Swarts tools 305mm 12" sliding compound mitre saw drop saw

[Cal]

I’m still a huge fan of this saw, I just don’t put much thought into raving about it as I think that people can make up their own mind on what they want to buy, and life is to short to argue about that. Here is a pic of piece of a limb I cut for my partner, I’m happy with the cut straight off the saw with no extra work sanding. It has a clear spray lacquer over it, that’s it.

Most of my posts now are in the musical instruments section of the forum

[Kbeitz]

I went out today and bought a DWS779.
I was searching for saw talk and found this post.
I read it from end to end. I was surprised that untill
today that I never heard of a Swarts saw.

[deckell]

dentree, i was wondering how your saw is going after more time and further use. as my saw has died and i am looking to purchase a new one any advice would be greatly appreciated.deckell.

[DaveVman]

Mine is still going great with the original blade. As Cal said the cuts are excellent.
I assume you watched my video review here:

https://youtu.be/sJaobsjkg-M

In there I point out the pros and cons that I see.
That was after using it for at least a year. After another year, still the same.
The only failure I can anticipate is the fitting for the vacuum hose is not designed for the heavy tube I have put on it. I might make a new one if it ever actually fails but to be honest I live in hope that I will have fitted a proper dust shroud by then.
I still haven't built a proper station for this saw but eventually I'll do that in my usual glacial fashion.

Of course you should do your own research to see if prices have changed much. However I'd definitely recommend this SWARTS saw.

[deckell]

Mine is still going great with the original blade. As Cal said the cuts are excellent.
I assume you watched my video review here:

https://youtu.be/sJaobsjkg-M

In there I point out the pros and cons that I see.
That was after using it for at least a year. After another year, still the same.
The only failure I can anticipate is the fitting for the vacuum hose is not designed for the heavy tube I have put on it. I might make a new one if it ever actually fails but to be honest I live in hope that I will have fitted a proper dust shroud by then.
I still haven't built a proper station for this saw but eventually I'll do that in my usual glacial fashion.

Of course you should do your own research to see if prices have changed much. However I'd definitely recommend this SWARTS saw.

DaveVman thank you for your very informative illustration, i have been in contact with the swarts company today asking a few questions and they were very help full. after hearing your experience with this saw i think i will go ahead and purchase same.thanks again. deckell. PS i like your little mr xxxx.

[minidriver]

how do you guys go with mitre setup accuracy on the table? I found mine had 0.5 to 1 degree of play. I inserted a washer in the pivot bolt of the indent locating arm, which took up most of the slack. The fitment of the arm in the indents isn't great either.. it's just 'kinda in the vicinity of n degrees". Not really checked other saws to compare, I think the makita I checked at total tools was much more positive in its location. Not sure which model it was.. could even have been a dewalt. was around 6 months ago so yeh.

Or do you just measure the angle each setup rather than relying on the indents?

Mine is still going great with the original blade. As Cal said the cuts are excellent.

I assume you watched my video review here:

https://youtu.be/sJaobsjkg-M

Ah I see your saw is the same as mine, I didn't get a bad one! Thanks for the review.

[deckell]

I have taken the decision and ordered the saw from swarts today, i have not put it to the minister for war and finance yet but we will worry about that exercise when the saw arrives. thanks for all your information,best regards. deckell

[DaveVman]

Yes I go over all that in my video. The one real flaw/deficiency in this saw is that the positive stops are not all that positive. You can adjust it to be very accurate on the scale but you can't fully rely on the stops.
You should not have any play once you tighten it in place. That is not the issue. The issue is that the stops will only take you to the vicinity of 90, 45, 30, etc degrees. Good enough for DIY but not for woodwork. You need to adjust the gauge so that you can then rely on the scale, not the stops. So move to the stop. Check the scale carefully to fine tune. Then tighten.
If I ever get enough time, I'll do a follow up video on this specific aspect and put another link in here. But it may be many months before I get to that.


Although the BOSCH 2000W 305MM gliding Compound Mitre Saw and the Makita 305mm 1800 Watt Slide Compound Mitre Saw are 3 times the price, it would be good to know for interest sake how accurate the stops are on those saws. And if they are 0.5 degree accurate, what mechanism they use to achieve it. Please let me know if you have one of those.

[Cal]

I have just been cleaning up my shed for a forum get together and as I was cleaning up the mitre saw I noticed the slides have surface rust on them. The shed is water tight and nothing else is rusty, cast iron tops on bandsaw and belt sander are fine. The saw also has a dust shroud over it, so I’m a bit concerned about the quality of the slides now.

[deckell]

Well my swarts saw has arrived in very quick time, every thing seems to be as sam said. i have one problem i cannot get the blade to fence square. on closer inspection the fence does not appear to be straight it looks like it has a slight kink in it and no matter how I try to adjust the fence I still have the same result, has any other swarts owner encounted this problem. any advice would be appreciated. thanks in anticipation.Deckell

[TP1]

I have just been cleaning up my shed for a forum get together and as I was cleaning up the mitre saw I noticed the slides have surface rust on them. The shed is water tight and nothing else is rusty, cast iron tops on bandsaw and belt sander are fine. The saw also has a dust shroud over it, so I’m a bit concerned about the quality of the slides now.

Water tight sheds don't discourage surface rust unless they are fully lined and sealed. I have experienced surface rust on Festool gear stored in a systainer in a shed but not in a lined workshop. I would suggest always using something like this to prevent rust happening again to the machinery.

CRC_20Long_20Life_20300g_20Can-Front-HR_1024x1024.jpg

[Beardy]

The slides on both my Makita saws develop a bit of surface rust as well, I would not be concerned it is an indication of poor quality

[Cal]

Thanks guys, the shed is lined and insulated fwiw, I failed to mention that, sorry. That is why I find it a little odd, and nothing else is rusty. I will give the slides a clean up with some well used scotchbrite and give them a lashing of wd40 or similar on a regular basis.

[Midnight Man]

I have just been cleaning up my shed for a forum get together and as I was cleaning up the mitre saw I noticed the slides have surface rust on them. The shed is water tight and nothing else is rusty, cast iron tops on bandsaw and belt sander are fine. The saw also has a dust shroud over it, so I’m a bit concerned about the quality of the slides now.

As a question, is your cover made from a watertight material (e.g. PVC sheet)? If so, this may actually trap moisture underneath it and promote rust.

I tend to use cotton sheets as covers for machinery - this prevents stuff falling on the metal surface, which may act as a moisture attraction. Give any metal parts a shot with some Camellia oil (or similar, woodwork safe rust retardant) and cover with breathable cover.

[TP1]

Thanks guys, the shed is lined and insulated fwiw, I failed to mention that, sorry. That is why I find it a little odd, and nothing else is rusty. I will give the slides a clean up with some well used scotchbrite and give them a lashing of wd40 or similar on a regular basis.

WD40 doesn't protect anything. Its water based. It has good solvent properties and can lubricate for a short while but useless for anything lasting.