Is the Dewalt DW746X tablesaw any good?
Up to now I haven’t been in the market for a new tablesaw, but a new in the box Dewalt DW746X is available to me for a very good price. I have read old reviews of the tablesaw which were all over the place. I would like to hear from current owners. Especially, how reliable is the rip fence and how flimsy are the stamped metal table wings? Is the saw solid or isn’t it? If I buy the thing it needs to see me through the next 30 years cause I’ll never be able to justify a third tablesaw to the wife (at that point she’ll be justifying a second husband).
I have an old Craftsman, you know the one, cast iron table, heavy stamped steel wings, and belt-drive motor that has been a workhorse the last 30 years. I upgraded the rip fence years ago, build a stand with dust collection, added steel pulleys and a link belt. The saw has honestly done everything I have ever needed it to do. I don’t want to replace it with the Dewalt if I’m not going to get a saw as reliable as the one I have now. The only thing forcing this is a limited time offer on the Dewalt.
Thanks!
Replies
gdb
I don't have any "data", just an opinion. If the saw you have has served you for 30 years I would only upgrade to a cabinet saw. There are old Delta's and PM's out there just looking for a guy like you to put them back to work.
My rule of thumb; old is good, new is suspect (read that somewhere and adopted it). Old saws are tried and true (or can be made so again), new stuff is -----just new stuff.
Just my 2cw.
Regards,
Mack
"WISH IN ONE HAND, S--T IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"
A cabinet tablesaw would be great. If the parts are available, I can work on and fix just about anything. However, I doubt that $500 will put me into an accurate, dependable cabinet saw. If it can please educate me. I've read several posts and it appears that a used cabinet saw will cost me at least a grand.
Have some patience keep looking you can sometimes find one for about $600-$650.Good, better, best never let it rest until your good is better & your better best. I sure wouldn't rush into buying a hybrid.
Edited 3/20/2008 9:55 am by OB
gdb,
Not so! I know I got a great deal but they are out there. A few years ago I bought an old Delta Unisaw for $225. It was missing the miter gage and motor cover and had the original rip fence. Had been used in a school so it had lots of wear and tear. I was going to just clean it up and resell but found out it was made the same year and month I was born (07/50) and decided that was a "sign" I should keep it.
I put new bearing, belts and a lot of time into it. Had the three piece top ground flat. Got a used miter gage for $7 and tuned it up. Bought a Merlin, quick release splitter and an Incra 1000SE miter gage for it. Manufactured a motor cover and repainted it. Installed a Mule Cab. rip fence and I now have THE saw for the rest of my life with right at $1000 tied up in it. It's more solid than a new Unisaw, has less than .001 run out at the arbor and has every capability I will ever need (or want).
Without the machine work on the top, the after market rip fence and the Incra miter gage I would have had under $500 into it and would probably been very happy with it.
If your saw is doing what you expect you can afford to be very patient. I have no doubt you can find a good used cabinet saw for $500 or less.
Regards,
Mack
"WISH IN ONE HAND, S--T IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"
Edited 3/20/2008 10:54 am ET by Mackwood
"However, I doubt that $500 will put me into an accurate, dependable cabinet saw." Maybe not, but $700-$800 might. Whatever star is shining above me might shine in your area too. Perhaps it's the economy, but I just bought a Unisaw with 52" fence for $750 (didn't ask if he would take less), and another one showed up this week on Craig's list for $850, including a huge outfeed table with big drawers on heavy-duty slides, an overhead guard and Biesemeyer fence.
No info in your profile as to where you live, but if it's near a reasonably sized city, keep a daily eye on Craig's list, you never know what will show up. I check it 3-4x/day, only takes a minute.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I'm in metro Atlanta, GA. I took your advice and looked at Craig's List. Nothing jumped out, but as a previous poster said time is on my side. My biggest issue with a full blown cabinet saw is portability. Anything I get has to be movable. The only reason I am considering the Dewalt is because I can get it for $500 and my old Craftsman saw is beginning to show its age.
I bought
one of the first dewalts when they came out--10 yrs ago give or take. I removed the guard, added the sliding table and mobile base, and upgraded to the cast iron wing on the right side of the saw. I previously had an old craftsman, and the dewalt was night and day a better saw than what I was using.
