Dewalt 712

[Anonymous]

I am thinking of getting a 712, has anyone got any views. I am just starting to get a tool collection together and want to get the best I can afford and not have to upgrade later.
Is this a good one to start with and does it take a lot of setting up to cut mitres accurately.
Hope you can all help the new boy.
Cheers
G

 

[tx2man]

Hi Grumf,

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry, i can't tell you anything about the saw, but it would
be of high quality, as would the Electra Beckum's, Makita etc.
Best bet is to evaluate them in the flesh, either at your local
tool shop or at a ww show.

In the meantime, i'm sure when they've all had their beauty
sleep, someone will be along with a review.

TX

 

[Scott]

Grumf

I have a 712 and I LURVE it!! Admittedly I have no experience of other SCMS because this is the only one I've owned/used but I'm happy that I made a good choice.

What the mag reviews said about the saw seemed to be spot on. It's accurate and very well made.

i also have the extending stand thing and bought and 80 tooth blade for it.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Grumf

Welcome to the forum.

I don't have the 712, but if I was buying a mitre saw today, in that price bracket, I would look at the DW and the Makita.

As TX said, is there a tool shop near you so that you can see it in the flesh?

Also I found these topics when I did a search on the archives: -

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... 54&start=0

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... hlight=712

Cheers
Neil

 

[gav]

Hi,

Finally decided to delurk after some months as I found a posting I could potentially comment on.

I bought one of these a couple of years ago when building my garage ( a loose term as it was never likely to get a car in it) for the roof and internal studwork.

Its proved an excellent tool , I also purchased the stand at the same time which is great when not using it at the bench. Admittedly I haven't owned any others so can't compare.

 

[Aragorn]

Looks like the 712 is a good saw. In the same price range is the Makita LS1013 which is just fantastic.
Each machine has an advantage over the other as far as I can tell: The DWs advantage is that it mitres left/right to a higher angle (50º and 60º) useful if you regularly need to make tight mitre cuts or you make pieces with unusual angles. The Makita mitres left/right around 48-50º - has always been enough for my needs.
The Makita's advantage is that it bevels both ways 45+º. The DW only bevels one way. Personally I find a SCMS is only a useful tool to me if it bevels left and right, but frankly I didn't know this until I had one!
The Makita also has a greater depth of cut which I occasionally am very grateful for!

Either saw will make you happy! But if you regularly want to fit skirtings/dados etc I'd opt for the Makita becasue of it's double bevel.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi gav

Finally decided to delurk after some months as I found a posting I could potentially comment on.

Good to have you on board, welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Neil

 

[DemiFrog]

Hi Grumf & Gav, welcome aboard.

I bought DW712 last year and am very happy with it and have never regretted spending the money on-it. The only modification I have made was to purchase a fine cut blade for it.

It is so nice to cut mitres and bevels that meet up cleanly without any unsightly gaps.

Although it only bevels one way, it has a great system with fixed bevel positions (as well as variable of course), these bevel stops guarantee you will always cut the bevel the same way no matter how you adjust the saw in between.

The trench cutting facility is also a great. I too purchased the support that goes with it, expensive but practical.

The only critical point is the dust collection, a good majority is collected by the vac, but rest has a tendency to go everywhere and I do feel DW could have done a better job, saying this it does not put me off recommending this saw.

I did get to use a Performance Power Pro SCMS before purchasing the DW712, I was very disappointed and happy I got to try before buying. I had a little play with an EB KGS255 & KGS303 the sliding and mitre facilities were OK but I didn’t feel comfortable with the bevel adjustments. I got to try the DW712 “by accident”, I loved it immediately and bought one shortly afterwards.

I never tried the Makita’s, looking at the reviews on this site I would strongly suggest you check them out before making your decision.

As stated above "try before you buy” and with SCMS you get what you pay for.

Happy hunting.

