The most impressive part of this video is that you actually remembered where you put the washer after you originally removed and replaced it with the laser.
Interesting to see how Bosch changed the blade guard with that cast in place piece. I did the same mod to my Bosch a few years back with the same sewing light for a video. Glad someone figured out a way to get It into the next version of the saw!
After two months of waiting for parts to arrive and a bit of procrastination, I finally got around to installing my own light to my mitre saw. Thanks Drew for your inspiration 🙂
Nice video and love the mod. I did something like this on my saw (same saw as yours), but put a tiny 12V power supply inside the handle (there is lots of space in there, and access to the mains AC) and used a momentary switch to power the LED when the saw's safety slide is engaged to the right. It seems like it might be a hassle, but you only get a good shadow line when you bring the blade down anyway, so it really doesn't add any burden and then you never accidentally leave it on and you don't have to plug in 2 different things.
Drew… I like it!!! Cold starts vary with each blade. Every time I change one, I have to make a bunch of cuts to find out how much kerf the wobble/vibration will consume. Sneaky cuts are good as long as you don’t need to use the off cut. They require a trim cut to clean up the start end. I like the idea of using a shadow instead of a light to demarcate the cutting area… Clever thinking bud!
I am a finish carpenter by trade woodworker as a hobby. It blows my mind how many wood workers disregard the accuracy of a good miter saw. Key words being good. The bosch style saw you are using is widely considered unusable amongst finish carpenters. There is way to much play in the system (you can see it in the zero clearance fence in the video) but a good saw (in my case dewalt) dialed in with some stop blocks can be one of the most accurate tools on the shop. All of that being said the shadow line is something I can no longer live without on a saw. Excellent upgrade
Great video! The part of the video that taught about accounting for your blade with cut accuracy is a lesson that needs to be taught to new wood workers more often. My mind blew when I first learned it.
This is the first of your videos I've seen and when you started attaching the light to the saw you had me in stitches. Definitely entertaining but also a great suggestion!
I have a DeWalt saw that has a kit to add this mod. I added it shortly after getting the saw and I agree, it makes it much easier to see where the blade will cut. Another advantage of the LED light is that, when you change blades, it does not need to be re-adjusted to conform to a different thickness blade. It is "self-conforming". Looking forward to your next build as you put your new modification to work.
Is there any reason you could not reverse the light? Drill a small hole at the top of the pocket that the light fits in and run the wire out the top. That way your wire has less exposure and doesn’t have to be sticking out of the bottom of the saw. The only downside is it would minimize you “Chrome” accent strips.
@@FishersShop I'd make sure the power cord is protected. If those wire jackets ever tear, the guard or other metal parts could become energized. I would recommend, at a minimum, adding a few layers of heat shrink to help protect those wires. You could also use crimp on connectors instead of wire nuts so you can heat sink the whole thing as one cable. Also buy your self a pair of wire strippers, a cheap pair is $5, and a good one is about $20.
@@notme232 if you are talking about the wires coming out of the LED head and to the switch, those wires are running low voltage DC. Which is not particularly dangerous. On the other hand, if the blade catches a wire somehow, who knows what that wire could physically do at high speed?
@@jimweisgram9185 I had considered that it was DC, but with out knowing for sure if the dc converter is happening in the switch (witch is more likely) or in the led head, I figured leave it be. Either way protecting the cables is a good idea for longevity.
Drew, I see a lot of use for this, but I'm like you... I've been using the 'cold cut?' method throughout the fifty-year life span of my 9" Rockwell miter saw. If I ever get one of those fancy, high $$$ saws - like my nephews Festool - I'll consider this option. You knocked this one out of the park; and your wit is a humerus added bonus!
I was thinking of adding the strip lights just as you had mentioned you tried. Your solution is perfect, and these lights are bright, as I already have them on the bandsaw and drill press. Thanks again for your helpful videos.
I highly recommend these lights! While my Hercules comes with the shadow line light, I use these sewing lights on my band saw and on my drill press. They are awesome!
My old miter saw just died and I got a newer one and it actually came with the shadow line light. I was shocked at first and it took some getting used to as I was used to the laser of my old saw. This is great that you can let people diy their own addon to their existing saws.