Since then, I have upgraded again to a 5hp PM66 with excalibur slider. This is a wonderful saw, and it will breeze thru absolutely anything you can throw at it, BUT I still use my dewalt for a lot of things--namely smaller detail work where I don't need the huge amounts of power. I have been very pleased with my dewalt, and would have to think twice before parting with it.Peter
www.jpswoodworking.com
I also have the DW746. I added the cast iron right wing table and the cast iron slider. I know I have approached pretty close in price to a lower end cabinet saw with my set up, but IMO, this saw does just about any thing a cabinet saw can do.
The big issue for me is movability. Myself and a buddy carried the basic saw down into the basement fairly easily. I then mounted the wing and slider by myself.
Pros: Great fence. Slick slider. Quiet as a cabinet saw. Plenty of power. All surfaces flat within two thou. Movable by two guys.
Cons: Dust collection OK, but not as good as a cabinet. Osborne type miter gage that came with slider way too flexible. Replaced with Incra 1000SE.
I'll never upgrade to a cabinet saw. I'm just that happy with my set up.
Chris
A Unisaw is quite movable on an HTC or Delta base (see my thread somewhere on mobility for Unisaw). Not that I have anything against the DeWalt -- plenty of people have made plenty of furniture using that saw. Just saying don't let non-issues (price, mobility) deter you from a cabinet saw.
Trick with Craig's List is to check it often. I was the first person to look at the saw I bought, and was on the horn 1/2 hour after that second Unisaw was listed (10:30 pm). Serendipity, just happened to look at CL right after he posted it. So went to look at 9am the next day. Both of the saws were in "closing the shop" situations.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Craig's list is the place when you are patient. About 3 weeks ago I picked up Grizzly 1023Z, 10 years old for $200. Came with an htc roller out feed table and a roller base. It was a great deal. Saw hadn't been used in a year and needed a good rust cleaning. I've got it tuned/cleaned up and I've got more table saw than I ever thought I would have for many years to come.
Thanks. I won't lose any sleep if I pass on the Dewalt. I tend to deal in what is practical and works for the long haul. I have about a week to make a decision.
If I'm going to find a cabinet saw for $500 I'll need to get creative with my search efforts. Maybe I should start reading the obits to see if any of the recently "called up yonder" were woodworkers who left behind a cabinet saw. Don't know how my wife will feel about me scoping out widows to score a cabinet saw cheap, but if it will save a buck she's usually in favor of the idea.
Checking out Craig's List was a good idea, thanks Jamie. Anybody else know where a good cabinet saw for $500 may be hiding in Georgia?
Just think, an old saw needing work or a new saw? Maybe slightly less heavy duty.
I've used enought old junks, I wanted new!
That is at the core of my dilemma. I don't have time to keep fixing up a saw. What I don't know is how well the Dewalt will hold up for the long haul. My Craftsman has done pretty well considering it is 30 years old and has seen heavy use. I know that cabinet saws are made to run all day. I just don't know if I can find one at a good price that isn't already worn out. A friend at work has suggested I check out the Jet ProShop Model 708482K. You alll have given me a lot to think about.
The Jet Proshop is the "next generation" of hybrids. It's gotten really good reviews from both magazines and owners. Tom Hintz has a review of it on his site, Newwoodworker.com. It has some similarities and some advantages over the DW746. The Proshop fence is a very good "Biese lite" style fence. It has a similar trunnion system to the 746 and DC is said to be pretty good. The 708482K comes with cast iron wings, and the 708480K comes with steel. Both run a bit more than $500...I've seen the 482K on sale for ~ $650 (normally closer to $750), and the 480K has been on sale for $630 shipped from Amazon.
Good luck with your decision.
My dewalt is 4-5 years old and I use it often. I have yet to replace or fix anything or adjust. I check it once in a while, give it a lick of polish. and it keeps on going. I don't think you would be chucking away money.
The last table saw roundup, all the table saw were within 5% of each other, so you can't go wrong.
As far as I can tell from the Dewalt pages you will get a THREE year warranty from date of purchase.
"Don't know how my wife will feel about me scoping out widows to score a cabinet saw cheap, but if it will save a buck she's usually in favor of the idea." ROFL!! Practical lady, eh?
I know Bart, who's an occasional poster at Knots, refurbished a big ol' cabinet saw a few years ago. I don't think it cost him all that much. Kinda depends on how much you like (or at least "don't mind") that kind of work. I just wasn't up to it, wanted it to hit the floor running as it were.
