# Very pleased with the DeWalt DWS779 sliding compound miter saw



## EarlS

I have an old DeWalt no-sliding miter saw and it can only handle 5" cross cut. What can this one do? I keep looking at this one but haven't made the commitment due to cost and the fact that mine still works fine.


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## garageking

This one will crosscut 16 inches apparently if you make some adjustments to the fence and make a plywood platform which I haven't bothered to do. I'll have to measure what I can cross cut without any adjustment. At least a 2 by 12 but I'll check. My Ridgid 12" miter saw worked great as well but couldn't crosscut a 2 by 8. Just frustrating. I bought it for $199 15 years ago and sold it on C/L for $115 to a happy contractor. I am using the DeWalt much more often than I ever used the Ridgid. I recently saw the Harbor Freight copy of the DeWalt slider and was amazed at its price. One would be foolish to buy that saw when you can get a DeWalt for the same price. The DeWalt has a proven record. You see them everywhere on construction sites.


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## EarlS

Thanks for the details. I will definitely be taking a closer look at this over the next couple months. I really like the idea of being able to cross cut 16" boards. That would help reduce the problem of getting a square edge on wide stock on the table saw.


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## dhazelton

It's currently cheaper than the new Harbor Freight slider. Makes it a no brainer.


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## RandyinFlorida

Lowes has them on sale! Insert in todays local paper. $349 . Was $549.


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## TechTeacher04

You may live to regret passing on the LED. I sold my old 12" and have LED on both my slider and standard 12" dial bevel. Great for production work, or the odd on site job. Great saw, just my personal experience. If you have good shop lighting it will be a non issue, I don't in my basement shop.


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## garageking

Thanks Randy, I haven't seen the 779 in our Lowes here only the 780 which has the 'laser'/LED guide. It seems everyone is wanting to unload that model and push the 780 and the 780 equivalent with the Flexvolt (which looks like a great saw). That's a great price especially when you compare it to what you would pay for a Harbor Freight saw or a Kobalt or a Ryobi or a Ridgid. Based on what I have read the DeWalt is superior to those saws. I have a good friend who is a trim carpenter and he loves the DeWalt.


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## garageking

TechTeacher, you may well be right. Were I a professional using it day in and day out, the LED guide would be very helpful but I never had a guide with my old saw and never really felt I needed it. And it was $200 more. Also I found out that Oshlun makes a guide (replaces the blade washer) for the saw that costs around $20. And the other thing is that with the Kreg fence system you just dial in the length and then cut. For the kind of woodworking I do, I can just set the stop for whatever length I want and I get exact reproducible cuts. Finally I have great lighting in my garage. Having said all that, my trim carpenter friend says the light guide is essential for him. I think this saw would be a very quick sell on Craigslist if I ever wanted to upgrade. Thanks everyone for your comments.


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## jimintx

I don't have a light or a laser guide on any tools at all, and I would never have even thought of such if the tool makers didn't try to push it. Thus I agree, not paying $100+ to get one!

My older dewalt compound miter saw is a great, great tool. It is a different model, but the quality and consistency and features are all just great.

I applaud your rolling meter saw table scheme, and commend you on a very nice build of it.


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## garageking

TechTeacher, FYI yesterday I cross cut a 1/4" mdf panel a little wider than 13" (making the changes in the manual you could crosscut 16").

Jim, thanks for your kind feedback. Everything in my shop is on wheels except my lathe. I am really enjoying having a dedicated miter saw station and again I am really pleased with the fence system. If I need ten 22 1/4" boards I just slide the stop to 22 1/4" and start cutting with no more measuring. It's obviously going to be more accurate even than making cuts with a laser guide.Where the light guide would be really nice is if you were doing a lot of trim carpentry, lots of crown etc.


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## Fritz7293

I bought the same saw at Lowe's last week while they were on sale. Wondering what fittings you used to hook up to the dust port on the saw? thanks


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## garageking

Well I just hooked up the 2.5" shop vac hose, made an adaptor but it's not great. Tried using a 2.5" "Y" Fitting with another hose end near the blade but wasn't any better. I need to devise something better. You bought a great saw!


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## CyberDyneSystems

It's your table that impressed me! Looks fantastic!


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## gd74

Were you at all tempted by the DWS780?

I've checked out a side-by-side comparison of the DWS779 vs DWS780, as well as checking the respective Amazon list, and, to be honest, it appears that the only difference is the CUTLINE LED. Am I missing something here?

I'm relatively new to woodworking, so perhaps the benefits of a laser system are somewhat lost on me…but is it really worth an extra $250?

Having read your positive feedback, as well as similar feedback from members on a different forum, I'm becoming more and more convinced that despite not looking as good on paper, the DWS779 would be more than enough miter saw for me.


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## garageking

I haven't personally looked into this, but have seen that people have reported that there are other differences, not just the LED light when comparing the 779 and 780. Apparently there are more robust components in the 780. Maybe someone else can comment on this. When I was comparing the 2 machines, I thought the only difference was the cutline light. Having said that I am perfectly happy not having the light. I have no regrets. The 779 is a great machine in my opinion. Having a dedicated miter saw station with a fence and stop set up like the Kreg makes it that much better.


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