8
English
Bevel Cuts (Fig. A)
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
11
and move the saw to the left as desired. (It is necessary
to move the sliding 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° right to 48° left and can be cut with the miter arm set between
zero and 50° right or left. Ensure the sliding fence has been adjusted properly. When cutting left
bevel, or right miter compound cuts, it will be necessary to remove the adjustable fence
10
.
Quality of cut
The smoothness of any cut depends on a number of things contributing to the quality of the cut
are: material being cut, blade type, blade sharpness and rate of cut all contribute to the quality of
the cut.
When smoothest cuts are desired for molding and other precision work, a sharp (60–80 tooth
carbide) blade and a slower, even cutting rate will produce the desired results.
Ensure that material does not creep while cutting. Clamp it securely in place. Always let the blade
come to a full stop before raising arm.
If small fibers of wood still split out at the rear of the workpiece, apply a piece of masking tape on
the wood where the cut will be made. Saw through the tape and carefully remove tape when the
cut is finished.
For varied cutting applications, refer to the list of recommended saw blades for your saw and
select the one that best fits your needs. Refer to
Saw Blades
under
Accessories
for correct
saw blade.
Clamping the Workpiece (Fig. A)
WARNING: To reduce the risk of serious personal injury, turn off the tool and
disconnect it from the power source before attempting to move it, change
accessories or make any adjustments.
WARNING:
A workpiece that is clamped, balanced and secure before a cut may become
unbalanced after a cut is completed. An unbalanced load may tip the saw or anything the
saw is attached to, such as a table or workbench. When making a cut that may become
unbalanced, properly support the workpiece and ensure the saw is firmly bolted to a stable
surface. Personal injury may occur.
WARNING:
The clamp foot must remain clamped above the base of the saw whenever the
clamp is used. Always clamp the workpiece to the base of the saw–not to any other part of
the work area. Ensure the clamp foot is not clamped on the edge of the base of the saw.
CAUTION:
Always use a work clamp to maintain control and reduce the risk of workpiece
damage and personal injury.
If you cannot secure the workpiece on the table and against the fence by hand, (irregular shape,
etc.) or your hand would be less than 4" (100 mm) from the blade, a clamp or other fixture should
be used.
For best results use the vertical material clamp
19
provided with your saw. Additional DW7090
clamps can be purchased at your local retailer or
D
e
WALT
service center.
Other aids such as spring clamps, bar clamps or C-clamps may be appropriate for certain sizes
and shapes of material. Use care in selecting and placing these clamps. Take time to make a dry
run before making the cut. The left fence will slide from side to side to aid in clamping.
To Install Clamp (Fig. A)
1. Insert the vertical material clamp
19
into one of the four clamp mounting holes
15
on
the base.
2. Lifting up on the arm of the clamp can rapidly adjust the height, then use the fine adjust
knob to firmly clamp the workpiece.
nOTE:
Place the clamp on the opposite side of the base when beveling. ALWAYS MAKE DRY
RUNS (UNPOWERED) BEFORE FINISH CUTS TO CHECK THE PATH OF THE BLADE. ENSURE THE
CLAMP DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH THE ACTION OF THE SAW OR GUARDS.
WARNING:
A workpiece that is clamped, balanced and secure before a cut may become
unbalanced after a cut is completed. An unbalanced load may tip the saw or anything the
saw is attached to, such as a table or workbench. When making a cut that may become
unbalanced, properly support the workpiece and ensure the saw is firmly bolted to a
stable surface.
WARNING:
The clamp foot must remain clamped above the base of the saw whenever the
clamp is used. Always clamp the workpiece to the base of the saw–not to any other part of
the work area. Ensure the clamp foot is not clamped on the edge of the base of the saw.
Support for Long Pieces
WARNING: To reduce the risk of serious personal injury, turn off the tool and
disconnect it from the power source before attempting to move it, change
accessories or make any adjustments.
ALWAYS SUPPORT LONG PIECES.
Never use another person as a substitute for a table extension; as additional support for a
workpiece that is longer or wider than the basic miter saw table or to help feed, support or pull
the workpiece.
For best results, use the DWX723, DWX724, DWX725B or DWX726 miter saw stand to extend the
table width of your saw. These are available from your dealer at extra cost.
Support long workpieces using any convenient means such as sawhorses or similar devices to
keep the ends from dropping.
Cutting Picture Frames, Shadow Boxes and Other Four-Sided
Projects (Fig. P)
To best understand how to make the items listed here, we suggest that you try a few simple
projects using scrap wood until you develop a “FEEL” for your saw.
Your saw is the perfect tool for mitering corners like the one shown in Figure P. Sketch A in
Figure P shows a joint made by using the bevel adjustment to bevel the edges of the two boards
at 45° each to produce a 90° miter corner. For this joint the miter arm was locked in the zero
position and the bevel adjustment was locked at 45°. The wood was positioned with the broad
flat side against the table and the narrow edge against the fence. The cut could also be made by
mitering right and left with the broad surface against the fence.
Cutting Trim Molding and Other Frames (Fig. P)
Sketch B in Figure P shows a joint made by setting the miter arm at 45° to miter the two boards
to form a 90° corner. To make this type of joint, set the bevel adjustment to zero and the miter
arm to 45°. Once again, position the wood with the broad flat side on the table and the narrow
edge against the fence.
The two sketches in Figure P are for four sided objects only.
As the number of sides changes, so do the miter and bevel angles. The chart below gives the
proper angles for a variety of shapes. The chart assumes that all sides are of equal length. For a
shape that is not shown in the chart, use the following formula. 180° divided by the number of
sides equals the miter or bevel angle.
EXAMPLES
No. Sides
Angle Miter or Bevel
4
45°
5
36°
6
30°
7
25.7°
8
22.5°
9
20°
10
18°
Fig. P
A
B
Cutting Compound Miters (Fig. Q, R)
A compound miter is a cut made using a miter angle and a bevel angle at the same time. This is
the type of cut used to make frames or boxes with slanting sides like the one shown in Figure Q.
nOTE:
If the cutting angle varies from cut to cut, check that the bevel clamp knob and the miter
lock knob are securely tightened. These knobs must be tightened after making any changes in
bevel or miter.
The chart (Table 1) will assist you in selecting the proper bevel and miter settings for common
compound miter cuts. To use the chart, select the desired angle “A” (Figure R) of your project and
locate that angle on the appropriate arc in the chart. From that point follow the chart straight
down to find the correct bevel angle and straight across to find the correct miter angle.
Set your saw to the prescribed angles and make a few trial cuts. Practice fitting the cut pieces
together until you develop a feel for this procedure and feel comfortable with it.
EXAMPlE:
To make a 4 sided box with 26° exterior angles (Angle A, Figure R), use the upper right
arc. Find 26° on the arc scale. Follow the horizontal intersecting line to either side to get miter
angle setting on saw (42°). Likewise, follow the vertical intersecting line to the top or bottom to
get the bevel angle setting on the saw (18°). Always try cuts on a few scrap pieces of wood to
verify settings on saw.
Fig. Q
Fig. R
Angle A
Miter Scale (Fig. A)
The miter scale
7
is used when calculating angles. To calculate the proper miter angle, divide
180° by the number of sides of the box or frame. Refer to
Examples
.
