Clamping The Workpiece; Support For Long Pieces; Cutting Picture Frames, Shadow Boxes And Other Four-Sided Projects; Cutting Trim Molding And Other Frames - DeWalt DW716 Instruction Manual

CLAMPING THE WORKPIECE

Turn Off and Unplug Saw.
If you cannot secure the workpiece on the table and
against the fence by hand, (irregular shape, etc.) or your
hand would be less than 6" from the blade, a clamp or
other fixture must be used.
For best results use the DW7082 clamp made for use with
your saw. It is available for purchase at your local retailer
or D WALT service center.
E
Other aids such as spring clamps, bar clamps or C-clamps
may be appropriate for certain sizes and shapes of materi-
al. Use care in selecting and placing these clamps. Take
time to make a dry run before making the cut. The left or
right fence will slide from side to side to aid in clamping.
NOTE: ALWAYS MAKE DRY RUNS (UNPOWERED)
BEFORE FINISH CUTS TO CHECK THE PATH OF THE
BLADE. ENSURE A CLAMP DOES NOT INTERFERE
WITH THE ACTION OF THE SAW OR GUARDS.
WARNING: A workpiece that is clamped, balanced and
secure before a cut may become unbalanced after a cut
is completed. An unbalanced load may tip the saw or
anything the saw is attached to, such as a table or work-
bench. When making a cut that may become unbalanced,
properly support the workpiece and ensure the saw is
firmly bolted to a stable surface.

SUPPORT FOR LONG PIECES

Turn Off and Unplug Saw.
ALWAYS SUPPORT LONG PIECES.
Never use another person as a substitute for a table
extension; as additional support for a workpiece that is
longer or wider than the basic miter saw table or to help
feed, support or pull the workpiece.
For best results, use the DW7080 extension work support
to extend the table width of your saw. Available from your
dealer at extra cost. Support long workpieces using any
convenient means such as sawhorses or similar devices to
keep the ends from dropping.
CUTTING PICTURE FRAMES, SHADOW BOXES AND
OTHER FOUR-SIDED PROJECTS
To best understand how to make the items listed here, we
suggest that you try a few simple projects using scrap
wood until you develop a "FEEL" for your saw.
Your saw is the perfect tool for mitering corners like the one
shown in Figure 14. Sketch A in Figure 13 shows a joint
made by using the bevel adjustment to bevel the edges of
the two boards at 45 degrees each to produce a 90 degree
corner. For this joint the miter arm was locked in the zero
position and the bevel adjustment was locked at 45
degrees. The wood was positioned with the broad flat side
against the table and the narrow edge against the fence.
The cut could also be made by mitering right and left with
the broad surface against the fence.

CUTTING TRIM MOLDING AND OTHER FRAMES

Sketch B in Figure 13 shows a joint made by setting the
miter arm at 45 degrees to miter the two boards to form a
FIG. 14
FIG. 13
A
B
FIG. 15
CENTER MARK ON VERNIER SCALE
ALIGNS WITH DESIRED WHOLE ANGLE
ON MITER SCALE (24° RIGHT MITER)
1/4° VERNIER MARK ALIGNS WITH
CLOSEST WHOLE DEGREE MARK ON
MITER SCALE (24-1/4° RIGHT MITER)
10
90 degree corner. To make this type of joint, set the bevel
adjustment to zero and the miter arm to 45 degrees. Once
again, position the wood with the broad flat side on the
table and the narrow edge against the fence.
The two sketches in Figure 13 are for four side objects
only.
As the number of sides changes, so do the miter and bevel
angles. The chart below gives the proper angles for a vari-
ety of shapes.
(The chart assumes that all sides are of equal length.) For
a shape that is not shown in the chart, use the following
formula. 180 degrees divided by the number of sides
equals the miter (if the material is cut vertically) or bevel
angle (if the material is cut laying flat).
NO. SIDES
ANGLE "A"
4
5
6
7
8
9
FIG. V1 10

CUTTING COMPOUND MITERS

A compound miter is a cut made using a miter angle and a
KERF
bevel angle at the same time. This is the type of cut used
PLATE
to make frames or boxes with slanting sides like the one
shown in Figure 15.
NOTE: If the cutting angle varies from cut to cut, check that
MITER the bevel clamp knob and the miter lock knob are secure-
ANGLE
ly tightened. These knobs must be tightened after making
any changes in bevel or miter.
The chart shown on page 15 will assist you in selecting the
proper bevel and miter settings for common compound
miter cuts. To use the chart, select the desired angle "A"
(Figure 15) of your project and locate that angle on the
appropriate arc in the chart. From that point follow the
chart straight down to find the correct bevel angle and
straight across to find the correct miter angle.
Set your saw to the prescribed angles and make a few
FIG. V2
trial cuts. Practice fitting the cut pieces together until you
develop a feel for this procedure and feel comfortable
with it.
Example: To make a four-sided box with 26° exterior
angles (Angle A, Figure 15), use the upper right arc. Find
26° on the arc scale. Follow the horizontal intersecting line
to either side to get miter angle setting on saw (42°).
Likewise, follow the vertical intersecting line to the top or
bottom to get the bevel angle setting on the saw (18°).
Always try cuts on a few scrap pieces of wood to verify
settings on saw.

VERNIER SCALE

Your saw is equipped with a vernier scale for added preci-
sion. The vernier scale allows you to accurately set miter
- EXAMPLES -
ANGLE MITER OR BEVEL
45°
36°
30°
25.7°
22.5°
20°
18°