Squaring my Dewalt DWS780

[vdotmatrix]

I am following different instructions to square the blade or the cut on my miter saw......ISSUE:

the left side of the saw squares to the fence just fine. when I put the square to the right side it is off by just a hair...this is madening.

I read someone where one guy had the same issue 3 years ago but was wondering if this is a simple thing I am overlooking..

thanks

 

[electroman187]

I am going to guess that the fence isn't 100% straight. Do you have a flat edge that you can place along the fence and then check for a small gap?

 

[vdotmatrix]

I am going to guess that the fence isn't 100% straight. Do you have a flat edge that you can place along the fence and then check for a small gap?

I have all kinds of straight edges and will slap one on that will go across both the left and the right fences...I hope this will explain the situation. thanks....BRB

 

[James-W]

I am going to guess that the fence isn't 100% straight. Do you have a flat edge that you can place along the fence and then check for a small gap?

I agree totally, that is about the only thing it can be.

Not sure how to remedy that situation other than to have a machine shop fix it for you.

 

[vdotmatrix]

I agree totally, that is about the only thing it can be.

Not sure how to remedy that situation other than to have a machine shop fix it for you.

Now I am really upset...YES. the GD fence on my DWS780 is not continuously square from the left fence to right side with it being off by just a fraction. I hope this thing is still in warranty....3 years I think I get....OMG....slightly out of square bee hive boxes because of this POS ( expensive for me) miter saw..

 

[vdotmatrix]

Actually they have a 3-7 year warranty on the saw....breathing easier...I mean what good is a precision tool if not precise right....Anyway, I didnt see instructions for realigning the fence, and I am sure glad you guys are here

I agree totally, that is about the only thing it can be.

Not sure how to remedy that situation other than to have a machine shop fix it for you.

I got it 7/2014 so of course I am SOS. But there is a Dewalt service center here I will just drop it off and bite the bullet...soooooo pissed.

 

[McFarmer]

Bolt a wood fence over it and shim it as needed.

 

[The Cobbler]

those fences can be tweaked by tapping them .loosen the bolts slightly and tap with a block of wood and hammer to get it true

 

[LXCam]

I just looked at mine, I don't see anything too tuff about straightening it out. Worst case, remove the saw and take the base to a machine shop and have them clean it up in a mill.

 

[vdotmatrix]

those fences can be tweaked by tapping them .loosen the bolts slightly and tap with a block of wood and hammer to get it true

Yeah man, I am going to look closer and also wrote Dewalt and have their service center number across the river here, so I will run this thing over in the morning if I have to go in any deeper than a bolt and a block of wood...thanks.

 

[Sawdustmaker]

those fences can be tweaked by tapping them .loosen the bolts slightly and tap with a block of wood and hammer to get it true

^^^This. Had to adjust my Delta using this method. Be sure to tap gently.

 

[vdotmatrix]

yeah....There will be no pounding going on here tonight or making further inprecise cuts. That bottom fence assembly is one solid cast piece of metal held in place by the same 4 beefy torx screws .... the defect lies in this piece....so frustrating. POS....when I first bought the saw new, the base of the saw had a wobble to it. Dewalt has a casting issue.

Since I was not in a breakfast restaurant I didnt have put cardboard shims to keep the thing from wobbling and DEWALT replaced it with what I have now, NIB.

So all these years I thought it was my crappy woodcraft despite the precision i excercised....SOOOOOOoooo frustrating.

 

[vdotmatrix]

I just looked at mine, I don't see anything too tuff about straightening it out. Worst case, remove the saw and take the base to a machine shop and have them clean it up in a mill.

I am going to lug this thang over to DEWALT and have it warrantied or repaired over there....thanks for the help EVERYONE...i appreciate it!

 

[Metalio]

Had the same problem with my metabo saw, where the cast aluminium fence was completely bent. I just ended up replacing it with a new fence and it works perfectly now.

 

[vdotmatrix]

Had the same problem with my metabo saw, where the cast aluminium fence was completely bent. I just ended up replacing it with a new fence and it works perfectly now.

Such a hassle. Luckily i am still under warranty.

 

[Fretters]

So all these years I thought it was my crappy woodcraft despite the precision i excercised....SOOOOOOoooo frustrating.

First thing you should do with that type of saw, once bought, is check for square and correct alignment, and tweak where necessary, if precision is a concern.

 

[stonesfan68]

Since I was not in a breakfast restaurant I didnt have put cardboard shims to keep the thing from wobbling and DEWALT replaced it with what I have now, NIB.

