Customer Reviews

DEWALT DW7461 Table Saw Sliding Table

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought the saw and the sliding table at the same time, and it took a long day to get it all working. I've had the saw for about 6 months and have had some issues with the sliding table. I've spoken to DeWalt a number of times and so far don't have a solution to the problems I've experienced. 1) vertical alignment of the sliding table the sliding table is supposed to be aligned "just above" the table saw. In my case, I've never successfully gotten it below about an 1/8th of an inch, which is way too high. This causes boards to be slightly tilted potentially as they "dip" into the saw blade. 2) occasionally, the table moves even though the lock is fully engaged. Happens frequently when ripping large panels (say 3/4 4x8 oak plywood) This may or may not be related to 1) above.

The people at DeWalt are always friendly, but they haven't yet come up with a solution. I've worked and worked to try to adjust the table, and it goes out of adjustment despite my best efforts when doing the final tightening of the bolts on the slide table.

Ed

I purchased the sliding table along with the saw to faciliate panel cross-cuts for my small cabinet shop. I have used other larger sliding table accessories with cabinet saws and like the accuracy, safety, and repeatability.

Setup was certainly acheivable, but the instructions were very poorly written. Be sure to read the setup instructions for both the saw and the sliding table and then follow the sliding table instructions if assembling both at once. There are glaringly obvious errors in the instructions.

One of the more disturbing aspects of assembly is that I had to slightly bend the rear fence guide rail in order to attach it to the accessory. Its like the parts don't quite fit together right. Took about 3 hours to assemble.

Levelling the sliding table to the saw table is extremely easy with the set screws and the action is for the most part smooth and controlled.

However, I am returning mine because of its biggest problem. The mitre guage is a toy. It is certainly easy to set various angles and such, but when cross cutting large panels, it doesn't hold its set. Calibrating it to square is easy enough even though the instruction's illustrations describe a process that has nothing to do with how it really works. But there is at least 1 degree of play in the mitre guage fence even when everything is tightened down. The fence and integral stop is a nice try, but the outer limits of the stop allow for only a 20-24" cut width max. Not good for me to crosscut 32" base cabinet panels.

I think that certain Dewalt tools are excellent. My 2HP plunge router is great. But they make a lot of duds as well. I wish that the reviews of Dewalt tools on this site were a little more objective.

If you're thinking about buying it, go to a local retailer and check that mitre guage first.

One of the benefits of the DeWalt Contractor's table saw is the range of accessories that are available. Since one of the design features was a compact footprint, it makes little sense to buy a sliding table that extends beyond the table itself. This sliding table is quite ingenious in that it works within the overall dimensions of the saw, maintaining the small footprint for small shops.

Unpacking the table is easy - it slides right out of the carton along with all related pieces (weighs about 100 pounds). The assembly operation (which can be done if ou add it to a new saw, or retrofit - as I did - a saw already in your shop) took me about 3 hours. The only tools I used were a screwdriver, a wrench, and a ratchet (this is a definite help to the wrists).

The table is bolted the saw on the left side in place of the stock wing that comes with the saw. Additional supports are placed on the front and rear rails to accomodate the very clever hanging mechanism for the table. Once in brackets are in place, the table itself simply sits on top of the brackets, firmly in place.

Because of the weight, DeWalt thoughtfully includes two braces for the left side of the saw, that help keep the frame firm. These attach to the legs and rest on the floor - as another indicator of the thoughtfullnes of design, they will work whether you have the mobile base or not.

In operation, the table is very smooth, with complete ease of use throughout its range of travel, which is considerable. I've cut 20 inch panels with ease (it has a nice quick-release clamp) and the stop that is integral to the saw makes quick work of repeat cuts. When not in use, the table locks in place with one quick turn of a knob. It is quite simple to adjust the miter attachment so that it's square to the blade, and cuts are all straight and true.

Safety is important to me in woodworking, and a table saw can be quite an intimidating device. Having the sliding table substantially increases the safety of using the saw, in my opinion, because your hands are well away from the blade pushing the table, rather than trying to hold a piece to a short mitre gauge.

If you have the DeWalt saw, I would strongly encourage you to buy this table. If you are in the market for a contractor's saw, then I'd say give the DeWalt a try and get this table too - you'll never be sorry.

I've found the table to be a great addition to the saw; the mitre gauge less impressive. The table is fairly easy to set up--although the instructions could be improved, if you have a helper for the lifting step the parts are all well-engineered and fit together well. It took me about 5 minutes to level it perfectly--you should set the horizontal distance from the main table before adjusting the set screws. It slides smoothly. And it adds 100lbs or so to the saw, making it even more stable--a big plus.

But I'll be saving my pennies to buy a replacement mitre gauge, as the DeWalt gauge is very sloppily put together. Even locked down at every adjustment, it wobbles, and I have no confidence in any angle set. I'm using the stock mitre gauge for the time being, and that's a workable interim solution.

EDITED 9/7/04: DeWalt shipped me a replacement gauge which locks down beautifully, and will enable great precision. Altogether I now have a very fine package--certainly worth five stars.