@@lincolndotson3613 A Ryobi 10" Sliding Compound Miter Saw, I've had good luck with Ryobi's. Used my last one hard the past five years to do all sorts of projects. Built my loft with it. It was an older model and had the laser. The new one has the blade shadow.
I did this a while back to my Delta saw before they came out with the 2nd gen that had it built in. I scavenged one of those free Harbor Freight LED lights and put a switch on it. The whole thing ran on batteries so no electrical cord needed though my next step was to wire it into the power from the saw itself so I still didn't need a separate outlet. Shadow line is great!
Wow. This is so cool. I just bought a miter that I use for things like cutting firewood, 2x4s for my fire pit and fingers. This will work great. Thanks Drew!
"Alabama Chrome" that killed me! As far as the video this is an awesome hack for the miter saw! Thank you for all the work you put into these videos. God bless you and your family.
Nice mod. The laser on the Festool Kapex works much like your shadow line. It's a dashed line on each side of the blade that is interrupted by the teeth of the blade, making it look dashed when the blade is not spinning. It also works independently from the blade rotation. I have some of those little lights on my band saw and drill press. They are super useful. They come in black and gray as well.
I love how fate seems to work. The laser on my miter saw died yesterday and I was looking for a way to fix/replace it when your video came into my feed!
Great idea. It looks like you have your miter saw plugged into one of those switches that turns on a dust collector or shop vac. You should plug the added light into that too (with a splitter or something). So it turns on when you activate the saw.
you must have seen my post about this a few years ago. as I did the exact same thing to my bosch 12 glide saw.. except I wired mine into the handle and berried a small on off switch into the top of the handle. Oh and that space in the blade cover is there because the EUROPEAN version of this saw has a LIGHT there for shadow line. Not sure why we dont get that in the US. I ran my light much neater than you did. Mine ran the other direction and had the wires exits through the back of the blade guard cover on the inside near the handle. My light mod used the power from the saw in the handle to power the light.
I have the exact same saw and I find it very accurate & square at all times. Love it. I too am going to try your shadow line hack, I think it's brilliant. Thanks for taking the time to share it. Your dusk extraction really interests me too, that is the only complain I have with that saw, a real dust maker.
As much as I wanted the Bosch, I opted for the Delta Cruizer 12" axial glide saw for this very reason. I love the shadow line! I am happy to see it can be retrofitted to such a good saw as well.
Great idea, Drew. Back before LED lights like that were available, I bought a device called a Laserkerf. It mounts under the motor and shines a beam the exact width of the blade and right where the blade will cut. It still works great. Bill
I have a miter saw with a built-in laser. I adjusted it so the cut is right on the edge of the line, and I cut perfectly all the time. I just wish it had a second laser. For the other side I tried the add-on like you had, and had the same issues, and wound up tossing it. I just need to keep the save piece to the right of the blade. If the laser dies, I'll try this.
Perfect timing, Drew. I have the exact same saw, and my one disappointment is the lack of a shadow line. Adding one has been on my to-do list since I bought it, and now you've shown me exactly how to do it. No excuses! Thanks, man.
@@paulvolkmann2979 I didn't want to drill into my saw incase I ever want to resell it. Plus, I didn't want it hooked up to the saw switch because I did all my "cold setting" before I pull the trigger to turn on the saw.
Nice video as always Drew. Just for your viewers information, I have the Makita LS 1019 L and the fit of the shroud is too tight for such a light. The Makita does come with a side mount laser which does a fair job. However, I don’t depend on lasers. The shadow light idea, I think, was done first by DeWALT, and it is a great concept. I’d like to see all miter saws come with a shadow light. Personally, I prefer a well calibrated measurement system with a good cut off stop. Occasionally though, the “live cut to the line and fit” method is needed to sneak up on a cut. Glad you showed that.
You make great videos! I love the addition of your humor! This was a great idea! I followed your video to the T. Except for cutting the too close to the switch body which required some soldering to connect, everything went smooth as silk. It's impressive just how accurate that shadow line is! Thanks!
Great mod, Drew! I love the same type blade light on my Dewalt DW780 (added an aftermarket light kit to my 779 and made it a 780). Saved some $$ buying the DW779 and adding the light kit to make it identical to the 780.