 

[ishiboo]

A tiny imperfection on a long cast aluminum piece is not a big deal. Being off only "by a hair" sounds normal for these saws. People who require precision beyond a hair are used to squaring up their saws. The fence is bolted on for a reason. Loosen the side thats off, adjust, and bolt it down.

Don't assume you will never have to square it up again, either.

 

[Metalio]

A tiny imperfection on a long cast aluminum piece is not a big deal. Being off only "by a hair" sounds normal for these saws. People who require precision beyond a hair are used to squaring up their saws. The fence is bolted on for a reason. Loosen the side thats off, adjust, and bolt it down.

Don't assume you will never have to square it up again, either.

The problem is that if the fence is a single piece of cast aluminium so if the fence is completely bent from factory you'll never get the fence square by adjusting it.

 

[rick carpenter]

Once you get your fences to where you think they are straight, you can test them. Set your blade on 90* first. Take two scraps of 3-4" parallel plywood ~1/4-5/16" thick and place them one on top of the other on the fixed wing of your fence. Make a cut through both and flip one over like a book and **** them together on the fixed wing. If the cut ends are parallel then that wing of your fence is square to your 90* blade setting. Adjust as needed. Then do it across both wings to see if they are truly in line with each other.

Better than plywood would be some sort of plastic for a very clean cut.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Good thing he doesn't own a radial arm saw... Only a million axis to align on those suckers....

 

[gungatim]

just to clarify, the fence to blade is square on one side but not on the other? so the base has nothing to do with it right?
manual says to adjust the two fences, they are 2 pieces, not one, right?
so is it a question of the one side needing to be flattened on a piece of granite and sandpaper?
or is the hole slightly off where it tightens with the knob?

I am just referencing the manual I pulled up:

 

[rick carpenter]

just to clarify, the fence to blade is square on one side but not on the other? so the base has nothing to do with it right?
manual says to adjust the two fences, they are 2 pieces, not one, right?
so is it a question of the one side needing to be flattened on a piece of granite and sandpaper?
or is the hole slightly off where it tightens with the knob?

I am just referencing the manual I pulled up:

My Delta has a single bracket for both wings, the left one is fixed to the bracket and the other is adjustable, but the whole bracket is adjustable. So my left wing + bracket is what I square to the blade first. I do this by tapping on the right side til it's square, then I get out the straight edge and make the right wing line up to the left, then I final test both with the cuts.

Sounds like both of your fence wings are adjustable. You should assume that they are not square to the blade's 90* detente and to each other til you align them.

In use, you'll periodically knock it out of square.

 

[BukitCase]

Gungatim, that instruction is totally different from the stated problem - those saws (I have one) have upper and lower fences. The lowers are bolted to the base with torx screws, the uppers slide in or out and lock with finger knobs.

The upper fences' inside edges (toward the blade) are angled, and for more radical cuts might need to be moved out of the way of blade travel. The instruction you posted refers to THAT adjustment, not making the entire fence true on both sides... Steve

 

[vdotmatrix]

Since I was not in a breakfast restaurant I didnt have put cardboard shims to keep the thing from wobbling and DEWALT replaced it with what I have now, NIB.

Yes, I sometimes just write stuff....everyone has been to a place to eat where the tables rock on their stand and many times you put a drink coaster uner one of the legs ...I was not about to shim a brand new mitre saw , so i took it to the service center and they sent me another saw , NIB ( new in the box).

 

[vdotmatrix]

A tiny imperfection on a long cast aluminum piece is not a big deal. Being off only "by a hair" sounds normal for these saws. People who require precision beyond a hair are used to squaring up their saws. The fence is bolted on for a reason. Loosen the side thats off, adjust, and bolt it down.

Don't assume you will never have to square it up again, either.

Thank you for your response..I forget that my wording is left to interpretation and I apologize; a hair; lol.

 

[vdotmatrix]

just to clarify, the fence to blade is square on one side but not on the other? so the base has nothing to do with it right?
manual says to adjust the two fences, they are 2 pieces, not one, right?
so is it a question of the one side needing to be flattened on a piece of granite and sandpaper?
or is the hole slightly off where it tightens with the knob?

I am just referencing the manual I pulled up:

Right on the first question, but the DWS780 has a one piece cast aluminum fence, therein lies the problem....A tool that costs nearly $800. I am not going to tweak physically unless it is something they would do at the service center.

