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Miter Saw blade? problems

2K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  teejk02 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
My first post.

I have a Dewalt DW718 miter saw. I bought it to frame our basement, it did an admirable job at that. However in my purchase decision, I intentionally bought non sliding thinking everything would be more rigid for tight miters in finer wood working and bought the 10" thinking I would get less blade deflection.

Basement in framed now moving on to more finer wood working and not happy. It looks to me like when the blade touches the work piece it oscillates a bit leaving a gap on the top side of the work. I have tried Freud 60 and 80 tooth blade as well as the original Dewalt construction blade. I also have a Bosch 50 tooth combination blade, it has a heavier body and doesn't seem to exhibit this, but hard to tell because the cut isn't clean.

Here is a picture of the top after a miter cut:
Wood Rectangle Table Beige Plank


Here is a picture of the bottom after a miter cut, nearly perfect:
Brown Beige Wood Rectangle Flooring


I tried to highlight the cut cross section with a light for shadows. Both sides look similar:
Rectangle Wood Tints and shades Flooring Linens


From the above pictures, I don't think this is saw related. I think its blade related. Can someone confirm?

I thought Freud blades were pretty good quality blades, I am very satisfied with them on my table saw. I am not opposed to buying a new blade for the saw but want to make sure I get it right the next time.

Any advice on Saw or Blades would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Greg Heeke
 

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#2 ·
Take the good blade off your table saw, install it on the miter saw. If it gives you the same bad cut, then it's the saw. If the blade cuts as good on the miter saw as it does on the table saw, then it's the original blade. Also, put the new blade on your table saw and check it to see how it cuts. While on the saw, check the teeth for run out.

Make sure your flange is seating properly. The slightest thing can interfere with a clean cut. ........ Jerry (in Tucson)
 
#3 ·
Hi Jerry,
Thanks for the reply. All the blades I have run in my table saw and they seem to perform well.

Run-out of the 80 tooth Freud blade mounted on the miter saw at a diameter just inside the teeth is 0.0025" I would think for wood, that is close enough, right?

I am wondering if it has anything to do with the ATB grind on the blades. When coming in at an angle only the teeth with the left grind hit. Maybe after all the teeth are in the wood it stabilizes?

Should you run a flat top grind on miter saws?
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have never had any issues with any of the blades I have, and some were acquired in 1978, all carbide. Owned a cabinet shop with 3-4 employees, and none ever damaged any blades. I used any blade that was sharp on my miter saw, flat top, atb's, negative rakes, and never had problems. Your cut problem is probably in the saw. ................... Jerry (in Tucson)
 
#6 ·
IMHO…unless something has changed recently, the DeWalt stock blade is as about as stiff as you can buy. To me it looks like your saw needs a little fine-tuning (or sometimes just a cleaning)...I normally do that when I see "fuzz" on the back side of a cut (yours seems to be the opposite but the concept is the same). The whole vertically cut relies on that "stop" bolt and it's easy enough to adjust (and based on your picture it wouldn't take much).
 
#7 ·
The saw is almost new, its made about 100 cuts in pine 2×4s to frame the basement walls. I have not adjusted anything from the factory settings, so it could be out of adjustment.

What did you have in mind when you say its the saw?? or it needs fine tuning.

I have not tried clamping, just hold by hand. I don't perceive movement, but could be. I will give that a shot. I did look at the Dewalt clamp, I thought they were a bit pricey and not exactly happy with the saw at this point so I didn't want to spend the money on it. I willl try a bar/C-Clamp and see if i get better results. If so buy the Dewalt clamps.

Thanks to all who replied.
Greg
 
#8 ·
The saw is almost new, its made about 100 cuts in pine 2×4s to frame the basement walls. I have not adjusted anything from the factory settings, so it could be out of adjustment.

What did you have in mind when you say its the saw?? or it needs fine tuning.

I have not tried clamping, just hold by hand. I don t perceive movement, but could be. I will give that a shot. I did look at the Dewalt clamp, I thought they were a bit pricey and not exactly happy with the saw at this point so I didn t want to spend the money on it. I willl try a bar/C-Clamp and see if i get better results. If so buy the Dewalt clamps.