I appreciate this video. I ordered a similar light (I think the same one, different brand) and installed it. It works pretty good in the garage, but my garage is pretty bright so it's faint. The only thing I did differently was drill a hole so I could run the wires out the back to keep it a little cleaner. And that I used hot glue to pin the wires across the saw, so we will see if that holds up. Thanks again for the idea and video.
2 thoughts (not criticisms) 1. Does the shadow line include the offset of the teeth? (The main part of the blade is slightly narrower than the kerf/total tooth offset, but it looks like the shadow is only off the main part of the blade). 2. You might consider something a little more robust than hot glue for mounting the light. If the hot glue fails it'll fall into the blade and get launched at a high speed outwards or downwards. The blade guard might contain it, but it might break the guard in the process. Also I think being startled when using power tools is probably a common reason you do something stupid you otherwise wouldn't (like jump and end up with your fingers in the cutting line).
The shadow is much more crisp in person and you can see the exact edges, including the teeth. And if the light ever falls, it'll just get launched into the blade guard and will explode... which would be awesome.
Since the shop is in his basement (instead of a hot garage), I can't see the hot melt glue (solid at room temperature) failing, in this application. There is no source of heat near the light, and the LED itself doesn't generate heat (or at least, enough to melt or weaken the hot melt). There's no reason to think it would adhere any less over time than it is doing right now. Temps may rise sufficiently to make the glue fail in a shop fire, but if that happened, he'd have larger issues to contend with, and would be unlikely to be running the saw during all that. However, just to be on the safe side, Drew had best ship that Bosch to me. I'll put it through years of rigorous testing, and promise to get it back to him just as soon as prudence dictates.
Hey Drew, love your videos! I just wanted to let you know, in case you didn't notice it, that at 6:04 you removed the blade guard pivot screw from the top hole and at 8:59 you reinstalled it in the bottom hole. Not sure if this matters, but I'd hate to see something bad happen later on from this. Aloha from Hawaii!
I think by this time, if I were your neighbor I would have gotten a big dog ! But then again if I remember correctly you stole his dog house any way. What a great Idea! I just saw someone else taking about the shadow line but in their video you had to buy a new saw. Kiddo's to you for figuring out a sway to keep your old saw. I would be interested on how well the glue holds up over time.
I got a DeWalt 10" That I got for construction work. It came with a shadowline, and I never knew that wasn't standard. So that's something I learned today, thanks for that! This will make it another thing to look for when I want to upgrade my little 10" to a proper 12"
Really excited about this. I have the same saw. Immediately ordered the lights. Yesterday they came in, went down and my version has a solid plastic block where you have that open slot the light fit into. Rats!
After watching this video like 3 times I went to see about how I can add a shadow light and you are right ridgid sliding saw has it. I have been missing out all these years. And 💯 dead on! What else have I been missing
I think that miter saws can provide a quality cut, if it isn’t a slider. The sliding feature adds to the deflection of the saw. Now, with your shadow line, you can watch the cut to make sure you can stay on the pencil line as you you pull on the saw, but you still need to have a pencil line to follow all the way out.
Soo many good jokes. Love it. I used to have a dewalt that that built in and it was my fav feature. I could even see the teeth in the shadow. Also. Fun fact. We are both named Drew and both released a miter saw upgrade video today. What is this world coming to?
Great idea adding the lights to the miter saw, I need to try that! I've been using the same light on my bandsaw for a couple months, it makes a huge difference in visibility. I hard wired the light's power cable to the switch of the bandsaw, so it always has power and doesn't need the second plug/extension.
Great idea and video about it. Thank you. I think I will try something like your idea on my radial-arm saw, if there is enough room inside the blade guard. My bandsaw came with a flexible light on the back of the column. The flexible part is just long enough to place the light behind the blade , so a shadow marks the cut line.
Thanks so much for this!! I just bought this saw and was so unhappy that it had only the laser. This is one of the only two drawbacks of this saw that I expect to experience (the other being dust collection), but I am glad that you've solved this one! Thanks so much for sharing!!
The most impressive part of this video is that you actually remembered where you put the washer after you originally removed and replaced it with the laser.
Haha, I stuffed it into the laser packaging and had it in the cabinet below. I figured one day I might need it again.
