30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent design
I'm not a professional, I'm just a homeowner who appreciates quality tools, but it seems they got all the details right on this saw. Miter and bevel were perfectly aligned out of the box, which I checked with my triangle and with some test cuts. Getting it out of the box was easy too, thanks to the carrying handle on the saw head which is very solid and close to the...
25 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
excellent tool...way overpriced
I bought this tool for less than $300 at a big box store when it retailed for $350. I did some price comparison and got a price match plus 10%...so it pays to shop around.
What I liked - Everything seems square out of the box and it is nicely designed and manufactured. It feels smooth and natural when cutting. Dewalt has a good reputation so I don't think...
This review is from: DEWALT DW715 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp 12-Inch Compound Miter Saw (Tools & Hardware)
I'm not a professional, I'm just a homeowner who appreciates quality tools, but it seems they got all the details right on this saw. Miter and bevel were perfectly aligned out of the box, which I checked with my triangle and with some test cuts. Getting it out of the box was easy too, thanks to the carrying handle on the saw head which is very solid and close to the center of balance. (Usually with big items like this you have to figure out how to get your hands underneath it and then hold the box down while you get it out.) The locking pin which keeps the saw head down when you're carrying it can be slid in and out easily but has no problem supporting the weight, while the spring that raises the head prevents the pin from sliding out accidentally. There are also good hand holds on each side of the base with rounded edges so they don't dig into your hands.
Bevel stops at 0 and 45 degrees make it easy to switch between common angles, but can be slid back after loosening a screw to allow a few more degrees either way when you need to compensate for other cuts that were a little off (made by someone else, of course). There's also a flip-out stop for 33.9 degree bevel which is also solidly made. The bevel locking knob-thing is nice and big, making it easy to grip and turn. The adjustable fence can be quickly adjusted with a single knob, but is still very sturdy when tightened down.
Miter adjustment is rock solid. The quick detents have no wiggle room at all, and the detent override makes it easy to adjust to any angle. The simple push-down miter lock is easy to use, and once locked I was unable to force it slip to either side.
The dust bag collects a bit over half of the sawdust, and as a result fills up pretty quickly. I'm planning to get an adapter so I can connect my shopvac to the dust outlet. If you're wondering, the dust port is 1.5" O.D.
Everything about this saw is sturdy, and all the adjustments can be made with very little effort. It's also a little quieter than I expected, which is nice. You can't go wrong with this saw.
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This review is from: DEWALT DW715 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp 12-Inch Compound Miter Saw (Tools & Hardware)
I've had this saw for almost a year now and can still recommend this tool as a great purchase. Despite the 12" size, its remarkably light and portable which is a major plus as I don't have a workshop so I have to pull it out and set it up each time. Plenty of power. The miter stops are solid and extremely easy and accurate. I put on a Frued blade to take care of the molding work I mostly do and the results are always gratifying (when I measure twice). I purchased the Irwin laser for $25 and that works great as well.
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This review is from: DEWALT DW715 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp 12-Inch Compound Miter Saw (Tools & Hardware)
Many people have beat up the yellow saws. I don't understand the psychology of DeWalt hate. This has been a fine saw. The blade is fine for construction work and eats 2x4's. I put a 80 tooth on it for finer work and it is spectacular. Out of the box it could have been ready to go, but I'm not one to expect perfection after mfg and shipping. To make this a really good saw, I screwed on a Dewalt 36-136 miter stand (I'm not worried about clashing colors!)
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This review is from: DEWALT DW715 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp 12-Inch Compound Miter Saw (Tools & Hardware)
Mine is a couple years old now and has had no problems.
Once you get the fence set to square with the blade, if stays there pretty well. The miter rotation is easy to move and is quite accurate for most all projects, including frames.
The blade that comes with the saw isn't the greatest for fine woodworking, but is acceptable if you move the cut slowly. Certainly, a higher quality blade can be purchased if needed.
I mostly use mine for rough crosscuts on longer boards and some small frames. Truthfully, I like using the table saw for very precise angle cuts, but that's my fault with not getting it set up to near perfection, not the machine's.
One star off of perfect due to lack of quality dust collection. I don't know if anyone makes one that has good collection. Maybe the Kapex?
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This review is from: DEWALT DW715 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp 12-Inch Compound Miter Saw (Tools & Hardware)
CARPENTER AND HAVE BEEN ONE FOR 15 YEARS I OWN A HITACHI 8 1/2 A MAKITA 10" AND THIS SAW IS OUTSTANDING FOR WHAT IT IS FOR CASE,BASE,CROWN AND CABINET FILLERS TOEKICK MOLDING AS LONG AS IT ISNT OVER 7 1/4 WIDE. THE ADJUSTIBAL FENCE IS TALL ENOUGH TO ACCOMIDATE TALL BASE ON EDGE WHICH IS OF COURSE THE BEST WAY, THE BLADE DOESNT HAVE TO WORK AS HARD SO IT WILL GIVE YOU A MUCH CLEANER CUT. IF THE BASE IS PLOWED OUT IN THE BACK YOU WILL WANT TO FACE THE BASE TO THE FENCE. BUY THE STAND ITS HANDY FOR LITE WEIGHT WORK.
