Don,

Mine always went to 4 to achieve enough tension. If you put a blade in then press down on the upper arm you will see the blade bend a little. There is a little slop in the system and  I have gotten in the habit of pushing down on the upper arm slightly when inserting a blade then tightening.

 If I do this the blade will tension correctly at 2 or 3.

 

Tom

thanks...will try that

I have had a DW788 for about a year and have been having trouble lately with the blade slipping out of the lower holder (the one I open and close the most when doing inside cuts).  It doesn't seem to happen if I keep the tension low but if I keep it low,  it seems to allow too much play in the blade.  Anyone else having this problem?

 

Also,  is there any maintenance that needs to be done to the face of the screw where it clamps down on the blade?  Mine,  on the bottom clamp,  seems to be very smooth.  Is that why my blade wants to slip out if I increase the tension?

You might also want to try wiping the blades with laquer thinner or the like. Blades have an oil on them and the solvent will take that off.

 

Make dust.

CHARLIE

Thanks for the Information and Tips.  I'll give them a try.

 

Randy

I too had the same problem with the blade slipping out on the bottom as well especially if I tightened the tension because I also had the other problem. I did the sanding thing on the screws and the wiping of the blade with the mineral spirits and it was only a so-so fix for me and didn't work that long. I was doing a lot of fret work and it was driving me crazy and causing more stress than ever. I went to the local repair shop and bought a new set screw for $3.99. There is some blue stuff in the grooves of the screw I saw on the new one which was no longer there on the old one. I put it in and now my saw works like new again. I do not know if the problem was the face of the screw or had something to do with the blue stuff, but for the cost of the set screw I got my sanity back.  My saw is less than a year old too and I was getting very disallusioned with my Dewalt and the price I paid for it. But now I love it again.  

Thanks Annie.  I have a Dewalt repair shop here in the Raleigh, NC area and I'll stop in and check it out.    I appreciate your help.

 

Randy