You might also search eBay and use the "within x miles of 12345 ZIP code, in case someone in your area's trying to auction one off. Those "pick-up only" auctions seems to close fairly low. That search can be made automatic, so you get notified by computerized email when someone posts an item with the outlined criteria.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
As an over the top hobbiest. The 746 is serving me very well even with the steel wings which are not an issue because the added weight is not needed since the saw runs very smoothly. The 1 3/4 HP is no problem, I rewired to 220Volt though.
Best of all it's made in the USA.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I'd stick with what you have or trade up to a cabinet saw.Been there & done that.Good, better, best never let it rest until your good is better & your better best.
I totally agree that cabinet saws are a good thing. But my DW 746 does everything that I need it to do. A Hummer would be nice but my F150 4x4 gets her done too.Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I have had one with a sliding table for about 4 years. It is practically vibration free, and has enough power for my use. Dust collection works well. It still has the stamped steel wing on the right. I have no problem with this. I did not care for the Osborne style miter gauge. It had too much flex. I replaced this with a Woodhaven Deluxe, which I am very happy with. The fence is rigid and easy to adjust. It does the job.
I'm very happy with mine. I got the 52" (really 50") rails and the sliding table at the same time.
The mitre gauge is poor because it has too short a fence. Not to stable near the end of adjustment. I replaced it with a delta setup I got real cheap.
I run it on 220v same power but it runs better. The blade in the box works well, as have many dewalt blades intended for this saw. 1/2" material will give you blade inserts. The fence to blade distance stays the same when tilting.
Wishes: The guard was easier to remove and install. Scale would collect less chips if on the right of the fence. Two sided fence would be nice to have.
Most of it is made in the USA. Some things have made in china on them. My blade was made in the UK.
I would buy again.
GDblake
I'm a weekender.
I've had one for about 5 years with the cast iron wings. It is integrated in a 7' X 8' work table with the router table on the left of the saw and is located so that I can cut 4' X 8' sheet goods on it. I have several blades from 24 teeth to 80 teeth for different cuts and an 8" dado blade set. A little more power occasionally would be nice but I have never really had a problem using the correct blade. The dust collection is not the best with a 2.5" hose connection. I added a 4" transition and hose to the dust collector. 30" rails have not been enough occasionally but the table to the right allows me to set up a temporary fence which has worked reasonably well.
I like the saw. It is the best saw I have had. When my daughter and son-in-law finally buy a house with a cellar, I will upgrade to a 3 hp cabinet saw but this has been more than adequate.
ASK
It is a great saw and completely suitable for FWW. Here is what I liked:
Here is what I didn't like:
If you're in the Denver, Co area - I recently purchased a sawstop and the wife still insists on parking her car in the garage. As a result, I'm selling my DW746 for about 1/2 its original price.
Know how you feel about the Craftsman. Just sold mine of 10 years with all the upgrades you mentioned and sort of miss it but got the PM2000 so I'm getting used to the Craftsman not being here REAL FAST!!!
Sorry, don't know anything about their table saws but own their planer and a couple of their routers and am very happy with them. I'm a DeWalt fan.
brian
I bought mine in 2001. I do most rough ripping on a 3 hp bandsaw and break down full sheets of plywood with a Festool saw and guide.
The fence is not as sturdy or straight as the Biesemeyer but it is workable.
I had a problem with the motor overheating when I made grooves with a rip blade. The operation made small fluffy shavings which would clog the motor's air intake. I learned to clear the air intake with a blast of compressed air. The problem went away when I gave up on the little dust port on the blade enclosure, sealed up the saw with 1/8" ply on the bottom and back, and added two 4" dust ports (back and bottom) hooked up to a dust collector.
The locking knobs for blade height and bevel tend to self-tighten and are then difficult to loosen.
I tried to use the blade guard but didn't like it so it's gone. The miter gauge is poorly made but I use sleds for cross-cutting so no problem there. The big on-off switch is nice. Steel wings have not been an issue for me.
I have the outfeed table and mobile base and am happy with both items.
I've logged many many hours on PM 66s and better saws. The Dewalt is certainly not in the same league with those saws but it is very capable. Overall I'm quite pleased with the saw.
Ed
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