DeWalt DWS780 12-Inch Dual-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter SawSemi-Pro

The DWS780 is the benchmark 12-inch dual-bevel slider, and its XPS shadow line is the feature owners rave about since it shows the true kerf with no calibration. It's a capable production and trim saw with big capacity for its weight. The known catch is that the 45-degree detents can come up shy of a true 45, so wide casing miters need a check.

• The XPS LED shadow line is the standout, casting the blade's true kerf with no calibration and working in sunlight
• It has good capacity for a 56-pound 12-inch slider, with a generous 50 and 60-degree miter range
• Calibration is easy, since you loosen the four detent-plate screws to square the miter scale
• The detent override lets you glide past stops to reduce wear, and long-term owners report no deflection running a sharp 100-tooth blade

• Squared at 0, some owners find both 45-degree detents come up a third of a degree shy, and because the detents are machined into one plate it's hard to correct, which bites on wide casing
• The detent plate can slide out of pitch, so 90 is perfect while a 45 is off, and owners shim the plate to fix it
• It usually needs a squareness adjustment out of the box, and the vertical bevel stop can drift, so owners check before critical cuts
• There's head flex and slide slop at full extension, and the table isn't always coplanar with the base

It takes 12-inch, 1-inch arbor blades, with a Freud 80-tooth or Diablo a common upgrade. The DWX723 folding and DWX726 rolling stands fit, and a shop vac helps the 2.5-inch port. It uses the XPS shadow line rather than a laser, so an aftermarket laser is redundant, and owners often shim the detent plate.