Metabo TS254 vs Dewalt DW745

[Caligula]

Hi,
Over two years ago I started this thread:

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f153/dewalt-dw745-table-201771

The noise level was my main concern and all my questions were around it. But I missed something important which I didn't mention in my thread.

I bought that saw from Bunnings and used it for my business no more than 1-2 times a week for 1 hour. I mainly cut laminate, melamine boards and MDF. The saw is designed for the outside jobside but I didn't realise it when I bought it. That is why it doesn't have the dustport above the blade and dust runs from under the blade as the water from the tap. The dust extractor sucked only half of the dust from the single port and the rest of dust was inside my garage. I approached Dewalt and asked them for any solution. They just recommended to buy their other saw which had two dust ports. Thank you guys.

So two years later I indeed decided to buy another compact saw but not from Dewalt. I browsed the Net and run against a few saws which met my requirements. There were very simulor saws from Bosch, Metabo and Makita. Festool was too expensive for my job. I traveled around a few shops and bought Metabo TS254 from Sydney Tools in Melbourne. I took it to my place and assembled within 15 minutes. The instructions were very easy for any beginner. After that I connected the dust extractor and made my first cut.

I can compare this saw with Dewalt DW745.
Metabo is not so noisy as Dewalt.
It has two dustports as I needed. It comes with a double adaptor which can be connected to a dust extractor. So your dust extractor can suck the sawdust both from two ports at the same time which is very good. Sawdust still falls down on the floor but much-much less then after Dawalt.
The motor has 3 seconds brake which excellent.
The fence is as good as Dewalt has.
It has a built-in stand on wheels which is very good.
It is very stable and the legs are adjustable.
So I am quite happy with it and I can recommend it over Dawalt DW745.

But now found that it takes only blades with 30mm bore. Dewalt takes both 5/8" and 30 mm blade arbor. I have a few excellent Diablo 5/8" blades which are useless now.

I will probably sell my Dewalt saw with 5/8 blades at Ebay. It is a good option for a builder who works outside and doesn't care about the sawdust. If you live in Melbourne and are interested please let me know. I live in Chadstone and can demonstrate how it works.
Thanks.

[Sam]

Hi,
I remember your thread. I own the dewalt and have measured the dB at 100 with an iPhone app. Any chance you could measure both saws and report the noise levels in dB ?
Sam

[Caligula]

Hi,
I remember your thread. I own the dewalt and have measured the dB at 100 with an iPhone app. Any chance you could measure both saws and report the noise levels in dB ?
Sam

I can't measure the noise level of the Dewalt saw as I have already cleaned and packed it for selling.
But I used the Android application on my phone and measured the dB of my 1.5 h.p. bandsaw which is 75 dB.
Then I measured the noise of the Metabo saw a few times and it gave me 83-85 dB. The measurement was never over 85 dB.
But I can hear it without any measurement. I can even cut wood and listen to the audio book in my headphones.
Also I am VERY impressed with the dust level. Today I worked without the face mask for the first time in two years.
Yesterday I traveled to Total Tools and the salesperson helped me to choose the best Diablo blade for my particular conditions. 90 tooth blade cuts 20mm melamine board as if you can paper with scissors. I cross my fingers that everything will be fine with this saw in the future. By the way they gave 3 years warranty.

[MondoTV]

So you've had the saw a nearly 2 months - still positive? Most of the reviews I've seen complain that the brake is so aggressive it loosens the blade - that'd drive me "nuts". And a few have mentioned the poor quality of the cast top - but I've seen no actual measurements to back it up. Shame it doesn't come stock with a better blade but almost no jobsite saw does..

[Caligula]

You are absolutely right. I noticed it very soon but first I thought it was a problem with the fence. So each time I stopped the saw the distance between the blade and the fence became around 1 mm wider !? I had to adjust the fence all the time and it was a bit annoying. But I do not make furniture so this problem is not critical for me.
Do you know if it is possible to adjust that brake as it is absolutely useless ? It is also useless to send this question to Metabo as I do not believe they would answer it.
I live not too far from their headquarters. I few times I travelled to their shop to repair their bandsaw. So next time I will definitely ask their guys this question. Probably a perfect jobsite table saw doesn't exist yet.
I haven't found any problem with the cast top yet !? If other people mentioned it so it probably does exist. I am happy that my dust extractor sucks probably 80% of all dust and it is good for my particular garage conditions. But I feel that the other Dewalt saw made more precise cuts but it didn't have a dust port. But the difference is really invisible except the aggressive brake.