PRICE: I BOUGHT THIS SAW 2 YEARS AGO AND IT WASNT AS INEXPENSIVE AS IT IS TODAY IF YOU NEED A TRIM SAW THIS IS IT. IF YOU NEED 1 SAW THAT WILL DO EVERYTHING THIS IS NOT YOUR SAW TRY THE HITACHI 8 1/2 SLIDING MITER GOOD ENOUGH AT ALL ASPECTS OF CARPENTRY.
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This review is from: DEWALT DW715 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp 12-Inch Compound Miter Saw (Tools & Hardware)
I bought the R version for $175 shipped and am quite happy with the deal I got. I haven't done a finish job with it yet but I have built a nice trellis with 4x4's and 2x6's and this saw has plenty of power. Pretty accurate to with supplied blade. I will be buying a 100t finish blade soon cause I have a crown job coming up. I am confident it will perform as good.
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This review is from: DEWALT DW715 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp 12-Inch Compound Miter Saw (Tools & Hardware)
I bought this tool for less than $300 at a big box store when it retailed for $350. I did some price comparison and got a price match plus 10%...so it pays to shop around.
What I liked - Everything seems square out of the box and it is nicely designed and manufactured. It feels smooth and natural when cutting. Dewalt has a good reputation so I don't think you can go wrong with this saw. I have been told this saw replaces the DW705S which had some engineering flaws involving the table lifting up when you locked the miter in. This saw does not have the same problem.
What I didn't like - A retail price of $350 or $329 is way, way too high. Granted this is a 12in saw, but it's a plain vanilla single bevel saw WITHOUT a laser (that is a $60 optional purchase). In my opinion, $329 for saw without a laser is a cheap insult. For the price, you can get a quality miter saw from Delta, Rigid, etc., etc., for a few dollars less and with a few more features.
Bottom Line - If you must have a Dewalt, you can't go wrong with this tool. Otherwise, look elsewhere and save a few $$$$
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This review is from: DEWALT DW715 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp 12-Inch Compound Miter Saw (Tools & Hardware)
I have to admit,
I've always been one of those pro carpenters that thought DeWalt saws looked and worked cheaply. Like many of you, I have used every chop saw and dual compound miter saw imaginable. Years later I became a woodshop teacher. When I started, the old teacher before me had an nice new Makita and good old Hitachi stuffed in the back tool storage room and this saw set up prominently out on the shop floor. I decided to leave it there and see what would happen over the course of the school year.
I watched this saw get day in and day out abuse from students who cut too fast, started the saw while touching the work, let the saw run too long, let the saw snap back to its upright position, chopped wood not against the fence, never cleaned the blade or used wicked dull blades all day. I had students using pine and the saw covered in sap that hardened to amber. (hey I can hear you judging me fellas, I had thirty-two inner city kids in these classes [no injuries-knock on wood]. One week I had students blazing away for hours chopping hickory and pecan, leaving the saw hot to the touch.
Long story short: you couldn't find a better field testing environment than a high school shop class. Despite this merciless abuse, this saw cut perfectly accurate. It is loud, and the brake doesn't like the kind of resharpened heavy blades I use, but nonetheless, after school, I made fine furniture with this same saw. I made tight perfect miters with it It could chop cleanly through 12/4 rock maple full of nails on a dull blade (I know all of you are wincing, that's why I used a beater blade)
I used it to chop and cut shoulders on giant 5 in dovetails in 8/4 Bubinga. or trimming off a 64th of the same without it drifting away...always leaving my work dead on 90 degrees. We cut dirty two by fours, weird laminates, acrylic, you name it, this saw performed.
This proves to me that this saw has earned it's chops for the jobsite. Period. I wish I could say the same about DeWalt biscuit joiners.
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This review is from: DEWALT DW715 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp 12-Inch Compound Miter Saw (Tools & Hardware)
I'm a frequent home improver and have used this saw for building, improving and/or trimming my own home and those of friends and family for over eight years. Since I purchased it in 2000, this unit has never failed me. With reasonable care and adjustment this thing just keeps going strong and retains precision. Coupled with a Freud teflon coated thin kerf trim blade this unit is the best for what I need it for. I've cut trim, two-by stock, aluminum extrusion, oak and teak and it has always delivered precise cuts. I almost wish it would break so I can justify a 12" slider. The Dewalt bench is perfect too! And I'm not a fan of Dewalt products!
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