Brice Burrell
Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2007
- Messages
- 7,385
I have the DeWalt DWE7490X jobsite table saw and this is my sort of off the cuff mini review. Sorry there are no pictures or videos included.
I've had the DWE7490X for about a year and a half, its seen a moderate amount of professional use. I really like the size of this saw and the on board storage. I decided to go with the X over the RS version for the simple scissor stand.
Stand
I work regularly with a guy that has the the Bosch with gravity rise stand so I've used it plenty of times over the last 5-6 years he's owned it. The gravity rise stand works fairly well rolling it on flat ground but that's about it. It doesn't go up stairs and it's too wide to easily get through narrow doorways. Also, it is too heavy and awkward to be able to comfortably lift by yourself. Add to that the extra bulk the stand adds to the saw when stored and I decided skip the DWE7491RS with this same type of stand.
I find it much easier to carry, transport and store the saw and scissor stand than one bulkier saw with wheeled stand. I don't bother bolting my saw to the stand. Not bolting the saw down saves enough time (and hassle) to make it a fair trade between time saved and safety.
Fence
The rack and pinion fence, well, I like and dislike it at the same time. I love the idea of the fence adjusting perfectly parallel on the rack and pinion system, however, it doesn't really do that. On my saw I find moving the fence away from the blade it moves pretty much perfectly parallel. Moving the fence towards the blade it moves slightly out of parallel. It's not a big problem since there is an easy workaround. When I need to adjust the fence towards the blade, when I get to where I want the fence I just need to turn the knob back the other direction slightly and that straightens the fence back to parallel.
Another gripe about the fence is with heavy use the mechanism gets well dusted and can be hard to adjust the fence. The solution is to clean everything, and that is a little time consuming if you let it get to the point of the adjustment being stiff.
Overall the fence isn't all bad. It locks securely, works well enough with the workaround and I love the storage of the push stick on the back of the fence. Also, there is a flip down piece for ripping narrow and to support stock when the fence is fully extended. Plus the fence can be put in its secondary position to get 4" more of cut capacity, and the fence comes off the easily and goes back on the saw accurately.
Dust Collection
This brings us to dust collection. The short version is that it works fairly well. Going into a little detail the saw has a 2 1/2" dust port in the back and a 1 1/4" port on the blade guard. The blade is enclosed in a metal housing and the 2 1/2" port is attached on the back of this housing. A nice added feature is a fabric shroud attaching the blade housing to the bottom side of the saw's top. This directs dust into the blade housing and still allows the saw to bevel.
I use my Festool Y connector, the short piece of D50 hose from the boom arm and a D36 hose for the port on the blade guard. This setup works reasonably well, I’d say between 75-80% collection- with the remaining 20% going on the floor directly below the saw. There is some airborne dust that escapes but it's not that bad. The issue is the top hose on the blade guard needs to be carefully placed to keep it out of the way of the material you’re ripping. I use a velcro tie to hold the hose to the back side of the fence. This sort of bends the hose enough to the side to more or less keeps it out of the way. If you don't have the Festool Y and hoses it might a little tricky to find the all parts from other brands that will work together and fit the saw. My fast and easy solution for dust collection when I don't want to attach a vac is I have a 2" ABS street 90 that I've sanded the outside diameter to fit the 2 1/2" port. I'll jam this fitting in the back dust port so it shoots the dust down into a five gallon bucket. This collects about 70% of the dust but there is a lot more airborne dust.
Cut Quality
Cut quality, it’s not the best. The saw has what you’d expect from a jobsite saw as far as power, not great, but not bad either. However, even with a decent rip blade there are saw marks on your finished cut. If you need a glue ready cut this saw isn’t going to do it. This is pretty much the case with every jobsite saw I’ve used, not just this saw. I use a blade stabilizer and that helps.
Build Quality/Fit &Finish
This is another place where the DWE7490X loses some points. The saw feels like it’s not made to be a professional grade tool. There are parts that feel a little flimsy. The motor assembly flexes and I’m sure that contributes to cut quality not being the best. The power cord is fairly short and the miter gauge is terrible. Once you take a good look you do see where this saw was made to meet a price point. Sadly this seems to be the case with almost every jobsite saw on the market now. Given the low standard the industry has set over the last 5-6 years I’d say the build quality is average at best.
Closing Thoughts
I know there are some things about this saw I’ve been pretty hard on, but my overall opinion is slightly more positive than negative. Some of saw’s positive features are: The onboard storage of the saw’s accessories are nicely fit in the saw’s base. The size and weight of the saw are a good balance between usability and portability. It’s also nice that DeWalt did a decent job with the dust collection, the safety power switch, the easy to reach push stick and a rubber molded carry handle.
My final thoughts as I wrap this up. The saw is the perfect size for storage and portability and that is its biggest strength. I wish I felt better about the build. At a year and half it still is in perfect working order with taking some care in use and handling. Of all the saws this size, this is one I’d choose if I had to all over again. Still, I’d suggest you do what I did, wait until you can find a good sale before you buy.
