FIG. 6
BEVEL POINTER SCREW
(one each side)
BEVEL POINTER
(one each side)
BEVEL SCALE
CROWN ADJUSTMENT SCREW
(one each side)
45° BEVEL OVERRIDE LEVER
(one each side)
22.5º BEVEL PAWL
(one each side)
CROWN BEVEL
PAWL
(one each side)
45° BEVEL
ADJUSTMENT SCREW
(one each side)
FIG. 7
0° BEVEL ADJUSTMENT
SCREW
FIG. 8
WARNING: Always use eye protection. All users and bystanders must wear eye protection
that conforms to ANSI Z87.1 (CAN/CSA Z94.3).
Plug the saw into any household 60 Hz power source. Refer to the nameplate for voltage. Be
sure the cord will not interfere with your work.
Trigger Switch (Fig. 4)
To turn the saw on, depress the trigger switch. To turn the tool off, release the switch. Allow
the blade to spin up to full operating speed before making the cut. Release the trigger switch
and allow the brake to stop the blade before raising the saw head. There is no provision for
locking the switch on, but a hole is provided in the trigger for insertion of a padlock to lock
the saw off.
Cutting With Your Saw
If the slide feature is not used, ensure the saw head is pushed back as far as possible and
the rail lock knob is tightened. This will prevent the saw from sliding along its rails as the
workpi ece is engaged.
NOTE: Although this saw will cut wood and many non-ferrous materials, we will limit our
detailed discussion to the cutting of wood only. The same guidelines apply to the other
materials. DO NOT CUT FERROUS (IRON AND STEEL) MAT ERIALS OR MASONRY
WITH THIS SAW. Do not use any abrasive blades.
NOTE: Refer to Guard Actuation and Visibility in the Adjustments section for important
information about the lower guard before cutting.
CROSSCUTS
A crosscut is made by cutting wood across the grain at any angle. A straight crosscut is made
with the miter arm at the zero degree position. Set and lock the miter arm at zero, hold the
wood firmly on the table and against the fence. With the rail lock knob tightened, turn on the
saw by squeezing the trigger switch shown in Figure 4.
When the saw comes up to speed (about 1 second) lower the arm smoothly and slowly to cut
through the wood. Let the blade come to a full stop before raising arm.
When cutting anything larger than a 2 x 8 (51 x 203 mm [2 x 6 (51 x 152) at 45º miter]) use an
out-down-back motion with the rail lock knob loosened. Pull the saw out, toward you, lower
the saw head down toward the workpiece, and slowly push the saw back to complete the
cut. Do not allow the saw to contact the top of the workpiece while pulling out. The saw may
run toward you, possibly causing personal injury or damage to the workpiece.
Cutting of multiple pieces is not recommended but can be done safely by ensuring that each
piece is held firmly against the table and fence.
NOTE: To provide greater crosscut capacity with reduced stroke, the blade on the DWS779
extends deeper into the table. As a result, a greater lifting force on the workpiece may be
experienced during the cut.
WARNING: Always use a work clamp to maintain control and reduce the risk of workpiece
damage and personal injury, if your hands are required to be within 6" (152 mm) of the blade
during the cut.
NOTE: The rail lock knob shown in Figure 4 must be loose to allow the saw to slide along
its rails.
Miter crosscuts are made with the miter arm at some angle other than zero. This angle is often
45º for making corners, but can be set anywhere from zero to 50º left or 60° right. Make the
cut as described above.
When performing a miter cut on workpieces wider than a 2 x 6 that are shorter in length,
always place the longer side against the fence (Fig. 8).
To cut through an existing pencil line on a piece of wood, match the angle as close as
possible. Cut the wood a little too long and measure from the pencil line to the cut edge to
determine which direction to adjust the miter angle and recut. This will take some practice,
but it is a commonly used technique.
8