Customer Reviews

DEWALT DW744S 15 Amp 10-Inch Benchtop Table Saw with Folding Stand

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

If you're buying a table saw for the first time, consider carefully whether you intend to use the saw for woodworking or for construction.

As a construction saw, this is a terrific saw.

This is a powerful and accurate machines that'll make you very productive. I particularly love the rack-and-pinion fence on the 744. It's a cinch to use -- just slide the fence, fine tune the position with the dial, and then snap the locking lever. The fence is perfectly parallel every time.

The telescoping fence has a clever supporting arm that allows you to rip up to 24.5" to the right of the blade. You can also move the fence to get 15.5" of ripping capacity to the left of the blade. (I think everyone pretty much agrees that it's a great fence.)

Although I'm pretty happy with my purchase, I have to agree with other reviewers about the shortcomings of this saw.

1. The table top is a bit small. In particular, there's not enough room between the fron!t of the table to the blade. This makes it hard to work with larger pieces.

2. The mitre gauge is so-so. As others have mentioned, the angle-stop tab sometimes gets pinched as you're sliding the mitre back. Also, I wish they made a mounting hole/slot on the mitre so that I can easily attach a jig.

3. The blade guard is a hassle to remove and to reinstall. It takes too much time and effort to remove the guard whenever I want to dado or use my cross-cutting jig (sled). This is the one place where I wish DeWalt could have borrowed from Sears Craftsman saws.

4. The universal motor is noisy and has a big start-up kick. There's also a bit of vibration even after the motor has spun up. (Granted, this is pretty much true with all portable saws, except that the Bosch has the soft-start motor controller.)

5. The included saw blade is fairly generic -- you'll want to replace it with a blade for your particular needs.

I think shortcomings #1, 3, and 4 a!re design tradeoffs that are inherent in portable saws (aimed primarily for construction use). #2 is somewhat disappointing in contrast to the quality of the telescoping fence.

If you're a serious woodworker, you'll probably be much happier with a woodworker's saw (like the DeWalt DW746) which vibrates less, runs quieter, and has more table space. (On the other hand, a woodworker's saw is bigger and costs more.)

Still, I think the DW744 saw is a great saw, and it's good enough to be a 'crossover' saw for basic woodworking. Even though there's a bit of vibration (compared to a woodworker saw), it's not excessive, and the oft-praised fence makes accurate work of small cuts.

I enhanced my saw with DeWalt's side and outfeed supports (DW7441) and put it on a Trojan portable saw stand (SC-744) which allows me to easily move the saw.

Good - This saw has as accurate a fence as they make. The rack and pinion mechanism starts and stays dead on. I have made furniture with very fine joinery tolerances. Everything always comes out square a straight. The motor works surprisingly well for 13 amp. Set up was as simple as unpacking the box.

Not so good - The mitre gauge is pretty flimsy and the 90 degree stop tends to catch on the table top when you start it beyond the edge. I replaced the mitre gauge to get rid of the headache. DeWalt, as they always seem to do, included a cheap blade with the saw. Easy enough to fix but why not throw in a nicer blade?

Good value for the money and I would buy it again.

I bought this saw a year ago and am pleased with it's power. The motor has ample torque through full sheets of plywood and solid hardwood.There is no loss of power with a dado blade and makes smooth cuts. But the accuracy is somewhat in doubt. The rack and pinion rails are accurate unless you push the fence by hand all the way to the right to th maximim rip capacity , one of the racks skip a gear tooth or two throwing the fence out of square. A double check with a tape measure fixes this.I have tried to adjust this without any success. I do however have to show every body how to adjust the fence for the first time. If you are careful this is not to major. The mitre slots and mitre gauge are a bit sloppy making for inaccurate and uneven cuts. I emailed Dewalt support 11 months ago and have had no response. The folding saw stand is sturdy and easy to store. The optional side and outfeed are great attachments that make handling bigger pieces a breeze.Overall you will be stisfied with this saw.

Im a carpenter with 15 years experience - speaking of portable table saws - Ive used the Bosch 4000, a few Delta's, the Ryobi's, the Makita 8 and 10" table saws, over the years.... I gave this product a poor review overall because of its poorly designed rack and pinion system which is easily compromised in the course of ordinary use.

