HI All,
I have a DeWalt DW703 non-sliding mitre saw. It's a solid, powerful machine which I use for framing/structural work, but also finer woodwork.
A couple of issues I thought I'd pic your brain on:
1) Adjustment. I'll always check everything is very square before I start work. This is done using an engineer's square, and test cuts, and an angle finder. The issue I have is, when I carefully put it away totally square (under the bench), the next time I use it, it needs adjusting again! Is that normal? The only thing I can think of that that when I start work, the saw and workspace is cold, and so the various bits of metal in the saw has moved ever so slightly... which sends me down the circular task of adjusting and readjusting. Could temperature be a factor here? Should I warm up the workspace and tool before I start work?
2) For the framing/heavy duty stuff, I use the DeWalt 24T blade - great for rough work, slices through anything like butter. For the slightly finer work, I have a 48T Lidl blade (yes yes, don't laugh) - which has a decent cut quality - my expectations are adjusted for the fact that it is a Lidl blade. HOWEVER - there is noticeable deflection across the cut, where it is square near the fence, but further away from the fence, the cut bends ever so slightly. Also, in birch plywood, the deflection is vertical, downwards through the cut (in softer MDF this doesn't happen). Can you even have deflection in non-sliding mitre saws (I thought you couldn't)? Would a better blade - like this Freud 80T pro - prevent this deflection?
Thanks!
I have a DeWalt DW703 non-sliding mitre saw. It's a solid, powerful machine which I use for framing/structural work, but also finer woodwork.
A couple of issues I thought I'd pic your brain on:
1) Adjustment. I'll always check everything is very square before I start work. This is done using an engineer's square, and test cuts, and an angle finder. The issue I have is, when I carefully put it away totally square (under the bench), the next time I use it, it needs adjusting again! Is that normal? The only thing I can think of that that when I start work, the saw and workspace is cold, and so the various bits of metal in the saw has moved ever so slightly... which sends me down the circular task of adjusting and readjusting. Could temperature be a factor here? Should I warm up the workspace and tool before I start work?
2) For the framing/heavy duty stuff, I use the DeWalt 24T blade - great for rough work, slices through anything like butter. For the slightly finer work, I have a 48T Lidl blade (yes yes, don't laugh) - which has a decent cut quality - my expectations are adjusted for the fact that it is a Lidl blade. HOWEVER - there is noticeable deflection across the cut, where it is square near the fence, but further away from the fence, the cut bends ever so slightly. Also, in birch plywood, the deflection is vertical, downwards through the cut (in softer MDF this doesn't happen). Can you even have deflection in non-sliding mitre saws (I thought you couldn't)? Would a better blade - like this Freud 80T pro - prevent this deflection?
Thanks!