Placing it in a spot you won't lose it is usually the best way to never find it again... 😂
That's exactly what I was about to comment! 😂
You took the words out of my mouth.
This is exactly what would happen to me and would be delayed finishing until I was able to order a new washer😂😂😂😂
Shadow line should have been standard on every saw many years ago. I fully support this act of rebellion against Bosch’s incorrect choices. Well done!
Hehe, thanks!
Your neighbor is so generous for giving you a lot of their stuff without complaints
Should move closer to him...
As an Alabamamian through and through……I commend you sir for choosing the highest quality chrome for your daily needs!
Hahaha!
I have those lights on every machine in the shop. Really helps old eyes.
Sure does
The miter saw I bought, (Bauer 10") came with a shadow line feature built in. It makes accurate cuts very easy.
Is this the Bauer saw from Harbor Freight? How is it overall in terms of accuracy and build quality? TIA
I have a Ryobi miter saw with a shadow line. It makes very accurate cuts.
@@darrenfetty6880 same here, it definitely helps setting but I find it just abit better than a laser line
GREAT project Drew, your neighbor got off easy on this one! !! !!!
Thank you for this video. I figured it would take a much brighter light for this. This is just what the Bosch miter saw needs.
Glad it was helpful!
Some great information but the best part of the video is your dry humor. I love it. Thanks.
Thanks 👍
Interesting to see how Bosch changed the blade guard with that cast in place piece. I did the same mod to my Bosch a few years back with the same sewing light for a video. Glad someone figured out a way to get It into the next version of the saw!
Right on! I new I wasn't the first to do this but nevertheless, I was thrilled with how well it worked out.
@@FishersShop once you have that shadow line you can’t go back!
@@MakeEverything Yeah for sure! I'm loving it. I reinforced it a bit more with screws though. I started to get paranoid that it would come loose.
After two months of waiting for parts to arrive and a bit of procrastination, I finally got around to installing my own light to my mitre saw. Thanks Drew for your inspiration 🙂
Awesome! Hope you like it
Great upgrade and explanation of why you wanted this feature over the laser. As always, well done man!
Thanks!
Great idea. And I love how it creates mood lighting in the shop.
Now you can re-use the laser for your pet sharks.
Frickin' laser beams!
Nice video and love the mod. I did something like this on my saw (same saw as yours), but put a tiny 12V power supply inside the handle (there is lots of space in there, and access to the mains AC) and used a momentary switch to power the LED when the saw's safety slide is engaged to the right. It seems like it might be a hassle, but you only get a good shadow line when you bring the blade down anyway, so it really doesn't add any burden and then you never accidentally leave it on and you don't have to plug in 2 different things.
Did you make a video or plans?
Drew… I like it!!!
Cold starts vary with each blade. Every time I change one, I have to make a bunch of cuts to find out how much kerf the wobble/vibration will consume.
Sneaky cuts are good as long as you don’t need to use the off cut. They require a trim cut to clean up the start end.
I like the idea of using a shadow instead of a light to demarcate the cutting area… Clever thinking bud!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching
Another genius idea from the Fisher Shop Think-tank. Outstanding effort with perfect execution. You never disappoint.
Thanks, Clyde
I am a finish carpenter by trade woodworker as a hobby. It blows my mind how many wood workers disregard the accuracy of a good miter saw. Key words being good. The bosch style saw you are using is widely considered unusable amongst finish carpenters. There is way to much play in the system (you can see it in the zero clearance fence in the video) but a good saw (in my case dewalt) dialed in with some stop blocks can be one of the most accurate tools on the shop. All of that being said the shadow line is something I can no longer live without on a saw. Excellent upgrade
Thanks! I’ve gotten pretty good results with this Bosch.
Great video! The part of the video that taught about accounting for your blade with cut accuracy is a lesson that needs to be taught to new wood workers more often. My mind blew when I first learned it.
Absolutely!
This is the first of your videos I've seen and when you started attaching the light to the saw you had me in stitches. Definitely entertaining but also a great suggestion!
Thanks! :)
I have a DeWalt saw that has a kit to add this mod. I added it shortly after getting the saw and I agree, it makes it much easier to see where the blade will cut. Another advantage of the LED light is that, when you change blades, it does not need to be re-adjusted to conform to a different thickness blade. It is "self-conforming".