The good:
1. solid table top
2. not too heavy for the average man to lift
3. stand is also not to heavy or bulky to load
4. Easy to eject debris from the chute if you happen to have any

The Weird:
a. no built in cord storage or wraparound. If you need to make a coupla quick cuts and dont need to bother setting up the stand, you will find no way to sit the saw on the floor without it crimping the AC power cord. Ugh !
b. if you need to carry the saw around much you may easily find the miter tool falling straight out of it's 'holder' (eg a slot in the plastic housing of the unit).

The Ugly:
I. The saw's rack and pinion system absolutely is a mess. In the course of ordinary cuts by multiple ordinary carpenters on one job, our saw's fence was consistently needing to be readjusted. Some carpenters figured out the flaw and were able to overcome it - but some were not. The secret lies in the way the rack and pinion gears are layed out - the rack gear moves back and forth, from left to right, as you would expect, but the pinion gear (which you would think would remain stationary) -can move up and down, enough to allow the two gears to become unbinded. UGH! Once this unbinding occurs, the fence *will* be out of parallel to the saw blade. Then you are left hoping to 'rebind' the gears after guessing which teeth need to 'mate'. Oh joy !

We found thru use that even moving the saw from room to room, or from truck to jobsite, was enough to cause the gears to unbind.

Eventually, you discover that the Bosch 4000 is the saw to buy if you've got a $500 budget and need portability.

If it's almost perfect why just three stars? Well the design can't be beat. Especially the fence and the ingenious means for supporting the workpiece beyond the table top. I've also found the adjustment gauge very accurate. With all these positives though the motor must keep cranking and that's what it didn't do. In the year I have owned this saw it has seen some weekend work but nothing like what it would go through on a job site. The motor quit on me while ripping a 2x4. I am returning it and replacing it with the Bosch. A strong motor is more important than the 'Nice To Have' features. Also while reading the reviews on the Bosch I discovered I'm not the only one who experienced this problem.

This is the Cadillac of benchtop table saws. I like pretty much everything about this saw, especially the fence. 24-1/2" rip capacity, and square every time you lock it down. The motor, though only 13 Amp, is surprisingly powerful as well.

I would definitely recommend this saw to anyone in the market for a top-notch benchtop saw. I've had this saw since they first came out, and I have never regretted buying it. But if I were in the market for one today, I'd take a hard look at the new Bosch too.

I've been a carpenter for 13 years and used to own an old cast iron Craftsman table saw. It about gave you a hernia to move it. It also had an 8" blade that was never high enough, and a fence you always had to whack with your hand to square up. We bought the Dewalt DW744 back when it first came out (1994/95?) and we LOVE IT. The fence stays true and square, can be adjusted fairly easily, and the motor seems to take anything you throw at it. (unless you're using an undersized extention cord!)

We haven't had many problems with our Type 1 saw. So when I wanted to buy another table saw for the company, I only saw 2 options: The Dewalt DW744 or the Bosch 4000 (copy...).

Having recently purchased the Dewalt, I was dismayed when I took it out of the box and immediately noticed that Dewalt has cut quite a few corners since they came out with the Type 1. I assume that most of these changes were made to make the saw lighter, but to me, anything is lighter than that old cast iron Craftsman.

First, they made the fence lighter by using thinner metal and plastic parts. I don't like it. Compared to the fence on the older model, it feels cheap. It also takes some effort to push it on and off (as if it needs to be "broke in") and you need to fiddle with it to lock it down, whereas I could slap the fence on the older model with my eyes closed.

Second, the throat plate is also made from lighter cheaper material. I guess this was another corner they figured they could cut.

Third, the rails which the fence clamps to are now made from an aluminum alloy. Formerly they were made from Chromed steel. Sure, they won't rust if you frequently work in the rain, but I'm concerned they the aluminum rails will dent or bend over years of use. Again, a few ounces were trimmed from the weight of the saw.

