Crosscuts; Bevel Cuts; Quality Of Cut; Body And Hand Position - DeWalt DW718 Instruction Manual

CROSSCUTS
Cutting o f multiple p ieces i s notrecommended butcan
bedone safely b yensuring thateach piece is held firmly
against thetable andfence. When thesawcomes u pto
speed ( about 1second) lower thearm smoothly and slowly
tocutthrough thewood. Lettheblade come toafullstop
before r aising a rm.
A crosscut is made bycutting w ood across t hegrain at
anyangle. Astraight crosscut ismade with themiter a rm
atthezero degree p osition. Setandlock themiter a rm at
zero, h old thewood firmly onthetable andagainst the
fence. With therail l ock knob tightened, turn onthesaw by
squeezing the trigger switch s hown i nFigure 4 .
When thesaw comes u ptospeed ( about 1second) lower
thearm smoothly and slowly t ocutthrough thewood. Let
theblade come toafullstop before r aising a rm.
Whencutting anything l arger t hana 2 x 8 (2 x 6 at
45 °miter) u seanout-down-back motion w ith theraillock
knob loosened. Pull t hesawout,toward y ou,lower t he
sawhead down toward t heworkpiece, andslowly push
thesawback tocomplete thecut. D onot a llow the sawto
contact the topoftheworkpiece while pulling o ut. T he saw
may runtoward y ou,possibly causing p ersonal injury or
damage totheworkpiece.
Note: T oprovide g reater crosscut capacity withreduced
stroke t heblade ontheDW718 e xtends deeper intothe
table. A sa result a greater lifting force ontheworkpiece
may beexperienced during t hecut.
CAUTION: Always use a work clamp to maintain control
and reduce the risk of workpiece damage and personal
injury.
NOTE: The rail lock knob shown in Figure 4 must be loose
to allow the saw to slide along its rails.
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 zero to 50 ° left or right.
Make the cut as described above.
When cutting wider workpieces wider than a 2 x 6 that are
shorter in length, always place the longer side against the
fence (Fig. 12).
BEVEL CUTS
A bevel cut is a crosscut made with the saw blade at an
angle to the wood. In order to set the bevel, loosen the
bevel lock handle, lift the bevel latch lever, Figure 4, and
move the sawto the left or right as desired. (It is necessary
to move the fence to allow clearance). Once the desired
bevel angle has been set, tighten the bevel clamp handle
firmly.
Bevel angles can be set from 48 ° right to48 ° left and can
be cut with the miter arm set between 50 ° right or 60° left.
At some extreme angles, the right or left side fence might
have to be removed. To remove the left or right fence,
unscrew the Fence Adjustment Knob several turns and
slide the fence out.
FIG. 11
FIG. 12
QUALITY OF CUT
The smoothness of any cut depends on a number of variables.
Things like 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
precision work, a sharp (60 tooth carbide) blade and a
slower, even cutting rate will produce the desired results.
Ensure that material does not creep while cutting, clamp it
securely in place. Always let the blade come to a full stop
before raising arm.
If small fibers of wood still split out at the rear of the work-
piece, stick a piece of masking tape on the wood where
the cut will be made. Saw through the tape and carefully
remove tape when finished.
For varied cutting applications, refer to the list of recom-
FIG. 13A
PROPER CUT
FIG. 13B
IMPROPER CUT
mended saw blades for your saw and select the one that
best fits your needs (page 5).
BODY AND HAND POSITION (FIG. 13A)
Proper positioning of your body and hands when operating
the miter saw will make cutting easier, more accurate and
safer. Never place hands near cutting area. Place hands
no closer than 6" (152.4 mm) from the blade. Hold the
workpiece tightly to the table and the fence when cutting.
Keep hands in position until the trigger has been released
and the blade has completely stopped. ALWAYS MAKE
DRY RUNS (UNPOWERED) BEFORE FINISH CUTS SO
THAT YOU CAN CHECK THE PATH OF THE BLADE. DO
NOT CROSS HANDS, AS SHOWN IN FIGURE 13B.
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