Dw 746x ?? Woodworkers Supply ??

[Jack Dickey]

Awrite it's yeller , and that eliminates most of the competition in my book ....
Anyone have one , speak up ..
Pros and Cons
Did you beat $1000.00 ( Woodworkers Supply)
Any dealings with Woodworkers Supply ??
As a comparison Lowe's is $1322.00

[scott spencer]

Hi Jack - $1000 buys a mighty fine saw these days. It's very close to the cost of a Griz 1023, Jet (from Timberline) or Shop Fox 3hp cab saw. Those all require 220 though. If you don't have 220v available, then the hybrids are a great 2nd choice.

The 746 is an early generation hybrid. When it came out it was tops in it's class of just a few competitors (Jet/GI 50-200). It's a well built saw with a good trunnion system, and I have no doubt it'd serve you well. But compared to the newer generation hybrids, it lacks the full enclosure, a Biese type fence, and has steel wings vs solid cast iron....all features that are found on most modern hybrids in that price range, and all have inherent advantages over the comparable stock features of the 746. Of the hybrids available in your price range, I'd favor the GI 50-220CM1, Grizzly G0478, Craftsman 22124, the new Jet, and the Steel City over the 746. If you're interested in the optional sliding table, it can be adapted to most standard size saws.

There you have it...life according to Scott!

[Darl Bundren]

I have had good dealings with Woodworker's Supply. Plus, if you bought from them you'd save on taxes (though I am not sure how much shipping would be). Good luck with your shopping.

[Jack Dickey]

Just the saw only , shipping and handling is less than $100 ..
I have the write up from AW in 2002 when the 746 came out .. It was tops ..
Yeah I'd love to see that SCTW saw myself , the 3 hp version is along the same price .. Cast wings are under $100 from WWS ..

[Darl Bundren]

I think Steel City is giving rebates on tools purchased through the end of this month.

[John Timberlake]

I have the DW 746, but with the sliding table and 52" extension fence. Works great for me. Nice smooth cuts. I have used it with dado and molding head with any noticable lack of power. Dust collection works pretty well when hooked to a 4" hose. I got mine about 3 years ago.

[Brad Knabel]

Hi Jack,

I've got a DW746 that I've had for 4 or 5 years now. It's got the original 32" fence and I managed to find the sliding table locally at the Dewalt service center for $26.00 brand new. (pretty good gloat until you read further...)

Short and long of it is that I'm reasonably happy with the saw but really wish I would have held out for at least the Grizzly 1023. The lack of 220 at our previous house played a large part in my decision. The saw cuts accurately, didn't need much in the way of tune up out of the box and has been reasonably strong. I don't have much trouble plowing through 8/4 stock with the appropriate feed rate.

I've lived with the saw long enough to have a fair number of things that I don't like about it:

1. The price you see listed includes stamped steel wings rather than cast iron wings. The nice wings will set you back another couple hundred bucks and I would bet that you would want them shortly after buying the saw.

2. The fence requires a bit a futzing initally to get it square and accurate. On the plus side it's stayed in alignment for me since I did this. I find myself wishing that it was a bies, however. It's not very easy to add jigs/fixtures to the fence.

3. The miter gauge is fine. But it's not pre-drilled for an auxilliary fence.

4. Dust collection could use some improvement. The recent reviews I've seen give higher marks to the other hybrid saws for this.

5. You didn't mention it, but the sliding table seems like a worthwhile addition within it's limitations. It's better to think of it more as a fancy cross-cut sled rather than the big Excalibur or the like. The cross-cut capacity is about 30 inches and it isn't beefy enough to handle really long panels.

My experience with the sled was less than ideal. I spent the better part of an expletive filled day getting itinstalled and accurately adjusted. This went a lot faster once I realized that the table was dished a 32nd along its length. The bar of the miter gauge sits proud pf the dish and actually allows me to make accurate cross cuts. Given what I paid for the sled there wasn't much recourse in terms of warranty. I'm sure the service center would have just given my money back and tossed it in the dumpster.

So ultimately - the saw does work accurately and well. But there are saws out there that will give you much more bang for the buck. The Grizzly 1023SLW would be my first choice in this price range. You would get more HP, steel wings, double the mass and a handy dandy cast iron router table. Once you figure in shipping it would be a wash price-wise.

