DeWalt DWE7485 Portable Table Saw Review

DeWalt has offered a number of very popular portable table saws over the years. The DWE7485 is one of the newest, and represents a bit of a change from its predecessors. While the most popular DeWalt table saws have featured 10” blades, the DWE7485 has an 8 1/4” blade. The smaller blade is part of an industry trend over the past couple years, due primarily to new UL safety regulations regarding the size of a table saw blade relative to the saw itself.

Given the differences from previous DeWalt models, you might be wondering if the DWE7485 is right for you. Let’s take a look at this table saw in detail, discussing all of its pros and cons.

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Features and Benefits

I’ll walk you through each of the features of the DWE7485 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 DeWalt DWE7485 runs off a standard 120-volt circuit, 15-amp household circuit. You’ll generally want to make sure it’s the only device on its circuit, to avoid tripping circuit breakers.

DeWalt says the motor spins at 5,800 rpm under no load. In reality, these no-load numbers don’t always bear much relation to how the motor will perform in the real world. Higher RPM does not necessarily mean a better saw, so this shouldn’t be your primary criteria when choosing a saw.

If you trip a circuit breaker or otherwise lose power, you might forget to turn off the power switch on the saw. Many table saws will start up again as soon as the power is restored. That could be very dangerous if you or your workpiece are still near the blade as it starts up. The power-loss reset system on the DWE7485 means it’ll automatically stay powered off even when power is restored.

Table and Fence

A bit unusually for portable table saws, the DWE7485 features a perfectly square table. It measures just 22 3/4” on each side, while the saw overall is 13” tall. This small size comes with some advantages and disadvantages.

On the one hand, the saw is undeniably easy to move around. Whether you’re taking it from jobsite to jobsite or just moving it to make space in your workshop, this might be very attractive to you. You will be limited in how large of material you can safely cut, however. For cutting large sheet goods like 4x8’ plywood, for instance, you will definitely want some external support.

In spite of the small table, the DWE7485 boasts a 24 1/2” rip capacity to the right of the blade. This gives you just enough rip capacity to handle those 4x8’ sheets of plywood (assuming you support them properly). The rip capacity on the left of the blade is a fairly typical 12”.

The fence itself is DeWalt’s standard rack-and-pinion design. This design is consistently noted for its smooth and accurate operation. Once you get the position dialed in and locked, it won’t move around on you.

The DWE7485 doesn’t come with a stand, although you can buy one as a bundle.

Blades and Cutting

As I mentioned at the beginning, this saw takes 8 1/4” table saw blades rather than the more customary 10” blades. You may not find quite as wide a selection of third-party blades in the 8 1/4” category. While I expect this will change as more 8 1/4” table saws hit the market, it’s something to be aware of for now. But I wouldn’t let it stop you from buying the DWE7485 unless you have very particular requirements for a blade. For all the common applications, you’ll still find plenty of options from the major blade manufacturers.

With the blade perfectly vertical, you can cut up to 2 9/16” inches. So you’re losing roughly 5/8” or so in cutting depth compared to a full 10” blade. Again, for most typical uses, this won’t make a huge difference. If you anticipate needing to cut thicker material, however, it’s something to note.

The cutting depth is 1 3/4” when the blade is beveled at its maximum 45° angle.

If you’re a woodworker who wants to make use of dado blades, you may want to consider a different table saw. That’s because the DWE7485 does not support the use of dado stacks. (The Skil TS6307-00, for instance, is a similar table saw but supports dado stacks.)

Miter Gauge and Slots

The DWE7485 features two miter slots with the standard dimensions of 3/4” wide by 3/8” deep. The slots are T-shaped, allowing you to use any T-slot accessories. Of course, any rectangular miter bars will also fit in the T-slots, but without the advantages the T-slots provide.

As for the miter gauge itself, unfortunately it is what we have come to expect from table saw manufacturers. That is to say, it functions…barely. For rough work, it’ll do just fine. But there’s a fair bit of play in the slots, so you’ll have to work at it to achieve accurate cuts. If you need any sort of precision in your crosscuts, however, I’d strongly suggest you upgrade to a third-party miter gauge. (The INCRA Miter 1000HD is a great choice, or you can check out our full roundup of miter gauges.)

Safety

The DWE7485 offers the typical safety features that you’d expect from a modern table saw.

A modular guard system mounts around the blade, keeping your fingers safely away from the spinning metal. DeWalt’s implementation of this system is very easy to attach and detach, unlike some competing manufacturers. Since you’ll need to remove the guard for non-through cuts, being able to quickly reattach it means you’ll be more likely to use this important safety feature.

A riving knife mounts behind the blade to keep wood from pinching back onto the blade after it’s cut. Again, this is an important safety feature that you’ll want to leave mounted at all times. Unlike some other saws in this category, the DWE7485’s riving knife can be adjusted for non-through cuts, so you don’t need to remove it entirely.

Anti-kickback pawls attached to the riving knife help keep the material being cut from flying back towards you, the operator.

The power-loss reset feature I discussed above adds another element of safety in the event of power outages or tripped circuit breakers.

Related: Table Saw Safety: Tips to Live By

Finally, dust collection is an important safety consideration as well, since inhaling sawdust is definitely not good for you. The DWE7485 features a 2 1/2” dust port on the rear, which is a very common size for shop vacuums and other dust removal gear. You can get a variety of adapters if your dust collector does not use a 2 1/2” hose.

Alternatives to the DeWalt DWE7485

It’s always good to have options. So I’ll give you a quick rundown of some similar products, to help you gauge whether the DWE7485 is right for you.

Skil TS6307-00

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The Skil TS6307-00 is a 10” portable table saw, so not exactly in the same category as the DWE7485. But in many other respects they are pretty similar. The Skil’s table is a bit larger, at 25” by 24”, and it comes with a stand. Its rip capacity is fairly similar (25 1/2” to the right, 14” to the left). One big difference that might matter to woodworkers is that the Skil, unlike the DWE7485, can support up to a 5/8” dado stack.

Compare: DeWalt DWE7485 vs. Skil TS6307-00

DeWalt DCS7485

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The DeWalt DCS7485 is the cordless sibling of the DWE7485. It offers basically the same features as the DWE7485, and also takes 8 1/4” table saw blades. But it uses DeWalt’s 60 V MAX battery system rather than a power cord. If you’ll be working in locations without easy access to power (or you just hate cords) it is definitely worth checking out.

Compare: DeWalt DCS7485 vs. DeWalt DWE7485

Full review: DeWalt DCS7485 Portable Table Saw Review

Conclusion

Overall, the DWE7485 packs a lot of punch in a compact product. It’s a great choice for a DIYer or contractor needing an easy-to-move table saw with modern safety features. For the aspiring woodworker, it might not be such a great choice due to its sloppy miter gauge (which can be rectified with a third-party accessory) and its lack of support for dado blades. We’ll see more and more of these 8 1/4” portable jobsite table saws in the near future, but the DeWalt DWE7485 is a very strong early contender.

If you’re still unsure, you can read more at my complete guide to buying a table saw. Or check out other options in our roundup of the best portable jobsite table saws.

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