New Dewalt DW746x - What needs to be done?

[David Gage]

Hello,

I just purchased a floor model Dewalt DW746x from Lowes for $649, which is $250 off list. It doesn't have a manual so I don't know if anything needs to be done before starting it up and verifying the motor works. I also don't know if I have all the parts or not as there were a couple loose parts and a wrench. Anyone with information on this saw or the manual in electronic form? I am getting a manual sent to me but it will probably take a week or two.

This is my first big woodworking power tool purchase.

What sort of upgrades would you recommend? Is it worth it to upgrade to a WWII or is a $50 Freud good enough? Blade balancers? Should I upgrade the belt? What sort of measuring equipment should I get to tune up the saw?

I can't wait to start playing (I mean being serious) with it. I am so sick of trying to make straight cuts with a circular saw.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

David

[mel]

When I got mine it was in a box and required assembly and adjustments. Chances are yours was just put together to display and not even close to being tuned.

a manual follow the steps for step up

[Bob Davis]

David,

I'm lucky I didn't kill myself the first two months of use with my table saw. From a safety point of view, I think its a crime to sell one of the most dangerous tools in the shop with some kind of safety instruction or information. I received a read push stick and a smile with my table saw.

If you don't have much table saw experience, I urge you to get a table saw book with information on safety. Not only is a tablesaw safer when you have some extras, but the quality of cuts goes way up. Here are some things that I learned about the hard way.

1. Some kind of outfeed support. My first outfeed support was a sawhorse with a custom wood box sitting on top of it.
2. Featherboards, Board Buddies, Grip-tites, or some other form of securing wood when ripping.

Do you have eye protection? I wear a full face shield. At least get some good safety glasses.

There's tons of information on the internet about jigs, fixtures, techniques, and shortcuts. Some of them are ingenuous and don't cost much. There are some good books devoted to this topic.

Bob

[Weldon Wilson]

Got to:

register. Yoy'll find lots of useful info including videos showing how to setup/repair your saw. Search through their technical publications to find your saw and you'll get a long list of available info. I'll email a copy of the manual to you (PDF file, about 1.4Mb)

I upgraded the belt to a link belt and the saw deinitely runs smoother with the new belt.

Lots of people have been recommending the ts-aligner; I just use a cheap dial indicator.

I found the Dewalt sawblade that came with the saw varies from side to side by about .004" so I just ordered a blade trueing disk from Lee Valley.

You may need to use shims to get the fence 90 degrees to the table. On mine, it need .015" at the bolt on the front side and .010 at the bolt on the far side.

Weldon

[Weldon Wilson]

David,

Tried to e-mail a copy of the manual to you but your e-mail address doesn't work.

Weldon

[David Gage]

Weldon,

Thanks for trying to send me a copy of the manual. There was a limit of 1 MB per mail but I upped that to 2 MB. Please try to send it again.

David

[David Gage]

Bob,

Thanks for the most important information for any new table saw owner. I have actually been using power tools including Delta Unisaws since I was a kid. My dad was in the Army and it was great being able to use the outstanding base facilities. However, it has been over 10 years since I have used a table saw so I have to reaquaint myself to proper safety. And introduce myself to purchasing safety mechanisms that were provided by the base facilities.

I have two table saw books that I will have to read again before I start working with my saw. Table Saw Techniques by Cliffe and The Table Saw Book by Mehler.

And thanks for the reminder of picking up the featherboards and grip-tites.

And of course, I use eye protection. I do that when working with my power hand tools and I usually wear a dust mask as well. I especially use a good dust mask when working with MDF.

Thanks again for taking the time to give me great information.

David

[David Gage]

I'll say. I went to turn it on today to make sure it at least works and my pre-flight check found that there wasn't even a belt attached. Oh well, I guess the link belt is no longer an upgrade. :) But at least the motor sounded nice and smooth.

David

[David Gage]

Thanks to Mel and Weldon, I was able to download a lot of good information and videos about the Dewalt DW746x but they don't offer the manual. I would really appreciate it if you could send me a copy of the manual Weldon.

As I mentioned to Mel, I did a pre-flight check of the saw before turning it on and found there wasn't even a belt on it. Oh well, I was probably going to upgrade to a link belt anyway. The motor did sound nice and smooth though.

I have read about the TS Aligner Jr. before and have read several positive reviews all over rec.woodworking and the web. I decided to go ahead and purchase it with one of their 45° triangles and one of their 6" squares.

I will probably order the blade truing disc to use with my Dewalt blade but I will probably get a Forrest WWII for when I make nice furniture although that might be a couple months away. I have to build a workbench and router table first.

Thanks for the reminder about the shims. I will probably order a small set from Mr. Shims (mrshims.com).

Thanks again for all of the great information. I have been a lurker on the board for quite a while and for the most part everyone is nice and helpful.

David

[Weldon Wilson]

Hi David,

I just tried sending the manual again. It hasn't bounced back as undeliverable yet so I'm hoping it went through. The manual is available in Dewalt's ServiceNet site. You find it using the search string DW746; if you use DW746X, it won't show up in the list. :-)

Weldon

[David Gage]

Weldon,

I received your email. Thanks for sending it. Of course, it sure doesn't make sense for the manual to not also be listed under DW746X. But now I know. Thanks again.

David

[Bob Davis]

Man, I wish I had a guy with your experience to just spend an hour with me going over the fundamentals when I started.

I own a Grip-Tite 2000 system (metal fence, 2 Grip-tites, rollers) and two Grrippers. I worship the guy that invented Grip-tite system. It is everything he says it is. I like the Grippers, also, but I will never use them 'walking' one of the other for ripping. It requires too much coordination and concentration. I do think using one for small pieces is great.

Thanks, Bob