In my case I have a six-year-old son that is just itching to spend time building things with dad. I'll spend another year or two watching the SawStop from the sidelines and hopefully pick one up for the the two of us to use when he's old enough.

Sorry that this post was so long, but if you have any other questions about the saw please holler.

[Jack Dickey]

Thanks Brad , I'd get the cast wings with the saw , think they're $85 or so , the slider I was curious about myself .. WWS asking $485 for that , so now we're looking at $1600 ..
I know none of them are perfect , but I think you're long term advice is wavering me a bit ..
But then John has had good results , so I'm still wavering or wobbling a bit ..
Dont know that I'd NEED the slider , for that kind of money ..

[Jim Bills]

I have had the full blown DW 746 (sliding table, outfeed table, rt side extension table, on a large mobile base) for over 3 years, and have had no regrets at all over the purchase. As a matter of fact, I think it remains the most sophisticated of all the Hybrid saws. It's all a matter of opinion of course, but just raise, or tilt the blade and see how many turns it takes on the other saws to go from max down to max up, same for tilt. Silky smooth, good locking, great operating saw. The fence is a little light, but can be adjusted, and will hold the adjustments. That said I did equip my saw with the Incra TSLS, and have never looked back. I think it is almost the perfect hobbyiest saw.

Jim Bills

[Jim Bills]

Kinda late, but for anyone interested, a photo of my DW746.

[Jack Dickey]

Scraping up the funds for all the stuff now , including the TSLS we talked about ..
Thanks

[Nancy Laird]

Right now WWS has their "Limited Edition" Unisaws at a great price. Right or left tilt, Beismeyer or Unifence with a free mobile base, no freight charge and a $250 rebate from Delta.

[Lowell Kinzer]

I've no experience with the DW 746x, so won't comment on it.

As for Woodworker's Supply, I've been purchasing tools and supplies from them for five years. Hobbyist volume, but each order shipped in a timely manner. The one time they goofed, they made it right via overnight shipping. I recommend them.

Right now WWS has their "Limited Edition" Unisaws at a great price. Right or left tilt, Beismeyer or Unifence with a free mobile base, no freight charge and a $250 rebate from Delta.

Free freight, yes. But I believe that a $250 rebate is available only on the Delta X5 UNISAW models, not on the "Limited Edition."

My brother-in-law bought one of the right-tilt "Limited Edition" models from WWS a couple of years ago. Timely shipping (yet again) and the product was in excellent condition when it arrived.

The only glitch involved assembling the Biesemeyer fence. One bolt was either missing, the wrong size or damaged (I don't remember which at the moment). He put in a call to Biesemeyer and was told that fence model had been discontinued and they no longer stocked the bolt he needed. Unable to find one in-stock locally, he bought one via special order from a nearby Fastenal store. I don't know if he ever called WWS about it.

Aside from that minor inconvenience, he is very happy with the saw. And I'm only a little bit jealous.

Cheers,

Lowell

[Keith Hooks]

I've also had the DW746 for a few years now. Overall I would rate it a great value, but there are a few issues that I have with it. Brad mentioned most of them.

The fence is pretty different from a bess style fence and does make attaching auxillary fences a bit tricky. The fence is composed of two parts - a sturdy steel base that rides on the rails and a seperate aluminum face plate that's attached to the base. The aluminum face plate is the part that contacts the workpiece. When I tighten it down completely (it's attached with 3 wing nuts) it's not straight any more (by about 0.010") across the length. So, I have to loosen one of the nuts about half a turn. That said, the steel arm locks down tight and has a nice and accurate scale on it for quick positioning. I don't use it for absolute positioning, but I use it often when making small relative changes. The fence movement is pretty smooth.

The other issue I have is with removing the blade guard. One of the screws is hard to reach because it's blocked by a support piece for the blade insert. It's also a bit sharp, so I often nick my hand on it trying to tighten or loosen it with the ratchet.

The only accessory I have for it is the mobile base and I replaced the belt with an interlocking belt. I don't think it would pass the nickel test, but it runs smooth enough.

[Nancy Laird]

They advertised in the catalog for only the X5 but added that rebate after the catalog was printed.