrap side; then you know exactly where the cut will be. Lasers have to be calibrated perfectly (and recalibrated too) to be accurate, and you're also left with the problem of the laser being sighted to one side of the blade or the other. The laser can't be in the center of the blade because it won't adjust for the width of the kerf (always remember not to get a thin kerf blade since they wander and won't make as accurate of cuts), and if the laser is to the left or the right, you can only be accurate when your line is on that side of the board. And all of those little gimmicks just give more opportunities for things to break.
Dust collection on this saw is bad, just like every other miter saw. The fulcrum for the arm is up high so as to allow for taller vertical cuts, resulting in the dust bag being too high for reasonable dust collection. I hook my shop vac up to solve the problem, but dust still flies. And yet I don't loose sleep over this.
You're not going to regret buying this saw.

I have used up several delta 12" compound saws. They were good, but I cut a lot of large aluminum and steel solids on them, and it is very hard on them.
I decided to try this Dewalt because it was belt drive, and I thought that would smooth it out on fierce cuts. That proved to be the case, it has been a very good and very smooth saw. So far, no problems, have had it about a year and half. It also has very good power. Adjustments are easy, table section is reasonably stout.
All in all, I am pleased

I am a self employed trim carpenter that is very particular about tools, This saw is the heart of my operation and it does a lot. It is extremely accurate, and was set up perfectly from the minute I opened the box.

I added the laser and that is a real time saver.

Again mine is extremely accurate, I like the crown stops/ settings- they work REALLY well and flip right out the way when you need them to. I will never bed another piece of crown to cut it like on my old dewalt without those stops. This is much better/ Safer

I do not like the blade that came on the saw. I bought the 80 tooth dewalt trim blade and got much better results.

I do think the saw could have a bit more torque as bevel cuts in wide stock will labor it even with a pretty sharp blade. This is the only weakness I see. It runs much better/stronger on a 20 amp circuit which is available %50 of the time. Many newer homes only have 15 amp circuits. Sometime we can get the electrician to make us a temporary 20 amp outlet on a new home and many generators have 20's I run high TPI blades and the more teeth the more it pulls the motor and it cuts slower but the smoother the cut. Choose the right blade for good results.
Cord length is important too I don't think it should be on any longer than 50 feet or any less than 12 gauge wire for an extension cord for good power and motor life. The shorter the cord the better.

First job I did with this saw I made over ten times what it cost so I think it already paid for itself.

I have since used it to trim more homes out and last job was to build a really fancy open stairway with over the post railings and the saw handled everything ok- fence was big enough to support volutes and pitch block just fine. You just have to cut treads twice- but it was not bad at all to do (just spin them end for end- saw stays the same) and I would not buy the heavy sliding model just to save a small amount of time.

This saw works great on the Dewalt miter saw stand.

The brake stops the blade pretty fast.

I do the kind of advanced carpentry work that requires experience, patience, and a good set of tools. I take my time and get things the way they should be. I charge a good but fair price for my work and I expect a tool to perform at a level that allows me do quality work I can feel good about asking someone to pay me for. This tool delivers for me.

I have since bought a 10" dewalt single bevel for regular trim, this is my Crown and large trim saw now.

Good for a pro or someone who just wants a good precise cut and a saw that will last.

I've been wanting to downsize from my 12" slider, and I was willing to accept nothing but the best. I viewed the best offerings from Delta, DeWalt, Bosch, Hitachi, and ridgid.

My two biggest criteria were accuracy and cut capacity. I was also looking at belt-drive as a preference.

I had a few favorites in mind, but a friend had already purchased this DeWalt. After trying it in his shop, I was sold.

I read through the manual to find all of the set-up adjustments, and went to work tuning it up. I finally put my squares away without turning a bolt.

This is a fine-tuned cutting machine. It is easily capable of picture framing, fine furniture, or custom trim.

11/25/07.
I have been using this saw for a few months now. I have since replaced the throat plate with a home made hardwood plate. No more bowing.
The blade upgrade is a must for precision woodworking. If you are buying the saw for carpentry, the stock blade works well. I have used it for cutting 2x4's this summer and it performed quite well. Remember, miter saws are built for carpenters not woodworkers.
The cuts have been effortless and perfect. I needed to make some blade adjustments out of the box as expected. The blade was rather easy to square up. Then I used it for a while. I always start with a longer piece of wood than I really need and make a test cut. I then check it with a quality square. All of a sudden I found my blade was not cutting straight. I squared the blade again and it's been fine since. I will attribute this to break in of the saw. But no saw blade on any machine will maintain it's squareness indefinitely. Maintenance is all part of the fun.
The factory dust bag collects about 50% of the dust. That's about standard for any power tool. I purchased a reducer for my dust collector hose, a 2 hp Grizzly. Now the factory dust port is pulling away 95% of the dust. The JDS ceiling mounted dust collector gets the really fine stuff. Now there is just a small amount that gathers on the floor. The shop vac takes care of that.
I am extremely happy with this saw and would purchase again. Anyone want to buy my old craftsman?

Out of the box this saw was nearly perfect. But as stated by others, the throat plate stinks. It's a cheap piece of plastic. It bows in the center and will throw off your cut. I removed it and the bow remained. I tossed it. I'll buy the zero clearance metal plate or maybe make a couple from hardwood.
The blade cuts well but leaves a rough edge. It would be a good blade for cutting dimentional lumber but not for furniture grade hardwoods.
So it's off to Lowe's for a 12 inch 96 tooth Irwin. $69. It now cuts through oak like butter.
My first cut was off by a degree or two. I pulled out the manual and set the blade 90 degrees to the fence and set the bevels. Next cut was perfect! My older craftsman never ran so smooth or strong. And no matter how many times I tried, I just could not get the blade 90 degfrees to the fence. Every time I had it dead on, it would move when tightening up the screws. I really dislike craftsmen power tools. The new thing with craftsmen is adding on cheap accessories that either don't work or have no meaningfull purpose. Maybe they should concentrate on putting back the quality.
The belt drive for the blade removes so much vibration, the saw is a real pleasure to use. I mounted the dewalt on my Grizzly saw stand and it is the perfect working height.
BTW, what's with Amazon stating a retail price so high it's rediculous so they can give you a much lower Amazon price? Who are they kidding anyway?