Miter saw acting weird (re-titled thread)

[KingwoodFan1989]

Okay, so I got my new DeWalt 709 and got it squared up with the side of the fence that I normally use (the one to the right of the blade). It runs well, cuts well, etc., but a problem I had on my previous saw has showed up here, too! When I try to cut using the other fence, the cut isn't square. It is on one fence, so shouldn't it be on the other?

There's nothing in the manual about adjusting the actual fence beyond taking off the two sliding plates that help support taller stock. I tried undoing the two bolts underneath, but guess what...one of them was so tight I actually cracked pieces off of the head on the adjustment tool that came with it (and it's a torx head!). Customer service is closed until Monday. Everything was going great otherwise, but this is unacceptable. BOTH fences should be perpendicular to the blade, not just ONE! What the heck is going on?! And yes, before anyone asks, I checked to make sure the piece stayed secure against the fence on both sides.

***EDIT: I don't think the fences are out of whack after all, but I'm still getting the same results. See my latest post below. I also changed the thread title to a more relevant one (again, read below for more details).

[jlanciani]

Have you put a straightedge across the length of the fence to verify that it is straight?

[KingwoodFan1989]

Have you put a straightedge across the length of the fence to verify that it is straight?

Long story short, yes, and it is straight. Still experiencing the same off square cut on that one side, though, and checking for square yields the same thing. It'll take me a bit, but I'll post some pics with my findings, so if you don't see that yet, check back later when I've edited all that stuff in to this post.

EDIT: Okay, so as I said before, I'm still getting the same weirdness when I make a cut or even check for square on the right side of the saw (when facing the front of it). As you'll see in the pics, it's absolutely perfectly square to the fence and table on the left side. It also cuts perfectly on that side (see pic where the square is sitting flush all the way across). On the other side, though, as you'll see in other pictures, checking for square to the table and fence both show the blade to be out by a pretty decent margin. The cut is also this way when using that side of the saw (see other pic of the square on the board where the cut is clearly out of square). 

Here's what's perplexing me most, though...look at all the pics where I put the straightedge against the table and fence. It's basically perfect. I did the fence at two different heights, held it up against the fence when checking the table, and to make absolutely sure, I used both sides of the straightedge to check. Using my feeler gauges, the worst spots on the fence only left openings up to around .003"! The table wasn't far behind, with the worst spots only being able to accommodate the .006" feeler gauge. 

I know this isn't my technique that's causing the problem, as measuring and cutting both show the same degree of error on the right side of the saw. Moreover, the fact that the worst spots across the entire fence (which is FAR longer than the max cutting width of this saw) AND table were only off by such a miniscule amount (nowhere near the 1/16" (or greater) error I get when measuring or cutting from the right side) tells me it's not the fence or the table, either.

What the heck could be causing this? I actually went back and checked my old miter saw's fence just visually with my straightedge, and it was actually okay as well! I had the same results on that saw when cutting from the right side. Granted, I'm still getting rid of that saw at some point as most of its functions are faulty, but what's going on here? Anybody else ever had this happen? Is this just some kind of quirk miter saws have?

I'm at a loss here as to what's causing this. Any insight would be much appreciated! Also, not all the pics could fit in this one post, so I'll have to add another.

[KingwoodFan1989]

Sorry for the double post, but here are the rest of the pictures

[Stwood_]

First 2 pics, what are you squaring from?

I see the right side of the table? 60 degree setting showing on the scale.

[KingwoodFan1989]

First 2 pics, what are you squaring from?

I see the right side of the table? 60 degree setting showing on the scale.

Oh, I just laid the piece of MDF on the miter saw's table and held the square's handle evenly with the adjacent side of the board. I needed my other hand to take the picture. It was held against the board correctly, I can assure you that.

[Handplanesandmore]

How straight is your straight edge, and how square is your square? The (aluminum?) straight edge and plastic square you use don't give me much confidence as reference tools.

Simon

[KingwoodFan1989]

How straight is your straight edge, and how square is your square? The (aluminum?) straight edge and plastic square you use don't give me much confidence as reference tools.

Simon

I checked both before I bought them. With this type of straight edge, I held a couple of them edge to edge and flipped each several times to make sure they weren't out. I used it to check my jointer for coplanar tables (which it confirmed it had), and that machine works perfectly. With the square, I checked it by drawing a square line on a board, flipping the square, and verifying it was perfectly parallel, which it was and still is.

And yes, Stwood, the box and everything was in great shape. Again, I'm perfectly square on one side. But it's the other side that I don't get a square cut with, and it was the same deal with my old saw. I did some reading and some others have had the problem, too. The answers varied, but several people said that it was just how miter saws work. I'm a bit disappointed...I want the saw to cut straight from both sides. I'm sure it's more than capable, and I love how it functions other than this one quirk.

By the way, I tried cutting a board in the middle that was up against both sides of the fence, and the results were still the same. This seems like it shouldn't be physically possible. The right side of the fence would have to be WAY out of plane with the left for this to make any sense at all.

[Stwood_]

How far off was it, before you adjusted what? The fence?

Dewalt has always been good about right-on, squared saws out of the box. Your may have been bumped? Box ok?

[Stwood_]

Very strange................we'll get it.