Looking forward to your next build as you put your new modification to work.
Good point!
That's awesome......it would really be a helpful addition to the miter saw! Of course, I always enjoy your sense of humor too!!!
Thanks 👍
Is there any reason you could not reverse the light? Drill a small hole at the top of the pocket that the light fits in and run the wire out the top. That way your wire has less exposure and doesn’t have to be sticking out of the bottom of the saw. The only downside is it would minimize you “Chrome” accent strips.
I could, but I just don't care how ugly my saw looks. haha
I thought that immediately after I saw the wires going from front to back. Good catch!
@@FishersShop I'd make sure the power cord is protected. If those wire jackets ever tear, the guard or other metal parts could become energized. I would recommend, at a minimum, adding a few layers of heat shrink to help protect those wires. You could also use crimp on connectors instead of wire nuts so you can heat sink the whole thing as one cable.
Also buy your self a pair of wire strippers, a cheap pair is $5, and a good one is about $20.
@@notme232 if you are talking about the wires coming out of the LED head and to the switch, those wires are running low voltage DC. Which is not particularly dangerous.
On the other hand, if the blade catches a wire somehow, who knows what that wire could physically do at high speed?
@@jimweisgram9185 I had considered that it was DC, but with out knowing for sure if the dc converter is happening in the switch (witch is more likely) or in the led head, I figured leave it be. Either way protecting the cables is a good idea for longevity.
Drew, I see a lot of use for this, but I'm like you... I've been using the 'cold cut?' method throughout the fifty-year life span of my 9" Rockwell miter saw. If I ever get one of those fancy, high $$$ saws - like my nephews Festool - I'll consider this option. You knocked this one out of the park; and your wit is a humerus added bonus!
Thanks, Carl! Sure, stick with what's working for you. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
I was thinking to myself, Drew never really gets behind his projects, then you go and show you actually do.
I was thinking of adding the strip lights just as you had mentioned you tried. Your solution is perfect, and these lights are bright, as I already have them on the bandsaw and drill press. Thanks again for your helpful videos.
Glad it was helpful
I highly recommend these lights! While my Hercules comes with the shadow line light, I use these sewing lights on my band saw and on my drill press. They are awesome!
That's where I have my other two. I love'em
My old miter saw just died and I got a newer one and it actually came with the shadow line light. I was shocked at first and it took some getting used to as I was used to the laser of my old saw. This is great that you can let people diy their own addon to their existing saws.
Yeah, but once you get used to it, you won't ever wanna go back.
What saw did you purchase? I would like to check it out and more than likely buy.
@@lincolndotson3613 A Ryobi 10" Sliding Compound Miter Saw, I've had good luck with Ryobi's. Used my last one hard the past five years to do all sorts of projects. Built my loft with it. It was an older model and had the laser. The new one has the blade shadow.
Very cleaver and nicely done. I just have my neighbor hold his finger on the line to help me line up the cut.
😉
Glad your neighbor helped you out with the extra wire haha
I did this a while back to my Delta saw before they came out with the 2nd gen that had it built in. I scavenged one of those free Harbor Freight LED lights and put a switch on it. The whole thing ran on batteries so no electrical cord needed though my next step was to wire it into the power from the saw itself so I still didn't need a separate outlet. Shadow line is great!
Did this on my Makita ls1019 using a board mounted cree super bright LED. was SUCH a game changer.
runs of an LI-ION pack. SO MUCH BETTER than a laser
Wow. This is so cool. I just bought a miter that I use for things like cutting firewood, 2x4s for my fire pit and fingers. This will work great. Thanks Drew!
Haha! Thanks for watching, neighbor!
Dewalt has a very accurate and bright shadow light and is very accurate with all the pre set angles. I would recommend!!
Yeah? I bet it don't come with Alabama chrome!
Just requires an aircraft carrier for a bench. Good for trim carpenters though (as long as their back doesn’t go out).
Thanks for posting! That's a cool mod. Quoting Uriah Heep from 1971..."Don't be afraid, just look at yourself."
I LOVE Uriah Heep!!
"Alabama Chrome" that killed me! As far as the video this is an awesome hack for the miter saw! Thank you for all the work you put into these videos. God bless you and your family.
