Sonoma Coma Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 I was wondering what is better. I was going to purchase a nice simple 10" single bevel compound miter saw, a DeWalt DW713 for $219.00. Then I saw the DeWalt DW715 on sale for the same price. It is a simple 12" single bevel miter saw. They are both Direct-Drive motors. The 10" DW713 spins at 5,000 RPM. The 12" DW715 spins at 4,000 RPM. Then I saw a Double-Bevel miter saw, it is the DW716, a 12" Belt-Driven Double-Bevel that spins at 3,800 RPM. But is is $130.00 more than both the 10" & 12" direct-drive single bevel miter saws. Now does a Direct-Drive Motor produce more wobble than a Belt-Drive? Will the faster 1000 RPM of a Direct-Drive produce a smoother cut? The difference in RPM's between the Direct-Drive 10" DW713 and the Belt-Driven 12" DW716 is 1,400 RPM. Which will produce a smoother cut, a 10" or 12" blade? Is there really a need for a Double Bevel? I've read that alot of people say that it is not necessary. And the Double Bevel Belt-Driven 12" DW716 would cost $130.00 more than the Single Bevel Direct Drive 12" DW715. And what about the belt-drive system, I know that more moving parts will be more stuff to wear out, more things to replace, more potential for things to go wrong. What would you do...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NERemodeling Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 phew! heck of a first post!! first off, Welcome to TIA as far as rpm, the larger blades are slowed down at the arbor because the outside edge of a 12" blade actually has to travel faster in one rotation than a 10" bladeexample: circumference of 12" blade is 37.7" circumference of a 10" blade is 31.4" therefore if you made one rotation of each blade in 1 second the 12" blade at its outside edge would have to travel 37.7" in one second and the 10" blade would only have to travel 31.4' in the same 1 second... further distance traveled in the same amount of time = faster speed i imagine that dewalt is trying to match the tooth speed of both saws to some degree. as for size, you have to seriously consider what your cutting needs are.. you might say that for the same price and if you dont have to move the saw around all the time (or if you dont mind moving the extra weight) you might want to go with the 12" just becasue.. im sure for your needs it wont ever hurt to have the extra capacities. 12" blades will on average cost you more than 10" to replace or sharpen if you want to consider future blade costs. the majority of saws on the market today are direct drive including the creme of the crop Festool Kapex ($1400 saw) so i really dont see that as a downside. i think i would actually prefer direct drive in all situations.. i think it would be less wear parts and better transfer of power from the motor to the blade. maybe a belt drive might be a little more quiet.. blade wobble whould be controled by how accurate the tolerances are on the arbor housing and bearings. no name brand modern saw should have excessive blade wobble.. if it does i would say you got a dud and should swap it for a new one Double bevel isnt necessary, more of a convenience i guess.. at least i cant think of any cut that you couldnt make some other way but it might involve moving your material around a little bit.. smoothness of cut is really more dependent on the tooth count, quality and sharpness of your blade. you can spend a lot of money on blades like Forrest chopmasters but realistically you probably dont need that.. a good Diablo blade so do just fine.. another thing to consider is staying away from thin kerf blades the thicker the plate of the blade the more stable the blade will be. miter saws work best with a blade that has a negative hook angle but that isnt necessary. also keep your blades clean (you can buy blade cleaner) they will stay sharp longer and cut smoother i would say your good with either the 713 or 715 just decide on what size is right for you.. i think i answered everything, if you want clarification or have other questions just shout 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 Welcome aboard Sonoma Coma! To add to NER's very good response, you have to look at deflection in the blade too. Most single bevels are really not going to have this problem but many sliding meters do. I have had a Craftsman 7-1/4" sliding single bevel that was a great little saw and I sold it to a flooring guy two years ago, a Ridgid single bevel 10" saw that a problem with the table being level and the fence out of square but it was powerful and now the Kapex. Depending on the size of material you want to cut and MONEY should point you in the right direction. Are you cutting really thick stock? 12" Maybe 2x or 4x material and need to do chop up really wide boards....sliding miter. Really thick and wide stock? 12" sliding. Want to do a lot of crown molding and don't want to have to flip the boards around? Dual bevel. Working inside? Don't forget dust control! Those bags don't do crap! When looking over sliding miters really pay attention to deflection which is side movement when extended. Some saws have much others little to none. Really watch you tube and read reviews. Go to Journal of light construction they have great resources. One of my most used tools is my miter. I started off cheap then realized I was serious about my hobby and developing it to maybe getting a job when I retire so I spent cash on a great machine. You really have to ask yourself though. My end decisions was sliding dual bevel miter. I picked out some top performers Dewalt DWS780, Dewalt DW717M, Makita LS1016 and not quite as high on the ratings but a great saw the Bosch Axial Glide. Your going to spend money on these saws but they are universally though of as superb machines. Investing in Dust Control and you'll be healthier too and the need for a saw stand is really helpful too but truthfully a heavy duty shop made table will do the job. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 Oh and NOT to sway you away from the single non sliding bevels....Dewalt makes a really wonderful machine. I would go 12" though. For the odd times that you may be cutting posts or thick stock it is really helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comp56 Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 I say if your going to cut a few boards for a certain job and probably not use it much .....try and use a buddies. If you think you will use the saw quite often then buy what your budget allows even if it is more saw than you think you need because some day you might and regret is more expensive in the long run....oh and welcome to TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadlanthier Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 I have the dewalt sliding double bevel miter saw and absolutely love it. There is always a project that presents its self, and sure does make life easisier. I would steer clear of the 10 and go for the 12 especially if they r around the same price. My first saw was small and had to flip multiple times to cut one piece of wood, it sucked. It sounds like ner and Chris r right on track. As far as the double bevel thing it does make life easier, better well that's personl preference. I don't regret the double bevel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadlanthier Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 Oh yeah welcome to forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regopit Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 Welcome aboard Sonoma Coma. NER, ChrisK, & Comp 56 have covered it all. All I can add is I would go for the 12" just for the cutting capacity you just never know when you are going to need it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conductor562 Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 I've found it to be one of those deals where you can get by with a more basic saw, but once you upgrade to 12", sliding, dual bevel, etc., it's hard to imagine going back. I get by with a 12", non-sliding, single bevel, but my next one will be full featured for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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