DeWalt has always brought top-of-the-line products to the forefront of the woodworking industry.
If you just recently bought a DeWalt miter saw, you may be anxious to put it to work and get use out of it.
That being said, if you’re unaware of the proper way to use it, you may end up not using it to its fullest potential.
Quick Summary
In this post, we will discuss how the DeWalt miter saw works and how you can utilize it to make use of all of its available features.
Read through this step-by-step guide to figure out how you can use the DeWalt miter saw properly.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
Some Safety Precautions
It’s important to take the relevant safety precautions no matter what job you do. This becomes doubly important when you are working with high-powered tools that contain sharp, rotating blades.
We implore you to go through these safety precautions every time you work with your DeWalt miter saw. This is not something to be taken lightly as you can get seriously injured if you’re not careful.
Some safety precautions you should take before working with a DeWalt miter saw include:
- Wear safety goggles or any other sort of similar eye protection when working with a miter saw. During cutting, pieces of timber and sawdust will become airborne in all directions. You don’t want those small pieces flying into your eyes.
- Wear safety gloves to ensure you don’t accidentally hurt your fingers while you operate the DeWalt miter saw.
- Never wear loose clothing that could get caught in any moving parts. If you have any hanging accessories such as a necklace or a bracelet, make sure to take it off.
- If you have long hair, make sure that you tie it up before you work with the DeWalt miter saw.
- Always use the DeWalt miter saw with straight hands. Never cross your hands while you operate the saw as that can lead to serious injuries.
- Make sure to maintain a safe distance from the blade during operation. Be as close to it as you need to properly operate it but no more than that.
After taking all of the necessary safety precautions, you can proceed to make use of the DeWalt miter saw.
How to Use a DeWalt Miter Saw (Step-by-Step Guide)
Now that you’re aware of all the safety precautions, let’s get to work.
The DeWalt miter saw is a great saw for beginners since it’s quite user-friendly and doesn’t require any special actions to work.
It operates like a standard saw so it’s the perfect piece of equipment for you to get your feet wet.
Follow the instructions provided below to use a DeWalt miter saw properly:
Step 1: Before you do any cutting, you first need to mark the pieces of wood that you want to cut.
This is just one step in ensuring accuracy which is very important no matter what job you do.
You don’t want to be inaccurate since that can lead to you wasting a good piece of wood.
Hence, get your measuring tape and a pencil or marker. Use these tools to make straight visible lines across the wood that you can use as a reference for when you make the cut.
Step 2: Once the wood has been properly marked, go ahead and adjust your miter saw.
If it’s a regular miter saw, you will need to adjust the bevel and miter angles according to the type of cut you want to make.
Obviously, the type of cut you want to make will depend on what you intend to use the cut piece of wood for.
Take your time with this step and double-check to ensure that all of the angles are properly set according to your requirements.
Step 3: Next, place the workpiece onto the saw table so that it’s properly set in place underneath your miter saw.
Make sure that the workpiece touches the fence of the saw so that it’s properly secured and does not move during the cutting phase.
Keep it as stationary as possible in order to maximize accuracy and minimize any safety risks.
Step 4: You’re all set to make the cut. However, before doing so, we highly recommend that you take your time to ensure everything has been set properly.
Remember that accuracy is important because if you make the wrong cut, that will lead to a fine piece of wood just being wasted.
We highly recommend that you bring the blade down onto the wood without turning it on first. Observe where the blade lands on the wood and ensure it’s on the cut line that you marked on the workpiece back in step 1.
Once you’ve ensured that, you can proceed to make the cut.
Step 5: Bring the miter saw back to its upright position and turn it on.
Gently press the trigger to get the blade spinning. You may feel a little jerk at this stage as the motor starts and the blade starts to spin up.
Next, press it fully and wait for the blade to reach full speed.
Step 6: Bring the spinning blade down onto the workpiece right on the cut line that you made back in step 1.
Bring it all the way down into the piece of wood and beyond it. The blade will rip the piece of wood and you will now be left with two pieces of wood.
Step 7: Take your finger off the trigger and wait for the blade to stop completely.
Once the blade has fully stopped, you can return the miter saw to its original upright position.
Never bring the blade back up when it’s still spinning. That can lead to the miter saw sending one of the pieces of wood flying which can be very dangerous.
Wrapping Things Up…
This brings us to the end of our post on how to use a DeWalt miter saw.
As you can see, the process itself is quite straightforward. There are just some crucial safety precautions and methods of operation you must know to ensure there are no risks.
If you have any further questions regarding the process, please let us know in the comments below.
Tools Advisor Pro provides more instructions on Miter Saws.