Thanks to all who replied.
Greg

- heeke
Again IMHO…from your picture it looks like you are a "hair" off on the vertical or you need to support the board. With a 12" blade I am talking a "hair". I have had the 715 (single bevel) for years and can say that I have never touched the factory settings on the horizontal. You hopefully saved the manual which will walk you through the fine-tuning…it takes a few minutes and some wrenches but not a big deal. First thing though is to make sure the saw is clean (I've had sawdust build-up on the "stop" bolt that would screw up a cut). The other thing…cutting pine is not the same as cutting oak (hot knife through butter vs. a cold knife). And finally…get yourself some roller stands to support the material on both ends to ensure that your piece stays flat on the cutting table (probably about $20 each but you'll find other uses for them). You have a lot going on with any cut, #1 first and foremost your fingers #2 you want to hold the piece against the fence. Eliminate trying to balance a teeter totter and you'll be happy.
 
#9 ·
I have roller stand and do use them for longer boards. The piece I was making test cuts on pictures above was probably in the 12-15" range, a piece of scrap from my project. And yes they do come in very handy with a lot of tools.

I do have the manual, I will go thru it and look for fine tuning instructions.

Looking at the pictures again, they don't show it well , but cut pictured above was at 30 degree bevel angle 90 degrees to the fence.

Thanks for your ideas
Greg
 
#10 ·
I have roller stand and do use them for longer boards. The piece I was making test cuts on pictures above was probably in the 12-15" range, a piece of scrap from my project. And yes they do come in very handy with a lot of tools.

I do have the manual, I will go thru it and look for fine tuning instructions.

Looking at the pictures again, they don t show it well , but cut pictured above was at 30 degree bevel angle 90 degrees to the fence.

Thanks for your ideas
Greg

- heeke
Bevel cut is new information and explains that concave shape! I've never mastered the technique myself and can only suggest you make sure your bevel tightening knob is tight to eliminate any slop on the pivot. And maybe you do have to figure out a clamp to make sure the piece isn't trying to escape. And maybe after the first pass you touch up the edge in TINY passes. Let's see if any of the pros here have any tips.
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
I use an inexpensive 10" Triton slider. After every miter adjustment, I check all the angles with the appropriate device. Then, test cut and check that.
The proper and sharp blade is a must. I only use blades specifically made for miter saws. The tooth geometry is very different than blades for the TS. The very best blade I've found is the MiterPro 80 tooth by Tenryu. No deflection at all and, hefty carbide that stays sharp longer.
Not to denigrate them, or anyone that uses them, but I find Freud blades, while OK on the TS, are not up to the job on a miter saw.
 
#12 ·
I use an inexpensive 10" Triton slider. After every miter adjustment, I check all the angles with the appropriate device. Then, test cut and check that.
The proper and sharp blade is a must. I only use blades specifically made for miter saws. The tooth geometry is very different than blades for the TS. The very best blade I ve found is the MiterPro 80 tooth by Tenryu. No deflection at all and, hefty carbide that stays sharp longer.
Not to denigrate them, or anyone that uses them, but I find Freud blades, while OK on the TS, are not up to the job on a miter saw.

- Gene Howe
The Dewalt blade is heavy duty but I can see that the teeth are such that they are designed to be best at a 90 degree cut. They are somewhat squarish and thick so at the start of the cut most of the tooth merely goes along for the ride. Maybe a thinner tooth would be better? Other than that, I often come back and "nibble" at the cut edge where the blade acts like a rasp.
 
#13 ·
I use an inexpensive 10" Triton slider. After every miter adjustment, I check all the angles with the appropriate device. Then, test cut and check that.
The proper and sharp blade is a must. I only use blades specifically made for miter saws. The tooth geometry is very different than blades for the TS. The very best blade I ve found is the MiterPro 80 tooth by Tenryu. No deflection at all and, hefty carbide that stays sharp longer.
Not to denigrate them, or anyone that uses them, but I find Freud blades, while OK on the TS, are not up to the job on a miter saw.

- Gene Howe
The Dewalt blade is heavy duty but I can see that the teeth are such that they are designed to be best at a 90 degree cut. They are somewhat squarish and thick so at the start of the cut most of the tooth merely goes along for the ride. Maybe a thinner tooth would be better? Other than that, I often come back and "nibble" at the cut edge where the blade acts like a rasp.
 
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