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Thread: DeWalt 12 inch miter saw miter cuts are off.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    Youngstown, Ohio
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    26

    DeWalt 12 inch miter saw miter cuts are off.

    When cutting 6 inch wide boards for a jewelry box, my miters are off almost 0.025 thousands. Replace trunion and pin to no avail.. Armature bearings are tight and can't figure whats wrong. Saw is set at 90 degrees ( motor unplugged) and slowly bring the arm down, it goes off about 0.06 degrees. Not good for miters.
    Dewalt says take to their repair shop. Has anyone had this problem? Thanks.

  2. #2
    It’s a miter saw and a 12” blade at that. If you can get dead nuts miters off any 12” mitersaw well you a wizard.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    Peoria, IL
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    Agree with Patrick, 12" miter saws are for building decks and not precision joinery. I use a tablesaw sled for box making. Could be your blade is dull too. Switch to a new blade and see what happens.

  4. #4
    Is this a new problem? Did it ever cut better than this? If not, taking it in for service may not help.

    It doesnt fix your saw, but it would fix your miters - you could cut the miter on your cms, then use a hand plane and homemade shooting board to dial-in the miter. I have a 12" cms and routinely do it this way.

    Hope you get it solved.
    Fred
    Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 06-27-2020 at 4:15 PM.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
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    Piercefield, NY
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    I cut miters on the bandsaw mostly, but it's the same principle. I always seem to have to do a little extra work to fit them exactly, and I use the 12" disc sander on a Shopsmith for the job.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
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    Modesto, CA, USA
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    I pull the handle to one side as I cut otherwise it can go either way a fraction. If it is consistent you need to adjust the angle stop and/or clean the mating surfaces. They often get gunked up or rusted.
    Bil lD.

  7. #7
    I was using my 12" DeWalt CMS for picture framing and needed the cuts to be accurate and they were not. What I did was take a scrap piece of 1/4" MDF and hot glued it to the table and adhered sandpaper strips to it, clear of the blade, under where the workpiece would be. Problem solved.
    It appears that what was happening to me was slight movement of the workpiece affecting the cut accuracy. The sandpaper sub-top firmly held the workpiece from moving. When done, just pop off the sub-top and remove any hot glue with denatured alcohol.
    Hope this helps you, but if it's a dead end, at least it will be a cheap and quick one.
    Edwin

  8. #8
    I've gotten in the habit of touching up my CMS cuts with a shooting board. It takes an extra couple minutes, but they are dead on.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Between No Where & No Place ,WA
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    "I've gotten in the habit of touching up my CMS cuts with a shooting board."
    --C. McGuire

    BINGO!

  10. #10
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    This is a common problem. There are some folks who claim suitable accuracy from a chop saw. I use one every couple of years to trim out a bathroom or kitchen and they are great for that. A well aligned, good quality tablesaw is king for accuracy IMHO.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  11. #11
    I agree with a tablesaw sled.

    However I’m curious. I have run into a number of occasions where I shoot board seems appropriate.

    My question is how do you get exact length matching parts as to obtain perfectly square. All I can figure is count cut everything together with a scale on whatever saw them count your strokes. Or get one end good then like any other saw make or set a stop for and or on the shoot board..

    I’m talking like exact as if off a machine calibrated properly. Not good enough for for exact..

  12. #12
    I've had good luck using coarser saw,slowly. Helps make up for the fact that one side of saw is cutting with grain, while
    other side is cutting against.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
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    2,280
    I've never got accurate cuts on my DeWalt. I now use an Incra 1000HD to cut shorter pieces. Since it has a stop I can cut the exact same length pieces easily. If I have to use my CMS I make a full length line and Just apply sideways pressure to get the saw to follow the line. Years ago I had a 15" Makita non compound or sliding miter saw that was extremely accurate. But it was mostly steel and weighed a ton. Setting it up to use was more of a pain so I gave it away. I do miss it.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Walsh View Post
    It’s a miter saw and a 12” blade at that. If you can get dead nuts miters off any 12” mitersaw well you a wizard.
    The OP doesn’t say _which_ miter saw it is. The cuts from my DW780 are dead nuts square, as far as the eye can see without a loupe. So the saw is capable of that with proper setup, and I don’t think I’m a wizard, last time I checked (although doors still do open before me sometimes if I hold my hand out.)

  15. #15
    Saiz right in the title “Dewalt 12” mitersaw”.....
    Or maybe I have lost my mind.

    But if you wanna argue I got time today.

    I’m kidding but,

    I’ve been building crap with miter saws for 20-25 years. I’ve never gotten reliable repeatable cuts at 90% both plumb and cross in any material I throw at the saw ever on either side of the fence.

    Here and there maybe, but if you did or do great, but it has not been my experience and it’s pretty much common knowledge of anyone who builds stuff for a living that chop/miter saws are notoriously unreliable for reliable perfect cuts at any angle.

    But again if you are doing it my opinion would be Your one of the lucky ones. Or you got bad eyes or low expectations or you dropped your square one to many times...

    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Dawson View Post
    The OP doesn’t say _which_ miter saw it is. The cuts from my DW780 are dead nuts square, as far as the eye can see without a loupe. So the saw is capable of that with proper setup, and I don’t think I’m a wizard, last time I checked (although doors still do open before me sometimes if I hold my hand out.)
    Last edited by Patrick Walsh; 06-28-2020 at 6:25 PM.

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