DeWalt table saws – DWE7491RS vs DWE 7485

[Charles P. Wright]

In my shop I have a Sawstop PCS, but I bought a 7485 for working on my rental houses. I ripped a little bit of hardwood flooring with it, plenty of 3/4" smart side or trim, and some 2x softwood lumber. I do like the fence system and that it is compact and light.

[Patty Hann]

Hi Dick...
I just came across this... I just received a Dewalt 7480 for Christmas
NIB... had been stored unopened in relative's garage for years and I "inherited" it when it was decided that it was cluttering up the garage.
It's a jobsite saw, yes, but some folks can't afford anything more whether due to [lack of] shekels or floor space; in my case, both.

Already bought a new blade for it (Diablo 10" 40T multipurpose) and am using a friend's shop to make a maple zero clearance blade insert.
Just finished a stand for it and am starting to make the the infeed/outfeed tables.
I also want upgrade/reinforce the fence and your plans would be a big help.

Thanks ---patty

[Dick Mahany]

Hi Dick...
I just came across this... I just received a Dewalt 7480 for Christmas
NIB... had been stored unopened in relative's garage for years and I "inherited" it when it was decided that it was cluttering up the garage.
It's a jobsite saw, yes, but some folks can't afford anything more whether due to [lack of] shekels or floor space; in my case, both.

Already bought a new blade for it (Diablo 10" 40T multipurpose) and am using a friend's shop to make a maple zero clearance blade insert.
Just finished a stand for it and am starting to make the the infeed/outfeed tables.
I also want upgrade/reinforce the fence and your plans would be a big help.

Thanks ---patty

Sent you a PM

[Bob Goodwin]

I can't comment on the 7485, however I purchased the 7491RS to rip face frames. I also grew tired of ripping face frames with my track saw and no longer have the room for a cabinet saw. The 7491RS has been great for that purpose. I have never used the stock blade. I use Forrest full kerf blades from my old unisaw and the DeWalt spins it fine. I have only ripped 5/4 maple and walnut, however the saw did fine.

I added a tall, long auxiliary fence that simply clamps to the OEM fence and am happy with the results. Pic below.

Many have discussed the tradeoffs with portable job site saws and their points are valid. I was initially discouraged about the 7491RS but purchased one anyway. Glad I did. It is way more capable than many unfamiliar with this model claim.

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Bought a DW 7485 the other day (cheaping out from spending the money on the 7491). Was having second thoughts and went through all the reviews (AGAIN) and ran across this forum.

Just returned a DW 7485 and picked up a 7491RS. (Unboxing it now) I would also love to have a set of drawings for your auxiliary fence if I could.

[al ladd]

A minority plug for the smaller saw -DW7485....made smaller to meet code issues around ratio of infeed space to blade size I believe. Since these saws are underpowered for many purposes, and the smaller saw has the same motor as the bigger ones, you get more power with a smaller blade, and you're not tempted to put a bigger blade on because you can't. You can still put a box makers blade set with a 3/8" kerf on the smaller saw (with slight modification of a plastic guard that otherwise prevents you from doing so!). And the smaller saw is really easy to transport. Most of the workings , fence, etc, are identical to the bigger one...

See here for more on the advantage of smaller blades:https://info.lagunatools.com/the-man...your-table-saw

[Bob Goodwin]

A minority plug for the smaller saw -DW7485....made smaller to meet code issues around ratio of infeed space to blade size I believe. Since these saws are underpowered for many purposes, and the smaller saw has the same motor as the bigger ones, you get more power with a smaller blade, and you're not tempted to put a bigger blade on because you can't. You can still put a box makers blade set with a 3/8" kerf on the smaller saw (with slight modification of a plastic guard that otherwise prevents you from doing so!). And the smaller saw is really easy to transport. Most of the workings , fence, etc, are identical to the bigger one...

See here for more on the advantage of smaller blades:https://info.lagunatools.com/the-man...your-table-saw

I read the article and it doesn’t seem to agree with anything else that I have come across.