DeWalt 20V Max Miter Saw Joins the Cordless Miter Saw Class
DeWalt has announced their entry into the cordless miter saw class with the DeWalt 20V Max Miter Saw. We’ve wondered for a while now if the 18V/20V Max class of tools would be able to support miter saws and in what capacity. It’s not as obvious as simply taking your cordless circular saw and slapping it on a miter platform. For one thing, there are still only a few 7-1/4″ cordless circular saws on the market. We tested the only three mainstream ones in our Full Size Cordless Circular Saw Shootout last year. No, there are more considerations at play.
With the new DeWalt 20V Max Miter Saw, they’ve exceeded the no load speed of the DCS391 20V Max Circular Saw, but with a 7-1/4″ blade. It stands to reason that they’ve found a way to get more power out of the system, but we’re curious to see if they’ve been able to produce some additional torque as well. Since we know they’ve produced a retail worthy miter saw, I’d expect that we’ll see a full size cordless circular saw before too much longer as well.
Compared to a circular saw, you’re losing about a 1/4″ of cutting capacity over the 6-1/2″ platform and a little over 1/2″ over the 7-1/4″. What you gain, of course, is the mitering and beveling capacity and accuracy that circular saws can only dream about. The DeWalt 20V Max Miter Saw uses standard 7-1/4″ blades with a 5/8″ arbor, so there’s no need to look for a specialty blade. Considering that this is clearly a finish grade tool, you’ll want to use 40 or 60 tooth blades appropriate for the work you’ll be doing.
A couple of stand out features that we know of include the XPS work light. This light casts a shadow from the blade to the work surface to create a more accurate representation of where the cut will be than a side mounted laser. There are also 10 positive miter stops. Of course, it’s designed to be light weight and comes in under 32 pounds.
The DeWalt DCS361 looks like it will be an outstanding fit for those that are doing crown molding, base boards, flooring, and carpentry. It will handle some framing duties up to 2″ x 8″ thanks to the horizontal slide, but my guess is that our framers are going to want to stick with corded models for now. Look for retail prices to be around $399 for the kit and $319 for the bare tool. The DeWalt 20V Max Miter Saw is expected to hit store shelves in late June 2015.
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DeWalt 20V Max Miter Saw Specs
- Model: DCS361B (bare tool), DCS361M1 (kit)
- Power Source: 20V Max Battery
- Blade Size: 7-1/4″
- Arbor Size: 5/8″
- No Load Speed: 3750 RPM
- Bevel Capacity: -3 to 48 degrees (left only)
- Cut Capacity: 2″ vertical, 8″ horizontal at 0 degrees bevel and miter
- Crown Nested Cut Capacity: 9/16″ x 3-5/8″
- Base Molding Cut Capacity: 5/8″ x 3-1/2″
- Listed Run Time: 183 pine 2 x 4 cross cuts
- Dust Extraction Port: yes, bag included
- Weight: 31.6 pounds
- Warranty: 3 years
- Price: $319 (DCS361B), $399 (DCS361M1)
