Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Power Tools). This thread is read-only.
I have a Dewalt DWS 779 Dual Bevel Sliding Miter saw that has a jammed head. In other words, the head is stuck in the 45-degree bevel position and I can’t push it back into the 0 position or move it at all. I have loosened the plastic hand screw that releases the head but it will not move. It had been getting progressively harder to move over the last few weeks until it got to the point that I can’t move it at all.
Any help on solving this problem is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Welcome to the forum.
The DeWALT 779 is / has been a long term industry workhorse that the company finally discontinued. The DeWALT 780 is the closest direct replacement, w/ additional features.
My 100% speculation is that the pivot mechanism is impeded by internal crud accumulation. My guess is that disassembly, cleaning and possible lubrication would restore normal operation. The attached parts explosion might help.
[External image (cdn.accentuate.io), not copied]
Thanks Wingless.
I thought the same thing but the screw that I believe is what needs to be removed (part 179) is very difficult to loosen. It’s hard to determine exactly what drive type it is because it is recessed inside the housing. (See Photos). It looks like a Torx and there is a Torx Wrench that is attached to the saw but it appears to be a size too small.
I will search for the correct bit and see if I can loosen that sucker.
YW
My initial thought was it might be an ECX fastener, like on an electrical receptacle wiring.
Hopefully they didn’t create a unique driver head.
It might be a combination flat head / Allen head, first guess on the Allen is SAE.
wingless wrote:
On 1/31/2026 at 1:19 PM, wingless said:YW
My initial thought was it might be an ECX fastener, like on an electrical receptacle wiring.
Hopefully they didn’t create a unique driver head.
It might be a combination flat head / Allen head, first guess on the Allen is SAE.
An ECX head looks more like a Philips/Flat head combo. It looks more like a Torx/Flat head combo.
Is that fastener likely the one I should loosen in order to free up the pivoting head? It seems to be.