Thanks so much, I appreciate it!
Nice mod. The laser on the Festool Kapex works much like your shadow line. It's a dashed line on each side of the blade that is interrupted by the teeth of the blade, making it look dashed when the blade is not spinning. It also works independently from the blade rotation.
I have some of those little lights on my band saw and drill press. They are super useful. They come in black and gray as well.
I love how fate seems to work. The laser on my miter saw died yesterday and I was looking for a way to fix/replace it when your video came into my feed!
Perfect! :)
As an Alabamian, I approve of your use of the Alabama Chrome! Neat idea, I may try this as well.
Go for it!
Great idea. It looks like you have your miter saw plugged into one of those switches that turns on a dust collector or shop vac. You should plug the added light into that too (with a splitter or something). So it turns on when you activate the saw.
Nah, I want to be able to line things up before I pull the trigger for the saw.
you must have seen my post about this a few years ago. as I did the exact same thing to my bosch 12 glide saw.. except I wired mine into the handle and berried a small on off switch into the top of the handle. Oh and that space in the blade cover is there because the EUROPEAN version of this saw has a LIGHT there for shadow line. Not sure why we dont get that in the US. I ran my light much neater than you did. Mine ran the other direction and had the wires exits through the back of the blade guard cover on the inside near the handle. My light mod used the power from the saw in the handle to power the light.
Sounds neat. No I didn’t see your vid. Great minds think alike I guess. 😉
"Hot sneaking" is my new favorite phrase. I'm going to work on incorporating it into daily conversation!
Yes!
I have the exact same saw and I find it very accurate & square at all times. Love it. I too am going to try your shadow line hack, I think it's brilliant. Thanks for taking the time to share it. Your dusk extraction really interests me too, that is the only complain I have with that saw, a real dust maker.
Have fun with the mod!
As much as I wanted the Bosch, I opted for the Delta Cruizer 12" axial glide saw for this very reason. I love the shadow line! I am happy to see it can be retrofitted to such a good saw as well.
You and me both!
Great idea, Drew. Back before LED lights like that were available, I bought a device called a Laserkerf. It mounts under the motor and shines a beam the exact width of the blade and right where the blade will cut. It still works great.
Bill
That sounds like a good solution too
Hey Drew - thanks for being such a nice guy in person! My wife and I ran into you at the IWF in Atlanta last week. Keep up the good work.
Thanks man! The pleasure is mine
@@FishersShop I'm going to do this exact same thing as I've got the exact same saw. Any advise on the gauge of wire you used to extend it?
@@Woodworkerdad doesn’t matter. It’s so low voltage anything will do.
I have a miter saw with a built-in laser. I adjusted it so the cut is right on the edge of the line, and I cut perfectly all the time. I just wish it had a second laser. For the other side I tried the add-on like you had, and had the same issues, and wound up tossing it. I just need to keep the save piece to the right of the blade. If the laser dies, I'll try this.
Alabama Chrome has officially found it's way into my vocabulary.
Hah
Perfect timing, Drew. I have the exact same saw, and my one disappointment is the lack of a shadow line. Adding one has been on my to-do list since I bought it, and now you've shown me exactly how to do it. No excuses! Thanks, man.
Right on
Suggestion: drill a hole and feed the wires out the back. Then wire the light into the saw switch.
@@paulvolkmann2979 I didn't want to drill into my saw incase I ever want to resell it. Plus, I didn't want it hooked up to the saw switch because I did all my "cold setting" before I pull the trigger to turn on the saw.
The 305mm DeWalt I have on my bench came with a shadow line light built in.. it's brilliant!
Yeah, there's a handful that come with it standard
Nice video as always Drew. Just for your viewers information, I have the Makita LS 1019 L and the fit of the shroud is too tight for such a light. The Makita does come with a side mount laser which does a fair job. However, I don’t depend on lasers. The shadow light idea, I think, was done first by DeWALT, and it is a great concept. I’d like to see all miter saws come with a shadow light. Personally, I prefer a well calibrated measurement system with a good cut off stop. Occasionally though, the “live cut to the line and fit” method is needed to sneak up on a cut. Glad you showed that.
Thanks for watching, Steven
Such a cool addition! What an awesome idea Drew!
