What's inside
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For ripping plywood, the saw matters less than the setup, but the wrong saw will make long, straight cuts harder than they need to be. The DeWalt DCS570 and Makita HS7601 are often cross-shopped because they share a 7-1/4 inch class blade and a similar price point when you include a battery, but they are fundamentally different tools: the DCS570 is a 60V FlexVolt cordless saw, the HS7601 is a 1200W corded saw. That difference drives almost every trade-off when you are breaking down sheets.
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Specs at a glance
Both saws will rip 3/4 inch plywood easily with depth to spare. The real differences are power source, weight with power, and speed under load.
| Feature | DeWalt DCS570 | Makita HS7601 |
|---|---|---|
| Power Source | 60V Max FlexVolt battery (DCB606 / DCB612) | Corded 1200W (10A @ 120V) |
| Blade Size | 7-1/4 inch (184mm) | 7-1/2 inch (190mm) |
| No-Load Speed | 5,800 RPM | 5,200 RPM |
| Max Depth at 90 degrees | 2-9/16 inch (65mm) | 2-5/8 inch (66mm) |
| Max Depth at 45 degrees | 2 inch (50mm) with standard bevel stop | 1-13/16 inch (46mm) |
| Weight | 8.0 lbs bare, ~11.2 lbs with DCB606 6.0Ah battery | 8.8 lbs (4.0 kg) total |
| Bevel Capacity | 0-57 degrees | 0-45 degrees |
| Brake | Electric brake | Electric brake |
The Makita’s slightly larger blade is not an advantage in plywood. Both saws accept the same common 7-1/4 inch thin-kerf plywood blades, which is what you want for rips. A 24T or 40T thin-kerf blade cuts cleaner and draws less power than the stock framing blades either saw ships with.
Power and consistency on long rips
Ripping an 8-foot sheet of 3/4 inch birch or oak plywood is a sustained load. This is where corded vs. cordless shows.
The HS7601 holds a steady 5,200 RPM as long as you have a decent circuit. It will not bog in 3/4 inch material if you feed at a normal pace (about 3 to 5 feet per minute) with a sharp thin-kerf blade. Its 1200W motor has enough torque that it does not slow audibly unless the blade is dull, the sheet is pinching, or you are forcing the cut. The failure mode is simple: if you kink the cord behind you or use a light 50-foot extension cord (16 AWG), voltage drops and you get slower startup and more burning at the end of the cut.
The DCS570 is more powerful on paper and feels faster when the battery is full. At 5,800 RPM it leaves a slightly cleaner top veneer edge at the same feed rate because tooth speed is higher. On a fresh DeWalt FlexVolt 6Ah battery, it will handle 10 to 12 full-length rips in 3/4 inch plywood before you notice any drop. On a 2.0Ah compact FlexVolt battery, that falls to 3 to 4 rips and you will see burn marks on the last foot as the pack sags and the controller limits current to protect itself. The saw does not stall, it just slows and cuts hotter.
If you rip sheets all day in a shop with power nearby, corded is more consistent and cheaper to run. If you are breaking down sheets on sawhorses, on a driveway, or on a jobsite, the DCS570 saves you from managing a cord that snags on the plywood edge mid-cut, which is one of the most common causes of a wavy rip.
Accuracy, baseplate and fence
Neither saw is a track saw, so straightness depends on your guide. Both have stamped steel baseplates, not magnesium. They are flat enough from the factory, but both will flex if you press down hard on the rear handle while the front is hanging off the sheet. That flex is what causes the blade to heel and bind near the end of a rip.
The DCS570 base is slightly thicker and has a wider flat around the blade slot, which rides more stably on a straight edge or circular saw rip guide. The depth and bevel locks are lever-style and hold without creeping, though the bevel scale is optimistic by about 0.5 degrees on both saws. Check with a square, do not trust the gauge.
The HS7601 has a slightly better stock rip fence included in the box. It is usable for rips up to about 12 inches wide. Beyond that, the fence flexes and you are better with a clamped straight edge. The DCS570 often ships as a bare tool with no fence, so factor that in if you plan to do narrow repeat rips.
For ripping plywood, neither fence beats a 8-foot level or a dedicated saw guide clamped to the sheet. If you want true splinter-free edges, pair either saw with a circular saw track guide for plywood and score the cut line with a utility knife first. That matters more than RPM.
Handling, visibility and dust
On paper the HS7601 is lighter, but in hand the DCS570 feels heavier because the battery sits high and rearward. Over an 8-foot rip you will notice it in your wrist. The Makita balances slightly forward, which helps keep the base flat at the start of the cut where most wander happens.
Cut line visibility is poor on both without a blower. The DCS570’s LED work light helps in a dim garage but throws shadows on plywood veneer. The HS7601 has a more open guard sightline on the right side, so right-handed users see the blade-to-line better. Left-handed users will struggle with both, as the blade is on the right on both models.
Dust ejection is aggressively forward on both. Ripping plywood creates fine dust that the port does not capture well even with a vac. The DCS570’s dust port fits a standard 1-1/4 inch hose more securely than the Makita’s tapered port, which tends to pop off unless you tape it. If you are ripping indoors, wear a respirator regardless.
Noise is similar at around 95-100 dB under load. The DeWalt’s electric brake stops the blade in under 2 seconds, the Makita takes closer to 3 seconds. That is a safety difference when you set the saw down between rips.
Blade choice matters more than the saw
The fastest way to improve rip quality in plywood is to ditch the stock 24T framing blade. For both saws, use a 7-1/4 inch thin-kerf blade with 40 to 60 teeth and ATB grind. A 40T is the sweet spot: fast enough for rip cuts, clean enough that birch veneer does not tear. Feed pressure should be light and steady. If you are seeing chipping on the top face, the blade is dull or you are lifting the base. If you are seeing burning on the bottom face, the sheet is sagging and pinching the kerf. Support the offcut with foam board underneath the entire sheet.
Both saws have standard 5/8 inch arbors and accept the same aftermarket blades, so there is no advantage either way here. Do not use a full-kerf 1/8 inch blade on the DCS570. It increases battery drain by 20 to 30 percent and leaves a wider kerf that is more prone to burning.
Which should you buy for plywood rips
Buy the Makita HS7601 if you work in one place with reliable power and want the lowest total cost. It is $80 to $110 street price, it never needs a $150 battery, and it will rip plywood all day at the same speed. It is the better value for a shop saw that lives on a cutting table. The downsides are the cord and being tethered to an outlet. If you already own extension cords and a stable 15A circuit, those downsides are minor.
Buy the DeWalt DCS570 if you already own FlexVolt batteries or you rip sheets away from power. The cordless freedom eliminates cord snag, which is a real accuracy killer on long rips, and the higher RPM leaves a marginally cleaner edge. Just do not try to run it on small 2.0Ah packs for plywood. You need at least a DCB606 6.0Ah or DCB612 12.0Ah pack to get consistent speed through a full sheet. If you have to buy the saw, battery, and charger at full price, it costs 2.5x the Makita with no measurable improvement in cut quality once you add a straight edge and a good blade.
For most people breaking down 4×8 plywood a few times a month, the cheaper corded Makita is fine. Spend the savings on a good 40T thin-kerf plywood blade and a straight-edge guide. Those two accessories change your results more than the difference between 5,200 and 5,800 RPM.