I've had the DWE7490X for about a year and a half, its seen a moderate amount of professional use. I really like the size of this saw and the on board storage. I decided to go with the X over the RS version for the simple scissor stand.
Stand
I work regularly with a guy that has the the Bosch with gravity rise stand so I've used it plenty of times over the last 5-6 years he's owned it. The gravity rise stand works fairly well rolling it on flat ground but that's about it. It doesn't go up stairs and it's too wide to easily get through narrow doorways. Also, it is too heavy and awkward to be able to comfortably lift by yourself. Add to that the extra bulk the stand adds to the saw when stored and I decided skip the DWE7491RS with this same type of stand.
I find it much easier to carry, transport and store the saw and scissor stand than one bulkier saw with wheeled stand. I don't bother bolting my saw to the stand. Not bolting the saw down saves enough time (and hassle) to make it a fair trade between time saved and safety.
Fence
The rack and pinion fence, well, I like and dislike it at the same time. I love the idea of the fence adjusting perfectly parallel on the rack and pinion system, however, it doesn't really do that. On my saw I find moving the fence away from the blade it moves pretty much perfectly parallel. Moving the fence towards the blade it moves slightly out of parallel. It's not a big problem since there is an easy workaround. When I need to adjust the fence towards the blade, when I get to where I want the fence I just need to turn the knob back the other direction slightly and that straightens the fence back to parallel.
Another gripe about the fence is with heavy use the mechanism gets well dusted and can be hard to adjust the fence. The solution is to clean everything, and that is a little time consuming if you let it get to the point of the adjustment being stiff.
Overall the fence isn't all bad. It locks securely, works well enough with the workaround and I love the storage of the push stick on the back of the fence. Also, there is a flip down piece for ripping narrow and to support stock when the fence is fully extended. Plus the fence can be put in its secondary position to get 4" more of cut capacity, and the fence comes off the easily and goes back on the saw accurately.
Dust Collection
This brings us to dust collection. The short version is that it works fairly well. Going into a little detail the saw has a 2 1/2" dust port in the back and a 1 1/4" port on the blade guard. The blade is enclosed in a metal housing and the 2 1/2" port is attached on the back of this housing. A nice added feature is a fabric shroud attaching the blade housing to the bottom side of the saw's top. This directs dust into the blade housing and still allows the saw to bevel.
I use my Festool Y connector, the short piece of D50 hose from the boom arm and a D36 hose for the port on the blade guard. This setup works reasonably well, I’d say between 75-80% collection- with the remaining 20% going on the floor directly below the saw. There is some airborne dust that escapes but it's not that bad. The issue is the top hose on the blade guard needs to be carefully placed to keep it out of the way of the material you’re ripping. I use a velcro tie to hold the hose to the back side of the fence. This sort of bends the hose enough to the side to more or less keeps it out of the way. If you don't have the Festool Y and hoses it might a little tricky to find the all parts from other brands that will work together and fit the saw. My fast and easy solution for dust collection when I don't want to attach a vac is I have a 2" ABS street 90 that I've sanded the outside diameter to fit the 2 1/2" port. I'll jam this fitting in the back dust port so it shoots the dust down into a five gallon bucket. This collects about 70% of the dust but there is a lot more airborne dust.
Cut Quality
Cut quality, it’s not the best. The saw has what you’d expect from a jobsite saw as far as power, not great, but not bad either. However, even with a decent rip blade there are saw marks on your finished cut. If you need a glue ready cut this saw isn’t going to do it. This is pretty much the case with every jobsite saw I’ve used, not just this saw. I use a blade stabilizer and that helps.
Build Quality/Fit &Finish
This is another place where the DWE7490X loses some points. The saw feels like it’s not made to be a professional grade tool. There are parts that feel a little flimsy. The motor assembly flexes and I’m sure that contributes to cut quality not being the best. The power cord is fairly short and the miter gauge is terrible. Once you take a good look you do see where this saw was made to meet a price point. Sadly this seems to be the case with almost every jobsite saw on the market now. Given the low standard the industry has set over the last 5-6 years I’d say the build quality is average at best.
Closing Thoughts
I know there are some things about this saw I’ve been pretty hard on, but my overall opinion is slightly more positive than negative. Some of saw’s positive features are: The onboard storage of the saw’s accessories are nicely fit in the saw’s base. The size and weight of the saw are a good balance between usability and portability. It’s also nice that DeWalt did a decent job with the dust collection, the safety power switch, the easy to reach push stick and a rubber molded carry handle.
My final thoughts as I wrap this up. The saw is the perfect size for storage and portability and that is its biggest strength. I wish I felt better about the build. At a year and half it still is in perfect working order with taking some care in use and handling. Of all the saws this size, this is one I’d choose if I had to all over again. Still, I’d suggest you do what I did, wait until you can find a good sale before you buy.