Thanks man!
Great modification .
I also dig the humor.
Thanks 👍
Minor tip: if the light you buy has a plastic light diffuser piece on it try taking it off for slightly better shadow.
The shadow line was what made me go with the dewalt over the bosch. Its a great feature!
Agreed! I don't know why more brands don't pick it up
Great idea Drew.
Some miter saws come with that light shadow feature alread installed like my DeWalt miter saw and its perfect for cutting accuracy I love it
You make great videos! I love the addition of your humor! This was a great idea! I followed your video to the T. Except for cutting the too close to the switch body which required some soldering to connect, everything went smooth as silk. It's impressive just how accurate that shadow line is! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
love your sense of humor
😉
Great mod, Drew! I love the same type blade light on my Dewalt DW780 (added an aftermarket light kit to my 779 and made it a 780). Saved some $$ buying the DW779 and adding the light kit to make it identical to the 780.
Thanks for sharing. This has been a growing frustration and as you pointed out lazers have their drawbacks. Definitely goi g to try this out.
Glad it was helpful!
I use an identical light on my drill press. It’s a lot brighter than the one that came on it when it was new 35 years ago.
Great idea Drew, thanks for the humor also!
You bet!
I appreciate this video. I ordered a similar light (I think the same one, different brand) and installed it. It works pretty good in the garage, but my garage is pretty bright so it's faint. The only thing I did differently was drill a hole so I could run the wires out the back to keep it a little cleaner. And that I used hot glue to pin the wires across the saw, so we will see if that holds up. Thanks again for the idea and video.
Glad it helped
2 thoughts (not criticisms)
1. Does the shadow line include the offset of the teeth? (The main part of the blade is slightly narrower than the kerf/total tooth offset, but it looks like the shadow is only off the main part of the blade).
2. You might consider something a little more robust than hot glue for mounting the light. If the hot glue fails it'll fall into the blade and get launched at a high speed outwards or downwards. The blade guard might contain it, but it might break the guard in the process. Also I think being startled when using power tools is probably a common reason you do something stupid you otherwise wouldn't (like jump and end up with your fingers in the cutting line).
The shadow is much more crisp in person and you can see the exact edges, including the teeth. And if the light ever falls, it'll just get launched into the blade guard and will explode... which would be awesome.
@@FishersShop I hope you get the explosion on camera! Awesome vid!
Agreed, now that you know it works great….replace with epoxy
I'd get a pair of pop rivets through the light case and blade housing. Agree if the glue (of any kind) lets loose, that'd be quite the projectile.
Since the shop is in his basement (instead of a hot garage), I can't see the hot melt glue (solid at room temperature) failing, in this application. There is no source of heat near the light, and the LED itself doesn't generate heat (or at least, enough to melt or weaken the hot melt). There's no reason to think it would adhere any less over time than it is doing right now.
Temps may rise sufficiently to make the glue fail in a shop fire, but if that happened, he'd have larger issues to contend with, and would be unlikely to be running the saw during all that.
However, just to be on the safe side, Drew had best ship that Bosch to me. I'll put it through years of rigorous testing, and promise to get it back to him just as soon as prudence dictates.
That's cool way of lining things up
Hey Drew, love your videos! I just wanted to let you know, in case you didn't notice it, that at 6:04 you removed the blade guard pivot screw from the top hole and at 8:59 you reinstalled it in the bottom hole. Not sure if this matters, but I'd hate to see something bad happen later on from this. Aloha from Hawaii!
There's only 1 hole there. :) It rides in that slot as the handle is pulled down. Aloha
I think by this time, if I were your neighbor I would have gotten a big dog ! But then again if I remember correctly you stole his dog house any way. What a great Idea! I just saw someone else taking about the shadow line but in their video you had to buy a new saw. Kiddo's to you for figuring out a sway to keep your old saw. I would be interested on how well the glue holds up over time.
Thanks, Bill. I'm sure the glue will hold just fine, but if it doesn't, I'll get a pretty sweet explosion.
I got a DeWalt 10" That I got for construction work. It came with a shadowline, and I never knew that wasn't standard. So that's something I learned today, thanks for that! This will make it another thing to look for when I want to upgrade my little 10" to a proper 12"
Yeah, not all come with one, sadly.
