Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

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558
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #30,013 most helpful out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★★
Pleasantly surprised...
I have been woodworking for a long time. I've always struggled with breaking down plywood using my cabinet saw. I usually work alone and lack sufficient space for out-feed accessory tables, etc. When I do ask for help from my family while cutting sheet goods, there is usually an issue resulting in a bad cut. I was skeptical a 6 1/2 blade on a circular saw could produce an acceptable quality cut. I was wrong. The saw is terrific breaking down sheet goods. It has lots of power and makes terrific cuts. I bought a sheet of 1.5" insulation board to use as a sacrificial surface. I lay the plywood on it and make my cuts. It's easy, quick and accurate. The other use is to put a straight edge on rough hardwood lumber. I built a jig so I could do this on the table saw but the track saw handles this so much more easily. Out of the box: The saw is solid and well-made. The instructions were a bit disjointed. There was an odd booklet attached to the saw handle that was presumably intended as a quick start guide. It had no text, only illustrations. The initial set up involves tightening the saw guides to remove any wiggle between the base of the saw and the track. Next, you start the saw and run down the track to trim the rubber strip that acts as a zero clearance insert would on a table saw to prevent splintering. It also trims the track to the exact line of the saw cut. That's it! It took about two minutes. I ended up watching a YouTube video to learn the setup process because DeWalt tried to make the documentation too simple for a simple guy like me to decipher. I love the saw. The plunge mechanism is like 'buttah'. I purchased two sections of track and the accessory required to join them. This is a $20 accessory not included with the saw or track. Amazon didn't sell it when I bought the saw or when I composed this review. I had a difficult time finding one. I think you may be better off buying the 102" track to cut full sheets of plywood along with the 59". The saw doesn't pass smoothly over the joint in the track (sticks a bit). Although it has not affected the cut, I'm afraid the track will move when I nudge the saw to get it past the joint. I have to keep an allen wrench in my pocket to put the track together and take it apart for various cuts. It's a bit of a pain and could benefit from some design improvement. The tool simplifies things so much, however, even with the issue with joining track it's still much better and easier than using a table saw. I also purchased the accessory clamps. You don't need them to cut material that is lying flat. The track stays put with friction alone. If you need to cut vertical surfaces or require a little 'insurance' while cutting expensive material, the clamps are for you. I saw a video of someone using the saw to trim the bottom of a door without removing it. They clamped the track onto the door and cut it right there. UPDATE: I've been using the saw for over a year. It still works great and I've had zero issues with it or the tracks. I've found it makes cutting sheet goods for cabinet boxes so much easier than using a table saw. I still love it! I also noticed a some people thought the review I wrote above wasn't helpful. I'm a little surprised because I tried to provide useful information. I often depend on these reviews to make my own purchase decisions. That's why I bother to write them. Is it the case the review I wrote wasn't useful or did you simply disagree my review or dislike DeWalt tools? Curious...
April 2012 · Tools and Home Improvement · verified purchase
the product in question
DEWALT 7-1/4-Inch Circular Saw, 15-Amp, Worm Drive, Corded (DWS535B)
4.8★ · 943 ratings, as of 2023
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