The Dewalt 718 is one of the superb range of miter saws that the company manufactures. I have used the dewalt 718 and its forerunners for about 20 years and find it ideal for all sorts of cutting jobs in my workshop. The first one I bought in 1989 was used daily for 10 years in a busy commercial setting making around 50 - 100 cuts per day. It was stolen from my workshop which meant that work had to stop while we got a replacement. One week later the new one arrived with a number of improvements over the old one.
Constant Product Improvements On Dewalt Miter Saws
The improvements included the fantastic guarding system that covers the blade. As you make a cut the guard reveals just enough of the blade to make the cut without exposing the operator to the saw blade. Another development was the addition of quick clamps to hold your work in place while you make the cut.
We do not always use these clamps but they are very solid. Just can clamp and unclamp your work in about 5 seconds using the ratchet system inherent in the 2 clamps. As many of the profiles we cut are non square we use jigs with the clamps to hold the work securely.
Eventually my second Dewalt 718 stopped working. We had run it into the ground over 11 years and the motor bearings were beginning to wear out. Dewalt did offer to change the motor but I decided to buy a brand new one.
New Features On The Latest Dewalt 718 Miter Saw
We have now had the latest version of the DW718 for about 6 months. Again there is the guarding system which has been further improved. The clamp system is the same. The best new feature is the laser cutting guide. It shines directly onto your work and the beam is the exact width of the blade. So you can see both sides of the cut.
This is critical when you are working to very tight tolerances. If A piece of Aluminium has to be 1789mm then the laser beam allows me to hit that measurement exactly.
The other main improvement is the start up speed of the blade. It quickly gets to full speed when you press the on switch. About half the time of the previous model. There is also a brake on the blade which means that it stops turning very quickly. You no longer feel you are waiting for the blade to stop. It just starts and stops very fast.
Most of my work is with aluminium and wood. These need completely different Dewalt saw blades. You cannot use a wood saw blade on aluminium without causing damage to the blade. You will also find the work catches in the blade which is quite dangerous. An aluminium saw blade will cut wood but the teeth will go blunt much quicker. This is particularly true for cutting laminates and chipboard.
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