Very well done and I love your dry sense of humor. A new subscriber here because of that.
Awesome, thank you!
I added this to my Bosch saw. Worked great thank you.
Glad it helped
You're humor is great!
Thanks! :)
Outstanding idea. Very clever. Thanks for sharing.
Really excited about this. I have the same saw. Immediately ordered the lights. Yesterday they came in, went down and my version has a solid plastic block where you have that open slot the light fit into. Rats!
Hmmm... can you remove it??
@@FishersShop nope its screwed on to the face of the cover like a rubber bumper. So bummed.
Great solution to a problem. By Christmas, you will probably see a saw retrofit kit "fits most brands" on the market.
That'd be cool
I thought I was already subscribed to your channel! I am now! Thank you for taking time to appear on the 731 Live Edge show last night!
Yeah, that was a fun time! Welcome aboard!
Everyone loved your idea! Now this product is 'currently not available' on both the US & Canadian amazon websites! 6 Sept 2022
Haha, oops!
I used your idea on my 12 Bosch glide and it works fantastic
Glad it helped
Brilliant and entertaining video. I hope your neighbor figured out what was wrong with his car radio.
That is a super cool and cheap hack. I have the 10" version of this saw, might try to find a battery powered light and try the same trick!
Go for it!
Great video Drew. My Ridgid sliding saw has that shadow light built in. Dead on too!
After watching this video like 3 times I went to see about how I can add a shadow light and you are right ridgid sliding saw has it. I have been missing out all these years. And 💯 dead on! What else have I been missing
This is on Festool saw as well. Well done! 👍🏻👌🏻
As usual, an excellent video. Thanks for your all your time and generosity in posting this.
My pleasure!
This is Awesome. I was just getting ready to add the laser, but I think I may have to rethink that now.
Thanks man!
I think that miter saws can provide a quality cut, if it isn’t a slider. The sliding feature adds to the deflection of the saw. Now, with your shadow line, you can watch the cut to make sure you can stay on the pencil line as you you pull on the saw, but you still need to have a pencil line to follow all the way out.
This is the first UA-cam video I've seen of yours. What a great tip! I was just wondering how I could improve my miter accuracy. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Great idea, I have the 10” Bosch so I’ll give it a go, thanks
That light does not fit in the 10", it is too wide.
@@jamesthomas4080 bummer
Soo many good jokes. Love it. I used to have a dewalt that that built in and it was my fav feature. I could even see the teeth in the shadow.
Also. Fun fact. We are both named Drew and both released a miter saw upgrade video today. What is this world coming to?
Haha... nice!
Great idea adding the lights to the miter saw, I need to try that! I've been using the same light on my bandsaw for a couple months, it makes a huge difference in visibility. I hard wired the light's power cable to the switch of the bandsaw, so it always has power and doesn't need the second plug/extension.
I really need this setup for the shadow...thanks!
Great idea and video about it. Thank you.
I think I will try something like your idea on my radial-arm saw, if there is enough room inside the blade guard.
My bandsaw came with a flexible light on the back of the column. The flexible part is just long enough to place the light behind the blade , so a shadow marks the cut line.
Oh nice. I hadn't thought about using one for that.
Love it! Thanks Drew! on a side note, I'm certain your neighbor won't miss any of the wire from his car.
Thanks so much for this!! I just bought this saw and was so unhappy that it had only the laser. This is one of the only two drawbacks of this saw that I expect to experience (the other being dust collection), but I am glad that you've solved this one! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Glad I could help!
Genius, I took the wires from my neighbours car 😁 gotta love a subtle sense of humour.
Very well done buddy 👍
Glad you liked it!
Great job on the miter saw light Drew! Thank you for sharing the video with us!💖😎👍JP
You bet. Thanks for watching
@@FishersShop 😎
"That is exactly what I was looking for." Something I say every time I visit an all-you-can-eat buffet.😁
:)
The Hercules saw I bought came with a shadow line. I have not been disappointed at all with my purchase.
Duct Tape being called "Alabama Chrome"... LOVE IT!!!
Brilliant, Drew! Fantastic work!!! 😃
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Thanks, you too!
“Alabama chrome!” Awesome 😂
Nicely done!
Thanks!