Yesterday, I talked about some new tool brand discounts that popped up on Amazon for the 2016 Father’s day holiday shopping season.
I caught wind of a couple more, and added to that post. But since you probably won’t check that post again after reading it, I figured I’d make the additions known in a separate followup as well.
Advertisement
All of the same fine print applies: the discounts appear in your cart automatically at checkout, there are usually some tool exclusions, and the tools must be sold and must ship from Amazon directly and not 3rd party sellers.
Bostitch: $20 off $100, exp. 6/19/2016
Porter Cable: $20 off $100, exp. 6/19/2016
Hitachi: $25 off $100 select tools, exp. 6/19/2016
Ingersoll Rand: 15% off select air & power tools, exp. 6/11/2016
Gerber: $10 off $50, exp. 6/19/2016
Here are 2 product-specific deals:
Buy a Dewalt DWS780 miter saw, get a free miter saw stand ($199 value)
Advertisement
Here’s more on the Dewalt DWS780, a quite nice miter saw with excellent blade shadow cut line guidance system.
Dewalt DCD771 drill kit promo is back. This entry-level drill kit is just $99, with some tradeoffs. If it interests you, please take a look at our best cordless drills under $100 buying guide.
Do you know of any other Father’s Day promos worth sharing?
Ellis
Good people, I need some advice. I’m retired military and now spend my time on DiY and other little home projects. I’ve never owned a miter saw and was looking at DW715. Now I see DW780 is on sale for similar price. Anyone have experience with these and recommendations/preferences?
fred
Both are 12 inch-blade saws – which you may / may not need. Maybe a 10 inch saw would fit your needs just as well.
You may find that the blade that comes with the saw is not up to your needs relative to smooth cuts. If you then switch to my favorites – Forrest Mitermaster or Chopmaster you will have to spend a little bit more for the 12 inch versus the 10 inch. The same is probably true for a high quality Freud blade
The DW715 would seem to be a well-rated fixed single bevel saw – while the DW780 is a slider. When I retired in 2012 – I no longer had access to a lot of machinery, saws etc. My home basement shop old Unisaw was still my main tool – but my old Craftsman RAS was not up to snuff. I was anticipating (did not realize how much) being called upon to do remodeling at my home and at my kids homes. I wanted a miter saw and portable table saw that I could put in the pickup. I looked at saws from Bosch, Dewalt, Fesstool, Hitachi and Makita. The only thing I recall about the Dewalt saws I looked at was that the sliding along the rails was not very smooth. I ended up with the Bosch GCM12SD on a gravity-rise stand that I had experience with when working – very smooth action – easy to snug against a wall – but very heavy to move around and transport. Having bought a lot of miter saws for commercial use – over the years (Hitachi then Makita then Bosch) – my take is that the perfect saw has yet to have been made – but if you can try some out and/or read between the lines of online reviews – you should be able to get something that works well and fits your budget. Good Luck.
Stuart
As mentioned in our holiday miter saw deal post, https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/black-friday-2015-miter-saw-deals/%3C/a%3E , the DW715 is less featured than the DWS780, and also only has a single bevel design; the DWS has a double bevel design, XPS cut line guidance system, and greater capacity.
DW715 capacity is 8″ at 90°.
DWS780 capacity is 16″ at 90°.
The DWS780 is a sliding miter saw, the DW715 is not, making it smaller, lighter, and less complex.
Later this morning there will be another post about the DWS780 and free miter saw stand promo. Ignoring that promo, the DW715 is $229, and the DWS780 $599, so there’s a huge gap in price.
Will you need the DWS780’s higher capacity? Do you want a long miter saw stand? Is the DWS780 within your budget?
Ellis
Stuart, thanks for defining the products in practicality. I can appreciate that as I’m very stingy with my money. I don’t like wasting it on garbage products, but by the same token, I don’t want to buy what I don’t Need. Of course, the biggest issue is the price. So, with that 780 price I’ll likely try to get a miter saw and put the difference towards a decent table saw.
Stuart
You’re welcome, glad to help, it’s what I’m here for!
Dewalt does make an XPS LED system add-on, but I remember hearing some compatibility complaints with newer DW715 models.
