Lost a whole day fighting with a bad miter saw fence

Last month I picked up a used DeWalt 12 inch miter saw at a garage sale for $80. Thought I got a steal until I spent 6 hours trying to cut crown molding for a kitchen job and every piece was off by an 8th of an inch. Finally realized the fence was bent maybe a quarter inch in the middle from someone dropping it. I wasted $120 worth of premium poplar crown trying to make it work before I gave up and ordered a replacement fence online. The new fence cost me $65 plus shipping and now the saw cuts perfect. Has anyone else dealt with a bowed fence on a used miter saw or am I the only dummy who didn't check that before buying?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo_gonzalez682d ago

Had the exact same thing happen with a 10 inch Ryobi slider I bought off Craigslist. The fence looked fine at a glance but when I put a straight edge on it I could see daylight under it in the middle. I tried shimming it with paper and tape for a week before I found out you can buy just the fence part for a lot of saws. Cost me $50 shipped and now it cuts square as the day it was new. You're not the only one who learned that lesson the hard way.

faithbaker1d ago

I read somewhere that fences are actually pretty easy to replace on most saws, glad that worked out for you @hugo_gonzalez68.