[MondoTV]

I read on another thread someone just used a bit of threadlocker and that stopped it from loosening. However I’m not sure if this was just a suggestion or an actual user.. you might try it and hopefully report the results. That would be quite helpful.

[Bjuergens]

I own a matabo ts254 also and thankfully have never had any trouble with the brake loosening blades. I am however looking to sell it as I have a ledacraft mj 2325a coming (when I figure out how to get it home!) so if anyone’s interested in trying one out to see for yourself (or buying!) let me know. I am also in Chadstone.

[slickmick77]

Hey mate. So far so good with your table saw? I'm thinking if purchasing one just checking out reviews in regards to this one OR a dewalt. Was even considering this one from machineryforbes
W452 - SB-12 Table Saw | Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse (https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/W452)

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[riverbuilder]

“But now found that it takes only blades with 30mm bore. Dewalt takes both 5/8" and 30 mm blade arbor. I have a few excellent Diablo 5/8" blades which are useless now.”

Those blades are certainly not useless at all. Take them to any reputable saw doctor (Leuco is a very good one) and they can bore them out to suit whatever saw arbor you wish, easily, and cheaply. As long as the outside diameter is correct for the saw you wish to fit them on, it’s no problem at all.

[Caligula]

Dewalt DW745 is a portable very light jobsite saw beforehand. It doesn't have a dustport above the blade and it is a huge issue if you are going to use it inside your garage or a workshop. And the rest is fine.

Metabo TS 254 is also a jobsite saw but it is a bit heavier. It does have two dustports and you can use it inside your garage if you connect it to a reasonable dust extractor. But the fence is a huge headache. It is not so good at all and it takes a lot of time to set it up to the right size. Both ends of the fence move sideway and it is very easy to lose a few millimetres.

I contacted Sydney Tools about that issue and they tried to receive any reasonable response from Metabo. But Metabo has the same terrible supporting service as Dewalt. As soon as they sell you their product they absolutely do not care about you anymore.
So if I initially knew that Metabo had that problem with the unstable fence I wouldn't buy it.

The saw on your photo looks more solid and it requires more space. Dewalt weighs just under 20 kg and Metabo is a bit heavier. But SB-12 saw weights 120 kg and it's designed for contactor jobs.

Check for another Dewalt saw with two dustports if you are going to use it just for your light home projects.

[Caligula]

I typed in a long feedback but then everything was frozen and I lost my message. What a disappointment.

Do not go for Metabo TS254. It has a terrible and unstable fence.

I asked Sydney Tools to contact Metabo and point to that issue. But their technical support doesn't exist at all. As soon as they sell you their product they do not care anymore. So, the fence is rubbish. Dewalt has much better fence but it is a jobsite saw and it doesn't have a dustport above the blade. So it is impossible to use it inside the garage.

The saw on your photo is a contactor saw and it weighs 120kg.

[slickmick77]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the response. I think I'll just gonna buy a good plunge saw and build a homemade table saw for now. I wouldn't mind a decent table saw so I'll hold out till one is on offer. Thanks fellas

[raycon]

I recently bought a Dewalt DWE7491-XE (two dustports and I'm using it in an inside-the-house workshop) and I have been very impressed with its accuracy. The rip fence with rack-and-pinion adjustment is great, however the mitre fence/guide is sloppy and useless, but it can be fixed, and made part of a crosscut sled anyway.. It has a big solid lever over the off button that you can hit with your knee while you hold your longer workpieces, and it slows to a stop fast enough for me. Did I mention the rip fence? It's so far and away better than the Metabo or Makita plastic things, locks easily and positively, adjusts to left or right quickly. My first table saw, but for once I bought something good!