The DW715 is a very well recommended saw. The DWS780 has advantages, but it costs more than twice as much.
I agree with you – putting the same money towards a miter saw and table saw will be better than just having the miter saw.
There’s also the choice between 10″ and 12″ models. I like 10″ saws, but you do get greater cutting capacity with the 12″ compared to 10, and for around the same money (maybe $10 more).
If in your shoes, I would only consider a 10″ miter saw if size and weight were a big concern, or if I planned to buy a whole lot of specialty cross-cutting saw blades that I also wanted to use on a table saw for similar types of cuts.
Jimmie
Don’t be afraid to look into factory-refurbished miter saws, especially if you’re looking to buy a Dewalt saw, as a way to get more saw for your money. Some years ago I bought a refurb DW716 and the only noticeable external difference versus a new saw was the “R” that Dewalt engraved on the housing. The saw itself appeared unused with no scratches or residual sawdust anywhere.
Not sure how other manufacturers handle refurbishment but I’ve had good luck from Dewalt (I have a DW716R miter saw and a DW734R planer…both were good-as-new when I received them).
Ellis
Jimmie,
What’s the best way you’ve been able to do research and purchase refurbished Dewalt products?
Alex
CPO Dewalt has refurbished saws….
Joe
Lowe’s has the 12″ Sliding Hitachi C12RSH for $449 with a free rolling miter saw stand (valued at $139) right now.
Paul
Awesome deal! I have looked at other 12″ slides and you just can’t beat the price for this quality. Most others are about $150 more and with a free stand it becomes a no brainer for me. You Know It!!
Ellis
Thanks for the great feedback so far. It’s crazy the amount of value that experience (put into words) has.
Ah, I misread the initial post and saw the $199 (saw stand). Yes, the 780 would probably be out of my budget for a single item. With the difference, I will likely look into getting a decent table saw.
(All I have is a Craftsman 10″ 3HP that I got from a yard sale. It’s on a stand that scares the shit out of me every time I use it.) A couple of people recommended building my own saw stand/table.)
Any recommendations on table saw would be great as well.
Stuart
Dewalt saws are very good, and I also like Bosch’s.
Around holiday season times, the older DW745 goes on sale. The newer model, DWE7480, is priced a bit higher.
The DW745 is on sale now for $299.
The DWE7480 is $379, or $399 with a stand.
fred
I don’t know what Craftsman saw you have – but is it the saw or the stand (or both) that scare you – and why? If its an older contractor style saw – it may not have a convenient-to-use blade guard and splitter. Most newer jobsite saws come with industry standard split blade guards, anti-kickback pawls and a riving knife rather than a splitter. Safer designs – but only as safe as the worker who is using the saw and how attentive and well trained they are. So if your uncomfortable with using a table saw – maybe you should seek out some training. You also probably have heard that the Bosch REAXX saw is promised to hit the market soon – to compete with the Sawstop jobsite saw. If you want the added safety of flesh-sensing then you might want to wait – but the price will be significantly higher than buying the Bosch 4100 that I use (on a gravity rise stand) or one of the well thought of Dewalt jobsite saws. Like I said in my reply above – but even more so with a table saw – you probably will want to save the stock blade for rough cutting – and invest in a high quality 10 inch blade from Forrest, Freud, Tenryu etc. In looking at a jobsite saw – you may also want to see how good the fence is (Bosch and Makita are OK IMO) – some Dewalts are better. If you will want to use a 8 inch (or even 6 inch) dado stack – you will want to check out the arbor length and the saw’s power to see if dadoing is possible. The miter gauges that come with some saws are also a bit of a joke – but a high quality one (like an Incra) can also set you back quite a few shekels. While I use my jobsite saw quite a bit when off to one of the kid’s places – It is no substitute for my old Unisaw – and may not be one for your 3HP Craftsman – if you can fix up its stand and tune it up to work well and safely.