 

[vdotmatrix]

Once you get your fences to where you think they are straight, you can test them. Set your blade on 90* first. Take two scraps of 3-4" parallel plywood ~1/4-5/16" thick and place them one on top of the other on the fixed wing of your fence. Make a cut through both and flip one over like a book and **** them together on the fixed wing. If the cut ends are parallel then that wing of your fence is square to your 90* blade setting. Adjust as needed. Then do it across both wings to see if they are truly in line with each other.

Better than plywood would be some sort of plastic for a very clean cut.

YES, this is a very handy technique. which told me that after squaring the blade, "houston, we have a problem"...thank you all for your responses.

 

[vdotmatrix]

First thing you should do with that type of saw, once bought, is check for square and correct alignment, and tweak where necessary, if precision is a concern.

THANKS TO EVERYONE here.

I brought it to the Dewalt Service Center this morning.

The fence had a manufacturer defect.

I told them that I had chalked up inaccurate cuts over the years since I bought it, to user error, which is so frustrating after all the attention to detail when I make stuff.

At any rate, THEY KEPT MY DWS780 and I kept the blade.

My brand new DWS780 arrives in 5-10days.

I will definitely check every parameter when I unbox this baby I assure you!

NO TRIG NECESSARY.

thanks again.

 

[rharman]

THANKS TO EVERYONE here.

I brought it to the Dewalt Service Center this morning.

The fence had a manufacturer defect.

I told them that I had chalked up inaccurate cuts over the years since I bought it, to user error, which is so frustrating after all the attention to detail when I make stuff.

At any rate, THEY KEPT MY DWS780 and I kept the blade.

My brand new DWS780 arrives in 5-10days.

I will definitely check every parameter when I unbox this baby I assure you!

NO TRIG NECESSARY.

thanks again.

That's good news. Glad there was a service center near you. It pays to buy quality.

 

[James-W]

That's great! I have said this before, I'll say it again, all is well that ends well.

 

[gungatim]

Gungatim, that instruction is totally different from the stated problem - those saws (I have one) have upper and lower fences. The lowers are bolted to the base with torx screws, the uppers slide in or out and lock with finger knobs.

The upper fences' inside edges (toward the blade) are angled, and for more radical cuts might need to be moved out of the way of blade travel. The instruction you posted refers to THAT adjustment, not making the entire fence true on both sides... Steve

that makes more sense. their manual was hard to understand and since I have a Makita which is different, I was trying to make sense of the OP's problem. I have used Teflon tape (used to get it from work) to shim minor variations in some of my other tools fences, but glad the OP is getting a new one!!

 

[BukitCase]

Actually I may have mis-spoke ("presidential" term for lied ) - since my 780 passed every cut test perfectly out of the box, I never paid attention to whether the LOWER fence is one piece or two

I might actually make it to the shop today, when I do I'm gonna "re-edumacate" myself... Steve

 

[Slkay944]

I have the same issue with my 10inch Dewalt DW717, I cannot get it to cut right no matter how I adjust the saw. I have to check the fence! Want to dump the saw since I got it. I have done 1000’s of board feet of trim and this saw will not give an accurate miter no matter how many times I true it up.

 

[vdotmatrix]

I have the same issue with my 10inch Dewalt DW717, I cannot get it to cut right no matter how I adjust the saw. I have to check the fence! Want to dump the saw since I got it. I have done 1000’s of board feet of trim and this saw will not give an accurate miter no matter how many times I true it up.

man i feel your pain. the part if available is about $50 if it is the fence.

 

[saryon7]

The problem is that if the fence is a single piece of cast aluminium so if the fence is completely bent from factory you'll never get the fence square by adjusting it.

It is simple to fix that problem. Just have your one side adjusted perfectly and loosen the other side. Then just clamp a straight edge, like a level, across the face of both fences. Then tighter the warped side down. Done.

If you find it is twisted while doing this, slip shim material to support fence then tighten it down.

 

[theoldwizard1]

These instructions are adapted from a video that I just watched on building a table saw sled which obviously need to be square to the blade.

1. Using a good straight edge (framing square, good level, etc) make sure both the L and R fences are perfectly in line.
2. Using a piece of plywood that is just smaller than the maximum cut your miter saw can make, start with a "factory edge" against the LH fence and make cut off a small amount.
3. Rotate to the left (counter clockwise) 90° and make another cut. (This should put the edge you just cut against the LH fence.)
4. Repeat 3 more time.
5. Check for square using your best "square" tool. (Combination square, "3-4-5" with a GOOD ruler/scale)
6. Adjust.
7. Repeat

Doing it this way, you should be able to get it down to LESS THAN 1/32".