Another minor change they made was to the table surface. In the original Type 1, the table surface was coated with a smooth "teflon" type material that was smooth as glass and was GREAT to work on. After using this saw for about 8 years, yes some of it has come off- especially in the infeed and outfeed areas. Dewalt is now coating the surface with a similar product which seems "thicker" but it is not as smooth. In fact, it feels like 60 grit sandpaper. I don't like it.

They also moved the location of the fence lock. They moved it way out to the right of the saw where you have to look for it. I liked it much better in the middle where you could keep your hands centered on the saw to make all your adjustments. I have to search for that [darn] lock every time.

The motor has always "jumped" on startup (both models). The blade noticeably wobbles on startup, and this concerns me. It makes me wonder if the motor needs a larger shaft and bigger bearings. If it wobbles on startup, its eventually also going to wobble through some heavy wood when you're trying to achieve a smooth cut. We also had to order a new arbor wrench for our old Dewalt a few years back, because it had rounded on the arbor. Cheap stuff.

No one seems to have mentioned these changes before, so when I opened the box they were news to me. I always assumed that Dewalt made things better as they came out with new models- Type 2, Type 3, etc. Seems to me they have cut corners on this saw. Having said all this, I'm not taking away from the brilliance of the design of this saw. It makes nice cuts, and when it's all cleaned up, everything works smoothly. I especially like the new redesigned stand. It opens and folds easily. I'd like to see them make a similar stand for their miter saws. If they don't make one soon I might have to learn to weld.

So if you are torn between buying the DW744 and the Bosch 4000, all I can say is: Look at both saws in person. Try them out if you can. Thats something I never got the chance to do. Bosch has a few things going for it, and if I would have known all the corners that Dewalt has cut, I might have leaned more in Bosch's direction. But there's no sense crying over spilled milk. I better learn to be happy with my new Dewalt.

Addendum: It has been a year since my purchase of the DW744S, so I thought I would give you an update. We're still using the old type 1 saw that I mentioned in the introduction, and I would still rather use it (now 10 years old) than use the new one I purchased here just over a year ago.

I curse the cheap parts everytime I use this saw. Especially the cheap fence with the plastic parts on each end. That is my biggest gripe. (I would be a happy man if Dewalt would just happen to read this review and send me a new one.)

Additionally, the table surface wore off immediately on the infeed and outfeed areas. Although it seemed thicker initially, it looks worse than the saw I've been using daily for 10 years.

As for the aluminum alloy rails, they have held up thus far, but when you move the fence it is much squeekier than our older model. It needs cleaning and lubrication more frequently, it seems.

As for the stand, it folds nicely, but compared to the older version, it sways more from side to side due to a lack of crossmembers.

In conclusion, after a year, I still wish I had looked more closely at the "other" brand.

I've had this saw for a year now. I have a small shop and didn't want to sacrifice the permanent square footage for a stationary cabinet model. So I was only looking for a portable...but a good portable. I am not a professional in any trade, but am a very seasoned DIY'er, particularly with woodworking. I've made a few pieces of furniture with the saw and I don't regret its purchase at all. Here are my thoughts on this item:

POSITIVES

1) Portability, portability, portability. I usually have it set up on the leg stand in my shop, buy have needed to transport it mutliple times either inside my house or to other sites I worked at.

2) The 15 amp motor is impressively beefy, considering it is a portable, and cuts quite nicely through any wood I've tried so far (including oak and birch).

3) The folding legs are easy to set up and EXTREMELY sturdy when the saw is on and properly bolted on (bolts are not included though...)

4) The fence is great. Easily adjusts and stays true and parallel (a minor flaw though...see below).

NEGATIVES

1) When saw dust gets built up on the pinion gears for the fence adjusting mechanism, the gear(s) sometimes slip over one tooth and the fence gets out of parallel. However, you'll easily know when it happens (if you don't notice it by eye, you'll quickly notice the wood binding up in the blade!) However, it is a quick and easy fix by hand to put it back parallel...and impetus to keep your tools clean.

2) The blade guard is relatively cheaply built and a nuisance. Although it is a cardinal sin, I never use the guard.

