# I just don't get it anymore.



## DLK

When you say:

Funny, almost all of my tools have slowly begun to transform from yellow and black to red and black.

Do you mean "Stanley Black and Decker" which now owns Dewalt or do you mean Milwaukee which seems to be be the preferred tools of our local contractors?

Concerning Dewalt and perhaps all of the remaining makers of small power tools it seems to vary from tool to tool and no longer is it possible to have good tools and have a single color shop. For the larger tools (table saws, bandsaws, etc.) I suggest you only buy tools made before 1950.


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## dhazelton

You couldn't dial in a twenty year old tool and give it a bad review. Have you determined if it's the castings or stops or your technique? Dewalt doesn't make junk.


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## DLK

> You couldn t dial in a twenty year old tool and give it a bad review. Have you determined if it s the castings or stops or your technique? Dewalt doesn t make junk.
> 
> - dhazelton


 Dewalt didn't used to make junk, but now that it was bought by black and decker and some of the tools are made elsewhere it is not so clear.

However you are correct. Its a little odd to give a review of a 20 year old tool that has had all sorts of unknown abuse a bad review without investigating what has happened to it.


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## TheDane

> Dewalt didn't used to make junk, but now that it was bought by black and decker and some of the tools are made elsewhere it is not so clear.


Black and Decker acquired DeWalt in 1960. DeWalt ceased too manufacturing in the USA in 2002.


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## misterChips

I under stand where you are coming from as i have a 12 inch double compound sliding miter saw, it's only 3 years old and I do not use it that much. For me I use my radial arm saw more than any other tool in my shop.


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## emart

> For the larger tools (table saws, bandsaws, etc.) I suggest you only buy tools made before 1950.
> 
> - Combo Prof


I'd say anything from 1940 to 1966 will do fine. There's still some decent stuff in the 70s but it's more hit and miss.


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## Bill1974

Are you sure you have a DW717? It can't be 20 years old when it was released on 2008.

I have the same saw and it have been moved around a fair amount and taken a little beating from time to time. But i can true it up pretty quickly and it says that way till the it gets abused.


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## BenjaminNY

You are reviewing a 20 year old saw? I don't think this model existed in 1995.

I sense the power of beer in this review. Really bad beer…


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## Desert_Woodworker

I sense the power of beer in this review. Really bad beer…

- BenjaminNY
[/QUOTE]
LOL


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## Dedvw

> Dewalt didn t used to make junk, but now that it was bought by black and decker and some of the tools are made elsewhere it is not so clear.
> 
> Black and Decker acquired DeWalt in 1960. DeWalt ceased too manufacturing in the USA in 2002.
> 
> - TheDane


They are back making some stuff in the US.

http://americanpride.dewalt.com/


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## TheDane

> They are back making some stuff in the US.
> 
> http://americanpride.dewalt.com/


I missed that. Wish more companies would bring their manufacturing back to the U.S.


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## DLK

> Dewalt didn t used to make junk, but now that it was bought by black and decker and some of the tools are made elsewhere it is not so clear.
> 
> Black and Decker acquired DeWalt in 1960. DeWalt ceased too manufacturing in the USA in 2002.
> 
> - TheDane
> 
> They are back making some stuff in the US.
> 
> http://americanpride.dewalt.com/
> 
> - Dedvw


Good to know.


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## CyberDyneSystems

> Dewalt didn t used to make junk, but now that it was bought by black and decker and some of the tools are made elsewhere it is not so clear.


To take it even further, not only was DeWalt bought by B&D in the 1960's at the time DeWalt made one tool only, Radial Arm Saws.

Every yellow tool you have ever seen from any time period bearing the DeWALT name has absolutely nothing to do with the former manufacturer and inventor of Radial Arm Saws, DeWalt.

Those yellow tools were the 1980's era B&D Pro and Industrial lines re-badged in Yellow and Black with the very imposing DeWALT logo to compete with the "Blue" Makita marketing that was winning everyone over. During the 1980's anyone starting out buying power tools was buying blue Makata. B&D was seen as low end home owner stuff, even the massively over built Industrial line. The copycat marketing ploy worked perfectly and B&D through the DeWalt badge sold more power tools than ever. Previously the Pro and Industrial lines had essentially been a well kept secret of superior tools that only a small percentage of pros were aware of.


