What is the crosscut capacity of the DeWalt DWS709 compound sliding miter saw?

Question

I'm shopping for a new miter saw and this time I want to buy a compound slider.

I'm having a hard time getting information about the horizontal cutting depth of the slide (not the cutting depth vertical against the fence).

I want to use this mainly for cross cutting rough hard woods up to 12" in width (up to 2.5" thick), but I also want to make smooth cross cuts for building shelves.

This miter will live its life on a miter bench in my basement shop. It does not have to be mobile and I'm more about cross cuts than compound miter cuts for molding.

I'm leaning towards the DEWALT DWS709 for CAN $399 but I can not find how far the slide cut is, and I don't know if it's ideal for the above type of work.

Can anyone advise me on the cut depth, comment on that saw or any other related advise.

Answer 1

According to the owner's manual from DeWalt's website, the crosscut capacity at 0º Miter / 0º Bevel is 9-9/16" (243 mm) wide and up to 4-1/2" (114 mm) thick.

However, there is also a special procedure described in the "special cuts" section of the owner's manual whereby you can remove the top part of each side of the fence and build a platform to increase the crosscut capacity to 13-3/8" (340 mm), but this also reduces the maximum thickness to 2-15/16" (75 mm).

Answer 2

If you primarily want a saw to cross cut thick boards (even with angles) I would recommend you take a look at radial arm saws. Granted new ones appear to be a bit more expensive than a sliding compound miter, (even the craftsman appears to be about $800 US, but my brother-in-law got one used for $150 and it can cut boards about 16" wide at 0 degrees. It can also cut double angles as well.