DeWalt DW745 Jobsite Table Saw Review

The compact size of a portable table saw like the DeWalt DW745 can be a huge advantage to anyone who needs to move it from place to place. This obviously includes contractors going from one jobsite to another. But if you are a home DIYer or hobbyist without a lot of space to dedicate to a full-size table saw, you can choose from many excellent table saws that will fit easily into the space you have.

Any time you look at a compact saw, you’re going to be trading off some features that larger saws offer you. The DW745 has been on the market for several years. While it doesn’t offer as many frills as some newer competitors, its quality construction and durability make it just as popular today as when it was introduced. This review will help you decide if it’s the right tool for you!

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Features and Benefits

I’ll walk you through each of the features of the DW745 and explain how they might affect your use of the saw. Check out my complete guide to buying a table saw for more details on each of these areas.

Motor and Power Supply

The DW745 has a 120-volt 15-amp motor suitable for use on a residential power circuit. The universal motor tends to be loud and directly drives the blade arbor without requiring a belt. The motor spins at 3850 RPM with no load and delivers a typical amount of power for this category of table saws. It should have no problem with the types of material common for home improvement or hobbyist projects. It may start to struggle with very thick and dense hardwoods, however.

The power switch located on the front is fairly easy to turn off with your knee in case your hands are busy operating the saw. It doesn’t have a soft-start feature like some competitors, so it’s possible for it to trip a circuit breaker when being turned on. If that happens, be sure to turn the power switch off before resetting the breaker, to prevent the saw from starting up unexpectedly when power is restored.

Table and Fence

The table on this saw is made of plastic and is fairly small, as you would expect from such a compact saw. It measures about 26” x 26 1/2”. Some customers report that the table is slightly bowed near the blade, which probably won’t affect you if you’re just doing framing. But if you need to make precision cuts, you’d want to make sure the model you received has a flat table.

The rip fence uses DeWalt’s standard rack-and-pinion adjustment mechanism, and can be moved using a knob on the front. You’ll want to calibrate this out of the box, but once it’s adjusted it should remain accurate for a long time. The fence itself extends to give 20” of rip capacity to the right of the blade and 12” to the left. This is a fairly small rip capacity for this category of table saw, so if you expect to make wider rips, you may want to look at alternatives below.

When the fence is extended past the edge of the table, an L-shaped bracket can flip over to help support the edge of the material being cut.

Stand & Portability

The DW745 doesn’t come with a stand, though DeWalt sells an X-shaped folding stand as an additional accessory. The saw is mainly intended to be used on top of a bench or other surface. At only 45 pounds, it’s light enough to bring out when needed and then put back out of the way.

Blades and Cutting

This DeWalt table saw comes with a 10” 24-tooth blade optimized for ripping. The blade does an adequate job of ripping lumber, but if you need clean crosscuts you will want to consider upgrading the blade.

The blade can tilt from 0 to 45 degrees using the wheel on the front, which also controls blade height. When straight vertical, the saw has a 3 1/8” maximum cut depth, which is reduced to 2 1/4” max cutting depth at 45 degrees.

The DW745 can’t accept a stacked dado set due to the length of its blade arbor. This won’t be an issue for many home improvement projects, but if you plan on doing any woodworking or furniture making, it may be a significant drawback. If the use of a dado blade set is important, consider one of the alternatives discussed below.

Miter Gauge and Slots

The miter gauge is one of the weaknesses of this model. It’s made of fairly cheap plastic and has quite a bit of slop in the 3/4” rectangular miter slots on either side of the blade. It also lacks any positive stops at common angles like 45 degrees. If you’ll be doing anything other than rough miter cuts, you may want to consider upgrading this to a third-party miter gauge.

Dust Collection

The DW745 features a single 2 1/2” dust collection port on the rear of the unit. It does an adequate job of dust collection when attached to a standard shop vacuum.

Safety

I already mentioned that the DW745 lacks a soft-start or zero-voltage reset feature, so take care that you turn off the power switch if you trip any circuit breakers.

As for safety in operation, this model features fairly standard safety equipment. A clear plastic blade guard prevents your fingers from coming near the blade, while still allowing you to see it. A riving knife behind the blade prevents the two pieces of cut material from pinching the blade, which can cause a very dangerous kickback. And anti-kickback pawls hanging behind the blade have teeth that will dig into and stop material being thrown back at you.

The riving knife can be lowered flush with the top of the blade to make non-thru cuts, but the blade guard and anti-kickback pawls can’t be used in this position. Luckily, they are very easy to detach and attach without the use of any tools, and they can be securely stored on the side of the unit.

Overall Pros/Cons

How Does it Compare?

The compact size and light weight of the DW745 will appeal to anyone who doesn’t have a lot of space to dedicate to a permanently-installed saw. But there are tradeoffs for compactness, including a limited rip capacity and no ability to use a dado set. You could also consider these alternatives to the DeWalt DW745.

Metabo HPT C10RJS

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Metabo HPT (formerly Hitachi) offers this portable table saw with a larger table, at 28 3/4” x 22”. Its 35” rip capacity is the largest in this category. And it features up to 10” of additional outfeed support at the rear of the table as an included accessory. All of this would be useful to anyone needing to cut larger material.

Compare: DeWalt DW745 vs. Metabo HPT C10RJS

Full review: Metabo HPT C10RJS Portable Jobsite Table Saw (Review)

DeWalt DWE7491RS

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If you’ll need to rip larger material but want to stay in the DeWalt family, consider the DWE7491RS. Its table also isn’t huge, at 26 3/8” x 21 7/8”, but its maximum rip width of 32 1/2” is among the best in the class.

It also comes with one of the best wheeled stands you can get on a portable table saw. If you don’t want to dedicate bench-top space in your shop, it’s easy to set up when needed, then fold up to store out of the way.

Compare: DeWalt DW745 vs. DeWalt DWE7491RS

Full review: DeWalt DWE7491RS Jobsite Table Saw Review

SawStop JSS-120A60

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If safety is your number one priority, SawStop offers a jobsite table saw with their patented blade brake technology. It uses electrical conductivity to detect if flesh (like your finger) is touching the blade, and stops the blade instantly. It can turn a potential emergency room visit into a minor nick. It also has a respectable maximum rip capacity of 25 1/2”. The price jump to the SawStop is pretty significant, but for many people, the peace of mind that comes with it is worth it.

Conclusion

This DeWalt 10” table saw has been around for quite a few years, and its longevity and popularity demonstrate that it delivers a good value for the money. It does not have an especially large rip capacity, so if you’ll be cutting large sheet goods, one of its larger competitors may be a wiser choice. If you’re a woodworker who will need to use a stacked dado set, note that an optional throat plate will be required.

All that said, DeWalt is known for making durable portable table saws. So if the feature set of the DW745 looks like it’ll work for you, this is a quality product at a reasonable price, and is well worth your consideration.

Specs