Can anyone comment on the Dewalt DW745 Compact Table Saw

[Martingchapman]

I am looking for a compact table saw to use for ripping soft/hard wood and composite boards.
Needs to be small footprint, other than that no real preferences.

Have looked at the Axminster TS200 and Kitty 419 these fit the bill in terms of overall size, but both have limited (150mm) ripping capabilities (without adding an extension table which makes them too wide).

So now looking at the Dewalt DW745.
This can rip up to 410mm using the extended fence, but is only 577mm wide with the fence inboard (I have a circular saw and guide rails for cuts wider than 410mm).
It does not have cast iron table top or induction motor like the other two above, but I can live with that.
The mitre fence does not look to be very accurate but that is not a problem as I have a good SCMS.

So really asking if anyone has one of these saws and if so what do they think about it.

Thanks for any replies - Martin.

 

[Teckel]

A friend of mine bought one and as soon as I've tried it I'll let you know.
I'm sure some of the lads will be on here to help you out in the meantime...

 

[pswallace]

Hi Martin, I've owned the 745 for about two years now and can't really fault it.the only real problem is it can be very noisy but it is a very powerfull wee saw ,the rack and pinion fence is very accurate and very smooth.the saw comes more or less ready to use out of the box with a standard de-walt 24 tooth rip blade,I replaced mine with a freud combination blade as it can take a while changing the blade from rip to cross cut.The mitre gauge is a very basic plastic thing which I think is the norm with a lot of saws in this price range,there is also quite a bit of slop between the mitre bar and track.I splashed out and bought an incra mitre gauge and it fit almost perfect apart from the end of the mitre slot on the left hand side of the blade but a few min's with a file sorted this problem out. If you will be doing much cross cutting I would advise building a sled,I did for mine and find I use it quite a lot. All in all a great saw! Phil.

 

[Martingchapman]

Phil,
Thanks very much for your comments.
I suspected the supplied miter gauge would not be very good, but not a problem for me as I don't expect to be using it for cross cutting (will use my SCMS).
Glad to hear you are happy with the saw after a couple of years of ownership, suggests it is a keeper.

Will probably push the button and order later in the week.

Thanks again - Martin.