I forgot to add that it was dead true out of the box. The only adjustment I had to make was because the fence clearance over the table was too tight, and easy fix.

[Goldy1]

Hi ray on, thanks for the info re the DW7941xe.

Am in the process of choosing an entry level table saw and this is looking like a good fit. I bought a Makita but have taken it back to TradeTools because the rip fence is unreliable. It moves with a bit of lateral pressure resulting in cuts that aren’t square. So the replacement will be either the Metabo or the DeWalt and it appears from numerous reviews that the DW fence is far superior. I’m not a trade but do at the moment need the versatility of a saw I can easily move about, meaning that a job site saw fits the bill. I’d love to buy a good solid unit that will not be moved around but that will be later. So it seems that in the range of available table saws with portability that the DW7941 is the best option. Will be very happy to hear the experiences or reviews of others. Cheers. Dave

[ozmike]

Hi Raycon,

I am new to woodworking and am in the process of considering getting a table saw. After researching, I am thinking of getting the Dewalt DWE7491-XE (coz it will fit in the limited space I have in the home garage).

Thank you for sharing your experience with the Dewalt table saw. Do you know whether this Dewalt will be able to take dado blades? Also, I read somewhere that it can only take Dewalt blades due to the way it is constructed - have I been misinformed? (have limited budget for this hobby and wanting to make sure I get the right table saw that will enable me to fit other woodworking blades like the Diablo)

Thanks.

[raycon]

Hi Ozmike, I understand the DeWalt takes a variety of blades but I haven’t yet tried any others. It certainly should take a dado set because the arbor is big enough, but again, what width I can’t tell you yet. Sorry, not much help.

[ian]

I am new to woodworking and am in the process of considering getting a table saw. After researching, I am thinking of getting the Dewalt DWE7491-XE (coz it will fit in the limited space I have in the home garage).

Thank you for sharing your experience with the Dewalt table saw. Do you know whether this Dewalt will be able to take dado blades? Also, I read somewhere that it can only take Dewalt blades due to the way it is constructed - have I been misinformed? (have limited budget for this hobby and wanting to make sure I get the right table saw that will enable me to fit other woodworking blades like the Diablo)


Hi Ozmike, I understand the DeWalt takes a variety of blades but I haven’t yet tried any others. It certainly should take a dado set because the arbor is big enough, but again, what width I can’t tell you yet. Sorry, not much help.
The Australian DWE7491-XE is very similar to the Canadian DWE7491-RS. That said, the Australian version of the saw has a 5/8" arbor (=16 mm) and according to the Canadian website can take a maximum 13/16" (= 20.6 mm) dado set.

Not sure if you would want to fit a dado that wide. A dedicated 10" box joint cutting blade might be a better option for you.

[ozmike]

Hi Raycon,

No worries mate.

Based on my research so far, it is likely that I will be getting the Dewalt :2tsup:

[ozmike]

Hi Ian,

Thank you for the information :cheers2:.

Reckon I have got my mind set now on the Dewalt :2tsup:.

[sht0ney]

regarding a dewalt 7491 table saw, I've had mine perhaps 2-odd years now. replaced the 24 tooth blade with a diablo 60 tooth and it works great for me with ultra clean cuts. I've been using an incra mitre express with 1000 mitre se as the mitre gauge that comes with the saw is average at best, as with most contractor saw mitre gauges I'd imagine…

only issue with this setup is the mitre express is too wide for the table top and hangs well off the edge. not an ideal sitch and thus I realise its time for a bigger saw/table top for my scenario. worst still, I've found the cast aluminium table isn't entirely flat from 1 side of the blade to the other. in my case, using the fence to cut a taper on timber then flipping to the mitre side to end cut a matching taper gives me an error of 0.3deg…multiply that error by 4 corners and there are obvious gaps in joinery. just an example of my recent pains, n yes its possible to adjust the saw blade to account for that error, but its inconvenient and not always accurate.

just something to consider, these job saws are great to move around in a small workspace, but they obviously won't have the accuracy and repeatability of a bigger more solid table saw without having a bunch of jigs and constant adjustment. again depends on the type of work you are doing...