Ellis
The Craftsman was bare bones (no blade guard, splitter, miter gauge, blade) on a stand that makes it very top heavy. I guess it’s the stand that gives me concern. I have to use sandbags on each leg to keep it stable.
fred
So maybe you can use some 2x lumber to give the base a wider stance and some extra rigidity. Then buy a premium blade (e.g. Forrest WWII) and fabricate a zero-clearance insert for it with a splitter to match it’s kerf. Cheaper than buying a new saw – still no blade guard so you need to be on your toes – use push sticks/ sleds (I like my GRRippers). And if that doesn’t improve things – you will still have the good blade to put on your new saw.
Jimmie
If there’s one good thing about Craftsman saws, it’s that there’s no shortage of parts available. Check ebay for a blade guard and splitter for your model saw. Miter gauges are pretty commoditized, at least at the low-end, so I’d be shocked if you couldn’t find one that’s suitable for $20 or less.
Sounds like you definitely need to spend a weekend building a stand for your saw. There are lots of designs available online from simple to elaborate. But if you have to shore up your existing stand with sandbags, it’s high time to roll your own.
…and I whole-heartedly second Fred’s recommendation for a Forrest WWII blade with a caveat: take a look at your saw. I’m guessing it’s not really 3HP (is it 110V?). More likely that’s an inflated number so it’s really probably closer to 1 – 1.5HP. If you’re on the lower end of that scale, you’ll probably want to stick to a thin-kerf blade (3/32″). A 1HP saw might have trouble sawing thicker material, especially hard woods like Jatoba or hard maple, with a full-kerf (1/8″) blade. Another blade that I really like are the Freud Fusion blades. They come in a little cheaper than the WWII but also deliver a nice cut.
fred
Amen – it was amazing how they inflated those numbers – even on 208/220V and 3Phase cabinet saws. Maybe the motor just developed 3HP as it caught on fire straining to do it.
As far as other 10 inch blades – we bought some Forrest, Freud Industrial, Freud Diablo, Tenryu, and Carbide Processor Blades – all that were of good quality if used for their intended purpose. If as you surmise the old Craftsman is a bit underpowered then the Forrest WW10487100 (0.094 kerf) that’s on my Bosch 4100 – is what I’d recommend. The new – old stock spare part splitter – however might be sized for 0.125 – so that’s why I recommended making a zero-clearance throat plate with a custom splitter sized for the blade.
Drum
— Hitachi 10″ miter saw: $139 new at Lowe’s
(sometimes on sale for $119)
— Diablo 40- or 60-tooth blade: $30 or $40 at The Home Depot
— Pre-tax Total: $169 or $179
These are 4.5 to 5-star items in their respective classes.
They have long reputations for being well-built and reliable.
For their prices, they are the best available values.
Ellis
Jimmie, it is a 120V saw so likely 3HP is a bit ambitious.
Admittedly, I’ve spent the last 21 years with guns and gear and very minimal time with woodworking tools. Therefore, I am behind the power curve with knowledge and skills on a few of the topics.
Fred, with the above statement, I can’t say that I can competently fabricate my own insert just yet
I guess the first step will be to go ahead and buy a new blade (likely WWII) and then reinforce the Craftsman saw with more support/attempt to build my own.
fred
Fabricating a zero clearance insert is not too tricky – especially if you have the original throat plate as a template. But some folks also sell ones for popular old saws.
The #152650 Leecraft one sold at Woodcraft or Amazon for $30 is said to fit older Craftsman saws. The idea is that you:
Turn off and unplug the saw
Lower the blade completely below the table
Remove the existing throat plate
Get a scrap of wood or plastic the exact same thickness as the original throat plate
Use the old throat plate as a template to cut out a blank one
Drill and countersink the mounting holes – using the old plate as a guide
Drill an off-centerline finger hole in the new plate to use for lifting it out
Insert and screw down the new plate.
Turn the saw back on
Slowly raise the blade until it cuts a slot in the new throat plate
You now have a zero clearance insert
To add a splitter – you can buy a commercial one (thin kerf or 1/8 inch) to add at the trailing edge of the throat plate – our you can fabricate your own
http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Jig-SP-2-TK-Splitter-Steelpro/dp/B00B03PMY0
fred
http://WWW.Toolup.com is offering $30 off on Milwaukee Purchases of $200 or more to email subscribers.
The promo code is MIL30
The sale ends 5/27/16