Mike

 

[Scott]

Agree totally Mike. My only complaint is the dust extraction too!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply, I think it is now going to be the 712 but I will do a bit of research on the Makita LS1013.
Cheers
Grumf 8)

 

[Alf]

Probably best if I don't confuse things by mentioning the joys of the newest Bosch then... I was all set for the Makita, based on the recommendation of the members here, but the Bosch blew it out of the water. All the tools on board, larger fence area, all adjustments can be made from the front... heck, you can even adjust the handle. Lovely bit of kit. And actually the dust extraction isn't that bad either, for a SCMS. The DeWalt lost out on its rather weedy table area, IIRC. Just FWIW... :wink:

Oh, and welcome to the forum, and to Gav.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

:shock: DOH !
The only question would be, does the Bosch have the ability to do trenching the same as the others ?
Thanks for the welcome

 

[Alf]

It trenches as well, yep.

I'm so very sorry for mentioning it, I really am.... #-o :wink:

Cheers, Alf

 

[AndyBoyd]

I have a 712 with a replacement Freud blade, and it produces excellent results. But boy is it noisy. If I was buying one today I'd go for an Electra Beckum that has an induction motor (and the brake an an optional extra), keeps my ears happy and the neighbours sweet.

I added to my DW712 the side extensions, stop and workpiece clamp.
The extraction is poor as it is on most of these machines I have a large collection box at the back from which the extractor works. But it only gets about 20%!

p.s does anyone know of a quiet biscuit jointer, I love my Lamello classic but again this is as bad as the DW 712

 

[Aragorn]

Thanks for mentioning the Bosch Alf. I haven't looked at this saw in earnest before. (You haven't done a review anywhere have you? :wink
The table on the Bosch looks tiny from the pic (cf the Makita). Is this the case?
Also looks a bit plasticky/flimpsy? Is that the case at all?

What's the quality of cut like? And do you rate it for precision and holding its precision?

More info much welcomed!

 

[Alf]

Aargh, me and my big mouth... ](*,)

Very solid build, table larger than the EB and DeWally IIRC, easy adjustments, so far very precise, cut quality like glass. The only gripe I've had about it is the danger of spiking myself on the post of the clamp as the lever is engaged, but I don't see how else they'd have done it, so.... Of course all bets are off when you remember I've only had it since November, and I'm a long way away from a regular user. Probably the best recommendation I can give it is the fact it was one of Popular Woodworking's Tools of the year, along with the LV "low angle" jack and the L-N chisels. That pretty much clinched the sale as far as I was concerned; after all they picked my winners too. :wink:

Review? Are you kidding? I've been promising a bandsaw review since I had it, and that was two? three? years ago. Power tool reviews are not my thing; youse guys know much more than I do and you'll only find altogether too many holes in 'em. :lol:

Cheers, Alf

 

[Aragorn]

Thanks Alf. Useful stuff to know.
I'm hopefully years away from needing a new SCMS, but it's good to know how others are finding these new tools.

 

[dddd]

I've just bought a DW712 , love the saw, however I also wanted a work piece hold down for it as well so I bought one of these:

ebay link


Problem is, despite the fact it says it is compatable with the DW712 it doesn't seem to be a vertical hold down, more of a stop to butt work up against. Am I missing something or have I just bought the wrong thing.

 

[Woody Alan]

I have to say it looks like a work hold down are you sure you are putting it in the vertical hole to the left of the blade behind the vertical fence?

Alan

 

[dddd]

Yes, unfortunately it was more to do with my stupidity I'm afraid, I was expecting a slightly more accurate hole and maybe a tightening screw or something to hold it in place. However it seems you drop the main bar into the hole and then rotate it 180 degrees to lock it in place (and I'm using lock in a very loose (excuse the pun) way here). It still snags the sliding fence section on the left hand side which is a bit odd I thought, so that has to be moved out of the way before you can use the clamp. Not really fitting I thought for a saw of this price but hey as long as it works I'm happy. Other than that I'm loving it.