DW788 problem

[Old Dust 1]

Type 2

I am having a problem with the blade clamps.
Blade keeps jumping out.

I have filed the thumb screws flat, adjusted the other side screws, cleaned the clamps, etc. but still have the problem.

Should I just order new thumb screws or what?

John

Old Dust

[dgman]

Hey John, Replacing the thumb screws will help, but only temporally. The main culprit is the blades. There is oil on the blades from the manufacturing process. The oil needs to be removed. Some people use mineral spirits. I use a folded sheet of 220 grit sandpaper. Before mounting the blade, I sand the ends of the blade. If you look at the sandpaper, you will see the oil that was removed!

[sawman101]

If the blade still slips after cleaning the blade ends, your clamp screws may not be perfectly flat. An easy remedy is to take a small block of wood that is narrower than the length of the screw. Drill a hole through it that is squared with the axis of the block. I think the Dewalt uses a 7 mm screw. The hole should allow the screw to turn easily through it and portrude from the other side of the block. Set your disc sander table at 90 degrees, and check with a square. Now dress the end of the screw. Using a miter gage to align the block is also helpful, but it should be easy to eyeball the work.

[Bill Wilson]

One other little tip that is often overlooked - the thumbscrew on the Dewalt blade clamps has a rotating tip. If you remove the thumbscrew and pull on the very end, it will come out. You will see that it has a very small O-ring on the shaft. Apply a tiny bit of light grease to this O-ring and re-insert the tip back into the end of the screw. This tip needs to be able to turn freely. If it doesn't, then what can happen is that as you are tightening the clamp, it can actually force the end of the blade out of alignment to where it isn't seated properly in the clamp and won't stay when tension and/or force is applied.