Clamping The Workpiece; Additional Safety Instructions For Support For Long Pieces; Precision Cutting; Cutting With Your Saw - DeWalt DW712 Instruction Manual

Crosscuts
A crosscut is one that cuts wood across the grain at any angle.
A straight crosscut is made with the miter arm at the 0° position.
To crosscut, set and lock the miter arm at zero and ensure that
the rail lock knob is securely tightened. Failure to tighten the rail
lock knob may cause the saw to turn toward you, causing per-
sonal injury or damage to the work piece. Hold the wood firmly
on the table and against the fence keeping your hand at least 6"
from the blade. Turn on the saw by squeezing the trigger switch.
When the saw comes up to speed (about 1 second) lower the
arm smoothly and slowly to cut through the wood. Let the blade
come to a full stop before raising the saw arm.
When cutting anything larger than a 2x3, use an out-down-
back motion. Pull the saw out, toward you, lower the saw head
down toward the workpiece, and push the saw back to com-
plete the cut. Do not allow the saw to contact the top of the
workpiece while pulling the blade out. This may cause the saw
to run toward you, causing personal injury or damage to the
workpiece.
MITER CROSSCUTS
Miter crosscuts are made with the miter arm at some angle
other than zero. This angle is often 45 ° for making corners, but
can be set anywhere from 50 ° left to 60 ° right. Lift the miter lock
lever and select the desired miter angle. Lower the miter lock
lever. Make the cut as described above.
NOTE: Cutting of multiple pieces is not recommended, but can
be done safely by ensuring that each piece is held firmly
against the table and fence.
BEVEL CROSSCUTS
A bevel cut is a crosscut made with the saw blade at a bevel to
the wood. To set the bevel, unlock the bevel adjustment/lock
handle and move the saw to the left as desired. Once the
desired bevel angle has been set, lock the bevel
adjustment/lock handle firmly. Ensure that the fence has been
adjusted properly. When cutting aggressively angled cuts, it
may be necessary to remove the adjustable fence. Complete
a dry run, without power to ensure that the fence does not inter-
fere with the blade. Make the cut as described above.
Bevel angles can be set from 48 ° left to -2 ° right and can be cut
with the miter arm set between 50 ° left and 60 ° right.
A CAUTION. When performing miter cuts or bevel cuts of
greater than 60 °, use extra care. The fence or workpiece may
interfere with the guard in these cuts.
Quality of Cut
The smoothness of any cut depends on a number of variables.
Factors like the material being cut, blade type, blade sharpness
and rate of cut all contribute to the quality of the cut.
When smoothest cuts are desired for molding and other preci-
sion work, a sharp, 40-60 tooth, carbide blade and a slower,
even cutting rate will produce the desired results.
To ensure that material does not creep while cutting, clamp it
securely in place. Always let the blade come to a full stop
before raising the arm.
If small fibers of wood split out at the rear of the workpiece,
apply a piece of masking tape on the wood where the cut will
be made. Saw through the tape and carefully remove the
tape when finished.
For varied cutting applications, refer to the list of recommend-
ed saw blades for your saw and select the one that best fits
your needs.
Body and Hand Position
Proper positioning of your body
and hands when operating the slid-
ing compound miter saw will make
cutting more accurate, easier, and
safer. Never place your hands near
the cutting area. Place hands no
closer than 6" (152 ram) from the
blade. Hold the workpiece tightly
against the table and the fence
when cutting. Keep your hands in (152 MM)
position until the trigger has been released and the blade has
completely stopped. ALWAYS MAKE DRY RUNS WITHOUT
POWER BEFORE MAKING ANY CUTS SO THAT YOU CAN
CHECK THE PATH OF THE BLADE. DO NOT CROSS YOUR
HANDS.
CORRECT INCORRECT
Keep both feet firmly on the floor to maintain proper balance.
Do not cross your hands. The illustrations above show correct
and incorrect hand position. As you move the miter arm left and
right, follow it and stand slightly to the side of the saw blade.
Sight through the guard louvers when following a pencil line.
Clamping the Workpiece
_k WARNING: Disconnect the saw from the power supply,
turn off the machine and allow the blade to come to a com-
plete stop before raising the arm and prior to cleaning the
blade area, removing debris in the path of the blade,
before servicing or adjusting tool A moving blade can
cause serious injury.
If you cannot secure the workpiece on the table and against the
fence by hand, e.g., when cutting an irregularly shaped work-
piece, or if your hand would be less than 6" from the blade, a
clamp or other fixture should be used.
For best results use the DW7082 clamp made for use with your
saw. It is available through your local retailer or DEWALT serv-
ice center at extra cost.
SUPPORT FOR LONG PIECES
A WARNING: Disconnect the saw from the power supply,
turn off the machine and allow the blade to come to a com-
plete stop before raising the arm and prior to cleaning the
blade area, removing debris in the path of the blade,
before servicing or adjusting tool A moving blade can
cause serious injury.
ALWAYS SUPPORT LONG PIECES.
For best results, use the DW7080
extension kit to extend the table width
of your saw. This attachment is avail-
able from your dealer at extra cost.
Support long workpieces to keep the
ends from dropping using any conven-
ient means such as sawhorses or sim-
ilar devices. The base top is 3.5" tall, allowing a 4x4 or 2-2x4s
to be used to support work when the saw is placed on a long
table or bench.
Precision Cutting
CUTTING BASE MOLDING
Always make a dry run without power before making any
cuts,
For straight 90° cuts, position the wood against the fence. Hold
it tightly against the fence and table as shown. Turn on the saw
and allow the blade to reach full speed. For molding wider than
3", use an out-down-back motion. Pull the saw out toward you,
lower the saw head down toward the workpiece, and push the
saw back to complete the cut.
CUTTING BASE MOLDING UP TO 3-1/4" (82 MM) HIGH
VERTICALLY AGAINST THE FENCE
Position molding vertically as shown.
Make all cuts with the back of the
molding against the fence and the bot-
tom of the molding against the base.
TO CUT AN INSIDE CORNER
JOINT:
1. Cut the left side.
A. Set the miter at 45 ° left.
B. Save the left side of the cut.
2. Cut the right side.
A. Set the miter at 45 ° right.
B. Save the right side of the cut.