Guard Actuation And Visibility; Automatic Electric Brake; Brushes; Operation - DeWalt DW703 Instruction Manual

close to the blade as practical to provide maximum
workpiece support, without interfering with arm up &
down movement. Tighten knob securely. When the bevel
operations are complete, don't forget to relocate the
fence to the right.

GUARD ACTUATION AND VISIBILITY

The blade guard on your saw has been designed to
automatically raise when the arm is brought down and to
lower over the blade when the arm is raised.
The guard can be raised by hand when installing or
removing saw blades or for inspection of the saw. NEVER
RAISE THE BLADE GUARD MANUALLY UNLESS THE
SAW IS TURNED OFF.
NOTE: Certain special cuts will require that you manually
raise the guard. See section on cutting base molding up to
3-1/2" high (page 8).
The front section of the guard is louvered for visibility while
cutting. Although the louvers dramatically reduce flying
debris, they are openings in the guard and safety glasses
should be worn at all times when viewing through the
louvers.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC BRAKE

Your saw is equipped with an automatic electric blade
brake which stops the saw blade within 5 seconds of
trigger release. This is not adjustable.
On occasion, there may be a delay after trigger release to
brake engagement. On rare occasions, the brake may
not engage at all and the blade will coast to a stop.
If a delay or "skipping" occurs, turn the saw on and off 4
or 5 times. If the condition persists, have the tool serviced
by an authorized D WALT service center.
E
Always be sure the blade has stopped before removing it
from the kerf. The brake is not a substitute for guards or
for ensuring your own safety by giving the saw your
complete attention.

Brushes

DISCONNECT PLUG FROM POWER SUPPLY
Inspect carbon brushes regularly by unplugging tool,
removing the motor end cap, (Figure 3) removing the
brush cap and withdrawing the brush assembly. Keep
brushes clean and sliding freely in their guides. Always
replace a used brush in the same orientation in the holder
as it was prior to its removal. Use only identical D
brushes. Use of the correct grade of brush is essential for
proper operation of electric brake. New brush assemblies
are available at D WALT service centers. The tool should
E
be allowed to "run in" (run at no load) for 10 minutes
before use to seat new brushes. The electric brake may
be erratic in operation until the brushes are properly
seated (worn in).
While "running in" DO NOT TIE, TAPE, OR OTHERWISE
LOCK THE TRIGGER SWITCH ON. HOLD BY HAND
ONLY.

Operation

Plug the saw into any household 60 Hz power source.
Refer to the nameplate for voltage. Be sure the cord will
not interfere with your work.

SWITCH

To turn the saw on, depress the trigger switch shown in
Figure 14. To turn the tool off, release the switch. There is
no provision for locking the switch on, but a hole is
provided in the trigger for insertion of a padlock to lock the
saw off.

CUTTING WITH YOUR SAW

NOTE: Although this saw will cut wood and many non-
ferrous materials, we will limit our discussion to the cutting
of wood only. The same guidelines apply to the other
materials. DO NOT CUT FERROUS (IRON AND STEEL)
MATERIALS OR MASONRY WITH THIS SAW. Do not
use any abrasive blades.

CROSSCUTS

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. A crosscut is made by cutting
wood across the grain at any angle. A straight crosscut is
made with the miter arm at the zero degree position. Set
the miter arm at zero, hold the wood on the table and firmly
against the fence. Turn on the saw by squeezing the
trigger switch shown in Figure 14.
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 arm.
Miter crosscuts are made with the miter arm at some angle
other than zero. This angle is often 45 degrees for making
corners, but can be set anywhere from zero to 50 degrees
left or right. After selecting the desired miter angle, be sure
to tighten the miter clamp knob. Make the cut as described
above.

BEVEL CUTS

A bevel cut is a crosscut made with the saw blade at a
bevel to the wood. In order to set the bevel, loosen the
bevel clamp knob and move the saw to the left as desired.
(It is necessary to move the left side of the fence to
allow clearance). Once the desired bevel angle has
been set, tighten the bevel clamp knob firmly.
Bevel angles can be set from 3 degrees right to
WALT
E
48 degrees left and can be cut with the miter arm set
between zero and 50 degrees right or left. Ensure the
fence has been adjusted properly. When cutting left
bevel, or right miter compound cuts, it will be necessary
to remove the adjustable fence.

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.
FIG. 8
FIG. 9
ADJUSTMENT SCREW
FIG. 10
6
(three of these)
MITER LATCH
MITER
SCALE
POINTER
MITER
SCALE
MITER
CLAMP
KNOB