Based only on reviews I bought this sliding table for my DeWalt table saw. The sliding table is fine, easy to install and regulate, and works smoothly. But the Miter Gauge is a joke and not a toy. Toys allow you to play with it, at least. This miter gauge wobbles so much that is even dangerous using it. I called DeWalt and after 3 days feeling myself like a tennis ball between DeWalt customer service and the local technical service, I finally received a phone call from DeWalt and the first person who knew the product I was talking about sad "- sorry, bud there is some play on it and we don't have a fix yet". What's worse: the local Technical service told me that my Miter Gauge, model number DW 7471, has been discontinued and they don't even have support for that. How can they sell things they don't support anymore? Should I call a lawyer?

So, if you are planning to buy this table, be ready to spend some extra $150.00 to have the Miter Gauge this table deserves and for this price you could think about an Excalibur sliding table- if you have the space for it. The bad feeling is that I can't trust DeWalt anymore, they should think about this.

I greatly anticipated delivery of the DeWalt sliding table for my table saw. Assembly is not trivial even for an experienced and mechanicaly inclined person such as myself. Then the disappointments started. I had a difficult time adjusting the table to level since moving one leveling screw upset some other corner. When I had the table level, I adjusted the gap between the sliding table and the saw. With the gap straight, I found that the table was no longer level. Around and around this sequence went. When I finally had the gap straight and the table level, I tightened the mounts and slid the table. That was when I noticed that the table doesn't stay level through its travel. This was the final straw of frustration, so back the table goes to get my money back. For this kind of money, I would expect better performance from DeWalt products. I still love my table saw, but the sliding table is junk since it won't hold stable through the travel.

I purchased the sliding table along with the saw to faciliate panel cross-cuts for my small cabinet shop. I have used other larger sliding table accessories with cabinet saws and like the accuracy, safety, and repeatability. Setup was certainly acheivable, but the instructions were very poorly written. Be sure to read the setup instructions for both the saw and the sliding table and then follow the sliding table instructions if assembling both at once. There are glaringly obvious errors in the instructions.

One of the more disturbing aspects of assembly is that I had to slightly bend the rear fence guide rail in order to attach it to the accessory. Its like the parts don't quite fit together right. Took about 3 hours to assemble.

Levelling the sliding table to the saw table is extremely easy with the set screws and the action is for the most part smooth and controlled.

However, I am returning mine because of its biggest problem. The mitre guage is a toy. It is certainly easy to set various angles and such, but when cross cutting large panels, it doesn't hold its set. Calibrating it to square is easy enough even though the instruction's illustrations describe a process that has nothing to do with how it really works. But there is at least 1 degree of play in the mitre guage fence even when everything is tightened down. The fence and integral stop is a nice try, but the outer limits of the stop allow for only a 20-24" cut width max. Not good for me to crosscut 32" base cabinet panels.

I think that certain Dewalt tools are excellent. My 2HP plunge router is great. But they make a lot of duds as well. I wish that the reviews of Dewalt tools on this site were a little more objective.

If you're thinking about buying it, go to a local retailer and check that mitre guage first.

I purchased this accessory over a year ago. I liked the weight it added to the table. Set up was not a problem. The three biggest issues I found were: 1) Alignment, I've aligned this table three times now to get the travel parallel with the saw table. My cuts are inconsistent with no change to material or miter guage settings, meaning I'm recutting the same board multiple times in succession with different results. The travel just seems to change with each pass. This makes square cuts really difficult even with the miter guage set properly. I verified this by replacing the Miter gauage that came with the sliding table and using the original stock guage, then using a T square to ensure material squareness and create a square pencil guide line to follow the saw tracking. Cuts range from a 1/32 to 1/8 an inch out of square. I will say that some of this may be operator error as the stock miter guage does't have enough support for large material so maybe the material is moving but not all of it is me. 2) Miter Guage, like others I'm in disbelief that the guage has so much play in it. Even when locked down "tight". I think this is also contributing to non-square cuts. 3) What's with the table lock? Even when locked, the table routinely slides if slightly bumped. Pretty flimsy and yes I did try adjusting the lock bolt. Overall I gave this three stars largely becuase if I use the table with the fence, the table really helps move stock through the saw easily while the fence keeps it square IF I only use the miter to as additional support (not for accuracy). So in this case the table is improving accuracy and ease. But not as intended. If I could do it again, I would do what I'm planning on doing now: buy an Incra Miter Sled. Sorry DeWalt you win some, you lose some. This accessory....it's not a winner.

This is a great luxury to have. It's a back braker to assemble by yourself - wait until you have a friend over to help. Takes a while to get it aligned - but once it's set it works like a champ. I use it five times more than I thought I would.

This attachment is a waste of money for one simple reason: The mitre gauge flexes left to right when set so there is no way to get a perfectly square cut. It doesn't matter how tightly locked in everything is, the fence on the mitre will move. I called Dewalt directly to see if there was a fix for this. They told me they were aware of the issue but that it was not a significant variance to warrant a manufacturing correction.