3) The open ended arbor wrench stripped open a little bit after a few months of moderate use. I switched a lot between a ripping, cross cutting and dado blades when making two pieces of furniture. The mouth on the open ended wrench seemed to have stretched out a little and would slip off the arbor when I was trying to tighten/loosen the arbor nut. After banging up my knuckles a few times, I ordered a new wrench from the DeWalt service center near me (only costs about $2). Unfortunately, a normal open-ended wrench is too wide to fit in...you need to use the thin DeWalt wrench.

4) The combo blade that comes with it is relatively cheap. It cuts fine through most woods, but leaves blade marks. Also, there is more splintering/tearing than I would like when cutting through plywood. I highly recommend splurging on a Forrest Woodworker II blade and dampener. Flawless cuts on this was with the Forrest blade.

Overall, I absolutely love this tool. The price seems high (and sort of is considering it is portable), but the DeWalt quality is worth it compared to the much cheaper Ryobi and Makita models. The negatives I have listed are fairly minor; mere nuisances with easy fixes. Be sure to check the fine tuning of the fence width ruler and parallelness of the fence. I had to tweak them a little before I first used the saw to get everything just right. If you need portability and want to save space but don't want to sacrifice a lot of the benefits of a cabinet saw, this tool is a must!

If you want fine results from a "portable" table saw, look no futher. As a self employed custom woodworker for over 23 years, I have used just about every portable saw out there. I bought this saw over a year ago at a tool show where I had the oppertunity to test saws from several companies like Bosch, Makita, Delta, and others. In my opinion, this one beat them all HANDS DOWN!

The stand is remarkably stable. (My test was to rip a 12 foot pressure treated 2x8 with no outfeed support) This was the ONLY saw there that did not "tip" at ALL. It's lightwieght, the base allows stable set up on 2x's over horses, it has enough power to cut anything (and I use a Freud Diablo 80 T that's rated for a much stronger saw) and get fast, mirror finish cuts in all materials (soft and hard) every time. The dust collection is great. You have a choice between a standard shop vac hookup OR, just pull 2 pins and remove the collector cover and set a garbage can under it. Both work very well. In fact, even if you don't use a vac, just set your garbage can about 2 feet behind it and the vac chute will get "most" of it in there. This baby was built to be portable. With nicely out-of-the-way storage for Blades, Wrenches, and Cross Cut Slde, I have everything I need at all times. But the absolute BEST feature to me is that "Rack & Pinion fence". DEADLY ACCURATE! So fast and simple that, if I could not get another one, I would not sell this saw for Three Times what I paid. I did have to set this saw up when I got it. To sqaure, paralell the fence and make sure all the indicators were right on, took me about 15 minutes (Very Accesable, Simple Adjustments). In over a year of heavy use, I have NEVER had reset anything (except the rip gauge for different blade thickness of course, also quick & easy).

I have only one "very small" complaint that would not prevent me buying it again. The rip width measuring tape is a stick on strip that started coming off at one end, (kind of cheap in my view) but a little clear silicone and an overnight drying and it's better than new.

DON'T LOOK ANY FURTHER...If you want the BEST on site results from a 10" saw...This puppy's it!!

Chris Albrecht

It is rather expensive considering it is a portable model. However, I can do anything with this saw that I can do on a full size saw plus one. I can do it anywhere I want. Because it is portable though, you might have to be a little more careful with some cuts.

You have to talk about the fence first, it is without equal for a factory fence. Yeah, you can pull it off the gears if you try but you were doing it wrong if it gets out of alignment. It's not that tough to get it straight again, and when it's straight it stays that way until you do something wrong again.

It has plenty of power to do what ever you want. The start up is a little discomforting because it jumps when it gets to full speed in a very short amount of time.

Some people have complained about the blade guard, I know its a no-no but I never put it on once. For woodworking they all get in the way no matter how well they are designed.

It is an extremely well built saw. Even with the cheap rough blade included with it you make really impressive cuts, upgrade to a high quality blade and it will outperform a lot of the large saws from most companys.

You just have to remember that you are buying a portable saw, and you have to be creative on how you approach some types of cuts, but it will do anything you ask of it.