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## PatrickB

> You are reviewing a 20 year old saw? I don t think this model existed in 1995.
> 
> I sense the power of beer in this review. Really bad beer…
> 
> - BenjaminNY


BenjaminNY,
Glad I have a sense of humor, just about every person here has a good sense of humor. I wish it was the case, bad beer, heck I would settle for good beer. I would even settle for having my 1995 brain cells back LOL. I am recovering.. God Almighty, I dislike that term…. I'm a former drunk who no longer drinks?? I used to but I don't? Yeck that could be construed way to many ways.LOL. No you are right, my memory has a few (few? LMAO, think it's more than a few!) holes in it. But I do know how to square up a miter saw darn it! Both compounds too. I did set it up for a straight cut, vertical and horizontal, even removed the blade guard to ensure plenty of clearance for my square (darn good one too, a hardened steel 6" Starrett) and was careful to stay between the teeth of the blade. Checked on both sides of the arbor too. I know that the tilt can be set independently from straight and 45 degrees ob both tilts by loosening the two stop screws and the two screws that hold the angle indicator. That was where one of the bolt holes was stripped, over aggressive assembler at DeWalt. When I rotated the saw from zero to a 45 degree left hand cut I got a 46 degree cut. There is not an independent adjustment for swinging left and right, all you can do is zero out, but either I did do something wrong or the scale was not made properly. Also when I tried a straight cut the cut "wanders" by a 1/8" from front to back. That was when I tossed in the towel and did the review.

dhazelton,
Any company can make junk, it's not hard. A die that's a bit worn but they want to stretch a few more dollars out of it. A guy or gal with a Monday morning hang over who does not particularly care at that moment what they are doing and are suffering from self pity.

The reason for changing from DeWalt to Milwaukee?
At the time DeWalt was still making post style insert batteries and Milwaukee was making the slide on batteries. Ever try to get one of those stupid post batteries out of screw shooter when it doesn't want to come out no matter how hard you "squeeze" where you are supposed to? Get so disgusted trying to change a battery you just have to walk away from it or it's going flying? Plus we have them at work and I have seen the abuse these things can take. I was impressed. Doesn't mean I am getting rid of my DeWalt biscuit jointer, it works great, so does my circular saw and my corded sawz-all is still running like a champ. Now the Jig Saw? I am almost ready to toss that against the wall. That is one of the worst jig saws I have ever used, I just can't seem to get a handle on it.

As far as buying old? Old does not equal super good. But I just bought a 1960 Craftsman 100 for $75.00 that needs a little love and I'll see how that goes. So far not so great as I broke the tilt screw trying to get the handle off. I took out the set screw and used Kroil (the oil that creeps) and it spun freely on the shaft. But it would not come off. I heated it 4 times (after cooling down in between attempts) and tried to get it off and it just would not budge! I mean it was aluminum, hit with the torch and give it a tug before the shaft sucks up the heat. No sir, would move. Well it did eventually but it's no good to me now. I got the raise/lower handle off but it was almost as bad. That one I was patient enough that it cam off. And I now know why the other one was stuck, prior to assembly, Craftsman cut two grooves in the metal and one flat (for the set screw) and all I can figure is that with the grooves in there something happened. Well, I'll get replacement parts. Do I wish I had a $2,000.00 cabinet saw? You bet but I don't have the money and this one was the right price. $75.00, who can beat that? Probably spend another $100.00 or two to get it right but that's ok. Sorry, babbling…..
Pat


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## PatrickB

> You couldn t dial in a twenty year old tool and give it a bad review. Have you determined if it s the castings or stops or your technique? Dewalt doesn t make junk.
> 
> - dhazelton
> 
> Dewalt didn t used to make junk, but now that it was bought by black and decker and some of the tools are made elsewhere it is not so clear.
> 
> However you are correct. Its a little odd to give a review of a 20 year old tool that has had all sorts of unknown abuse a bad review without investigating what has happened to it.
> 
> - Combo Prof


Give it a bad review? I said what I experienced. All sorts of unknown abuse? It sat in basement without enough use maybe, but no abuse. Was never dropped, kicked aside or pitched into the back of a pick up and bounced around in the back on it's way to a job. Never cut anything not on the recommended list in the DeWalt instructions. It lost a star for striped bolt hole. I have no complaints on the motor, bushing are tight for the slides, motor brake works great but if I can't get it to zero out and still make a 45 degree cut what use is it? I can set it up for 45 degree cut or I can set it up to cut straight. I suppose I can set it to cut straight and then use the left/right tilt for all of my compound cuts since that fence can be set up apart from the zero setting, oh but that bolt is stripped, guess setting to the left is out, huh? Ok I can make right hand tilt miter for 45 degrees and straight cuts and just ignore the rest. Your right, I'll think about giving it 5 stars.
PatrickB


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