DeWalt DCS778

13
ENGLISH
Body and Hand Position
Proper positioning of your body and hands when operating the mitre saw
will make cutting easier, more accurate andsafer.

WARNING:
• Never place your hands near the cuttingarea.
• Place your hands no closer than 150mm from theblade.
• Hold the workpiece tightly to the table and the fence when cutting.
Keep your hands in position until the switch has been released and
the blade has completelystopped.
• Always make dry runs (without power) before finish
cuts so that you can check the path of theblade.
• Do not cross yourhands.
• Keep both feet firmly on the floor and maintain properbalance.
• As you move the saw arm left and right, follow it and stand slightly
to the side of the sawblade.
Basic Saw Cuts
Vertical straight cross cut (Fig. A, O)
NOTE: Use 250mm saw blades with 30mm arbor holes to obtain the
desired cuttingcapacities.
1. Slacken the mitre latch
13
and subsequently lift itup.
2. Engage the mitre latch
13
at the 0° position and fasten the mitrelatch.
3. Place the wood to be cut against the fence
16
.
4. Take hold of the carrying handle
3
and press the guard lock up release
lever
2
to release the guard. Extend head of the saw all the wayout.
5. Press the trigger switch
1
to start the motor.
6. Depress the head to allow the blade to cut through the timber and
enter the plastic kerfplate
11
.
7. When the head is fully depressed, slowly push it back across to
complete thecut.
8. After completing the cut, release the switch and wait for the saw blade
to come to a complete standstill before returning the head to its upper
restposition.

WARNING:
• The lower blade guard is designed to close quickly
when the lever
2
is released. If it does not close within
1 second, have the saw serviced by an authorized
DeWALT
repairagent.
Vertical mitre cross-cut (Fig. A, P)
1. Squeeze the mitre latch
13
. Move the arm left or right to the
requiredangle.
2. The mitre latch will automatically locate at 0°, 15°, 22.5°, 31.62°, 45° and
50° both left and right. If any intermediate angle is required hold the
head firmly and lock by fastening the mitrelatch.
3. Always ensure that the mitre lock lever is locked tightly beforecutting.
4. Proceed as for a vertical straight cross-cut.

WARNING: When mitring the end of a piece of wood
with a small off-cut, position the wood to ensure that the off-cut is to
the side of the blade with the greater angle to the fence, i.e.:
• left mitre, off-cut to the right
• right mitre, off-cut to the left
Performing a sliding cut (Fig. A, B, R)
1. Turn the saw head traverse lock
18
to loosen.
2. Push down the saw head
24
, pull out the lock-down button
22
and
let the saw head rise to it’s highest position.
3. Place the wood to be cut against the sliding fence
16
and secure it
with the material clamp
17
.
4. Lower the saw head then pull it to the end of its travel.
5. Press the guard lock-up release lever
2
to release the guard. Press the
trigger switch
1
to start the motor.
6. Totally depress the head to allow the blade to cut through the timber
and push the head back to complete the cut.
7. After completing the cut, release the switch and wait for the saw blade
to come to a complete standstill before returning the head to its upper
rest position.

WARNING: Remember to lock the saw head in the rear position when
the sliding cuts are finished.
Bevel cross-cuts (Fig. L, Q)
Bevel angles can be set from 0° to 48° to the left. Bevels up to 45° can be cut
with the mitre arm set between zero and a maximum of 45° mitre position
right orleft.
1. Loosen the bevel clamp handle
19
and set the bevel asdesired.
2. Set the override button
30
ifrequired.
3. Hold the head firmly and do not allow it tofall.
4. Tighten the bevel clamp handle
19
firmly.
5. Proceed as for a vertical straight cross-cut.
Quality of Cut
The smoothness of any cut depends on a number of variables, i.e. the
material being cut. When smoothest cuts are desired for moulding
andother precision work, a sharp (60-tooth carbide) blade and a slower,
even cutting rate will produce the desiredresults.

WARNING: Ensure that the material does not creep while cutting;
clamp it securely in place. Always let the blade come to a full stop
before raising the arm. If small fibres of wood still split out at the rear
of the workpiece, stick a piece of masking tape on the wood where
the cut will be made. Saw through the tape and carefully remove tape
whenfinished.
Cutting Non-Ferrous Metals
When cutting non-ferrous metals, the machine is only to be used to
perform vertical straight and mitre cross-cuts in the mitre saw mode.
We recommend that bevel and compound mitre cuts should not be
performed in non-ferrous metals. The machine is not to be used for cutting
ferrousmetals.
• Always use a material clamp when cutting non-ferrous metals. Make
sure that the workpiece is clamped securely.
• Only apply saw blades that are qualified for cutting non-ferrous metals.
• When using lubricants, only apply wax or separation spray. Do not use
emulsions or similar fluids.
Clamping the Workpiece (Fig.U)

WARNING: Always use a materialclamp.
For best results use the material clamp
17
made for use with yoursaw.
To Install clamp
1. Insert it into the hole behind the fence. The clamp
17
should be facing
toward the back of the mitre saw. Ensure the groove on the clamp rod
is fully inserted into the base of the mitre saw. If the groove is visible,
the clamp will not besecure.
2. Rotate the clamp 180º toward the front of the mitresaw.
3. Loosen the knob to adjust the clamp up or down, then use the fine
adjust knob to firmly clamp theworkpiece.
NOTE: Place the clamp on the right side of the base when beveling.
ALWAYS MAKE DRY RUNS (UNPOWERED) BEFORE FINISH CUTS TO CHECK
THE PATH OF THE BLADE. ENSURE THE CLAMP DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH
THE ACTION OF THE SAW ORGUARDS.