# Skil 10 in 15 amp tablesaw



## a1Jim

Thanks for the info and review


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## Alonso83

*kosta*

Thanks for your review.

This was my first TS that I got a few months ago until I decide to get a real TS (my R4511) 
Unfortunately for me, this TS (skil) was a waste of money period. I totally regret all the money I spent on it, I couldn't ever aligned properly, it was very noisy, a ton of vibration, in top of that the mitter channel is not standard, so you won't be able to upgrade to a better mitter gage or a better featherboard. 
The table top was cast aluminum, so any magnetic featherboard is not an option either. The fence was one of the few good options that I could remember (still, not even close compare to the R4511).

It looks like it could be a good option for someone that is starting on woodworking (the get the knowledge of how to use a TS at least) but definetely precision is not an option here. Just my .02$

However I hope it fills your needs.

Alonso


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## PurpLev

Thanks for the review kosta- you brought up some good points.

curious though - you mentioned that dust collection is not that great, the fence is short, the blade guard is hard to see through, no extension wings, and the manual was hard to use - but even with all these limitations/cons you still gave the saw 5 stars? It just doesn't make sense to me 

Personally for the same $$$ I would look for a cast iron Delta contractor saw on craigslist. or save up a little more for a more stable/precise saw with standard miter slots. I had the Bosch portable saw (4100) which is superb- but even that didn't quite cut it when it comes to precision and fine woodworking - great for general construction though, and rough cuts.

Just my $0.03


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## GMman

I am looking for a portable saw too and it is hard to make up my mine with all the reviews, you always want good quality and at a good price.


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## papadan

Stay away from the Skil, it was my first saw too. Worked pretty good until I decided to use something other than pine. 8 months old and went up in smoke when I tried to cut some oak. Bought a Ridgid TS2400 and have never had a single problem with it since 2001. And I don't use pine for nothing!


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## kosta

The thing is that the blade guard is not really a big deal and the manual is a 1 time deal but overall I still think that this saw is good because the 2 major things are accuracy and safety there is no way to get around that. As long as its accurate and safe I really dont care if it has extension wings because there are ways of getting around that


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## dustbunny

Kosta,

Glad to hear you are happy with your table saw. I started out with the Black and Decker equivalent years ago. I built shelving, a chicken coop, and did some door trim with it. It did me well for what I paid for it. The bench tops don't have any bells or whistles like the big cabinet TS's, but it will serve you well I'm sure. I have since upgraded to a contractor saw, still wishing for something bigger and better.

Now get busy sawing and show us what you can do with it !!

Lisa


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## Newton

My first TS was a Craftsman 10" contractor saw. It had a cast steel table but that's about all it had going for it! The fence was crap. The motor was crap. The saw was pretty much crap. As your skills grow so does your desire for better quality tools. Now for the past 10-15 years I have the Delta Tilting Arbor Cabinet Saw, and, had I to do it over again, would not buy another.


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## kosta

Yea well they are entry level saws you can do a lot with them well if accuracy isnt a big deal to you. But as far as dropping $2000 for a cabinet saw or even a used one its still a lot of money for someone getting started


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## Brad_Nailor

I don't know….how can you say seriously, that you used a Powermatic, Delta, DeWalt, or Jet and THIS saw stood out? I understand that some people don't have allot of money to spend on a saw, but this unit doesn't even belong in the same sentence with Powermatic or Delta. you can do a lot with them well if accuracy isn't a big deal to you Hmm…I don't know too many woodworkers that accuracy *isn't *a big deal to them. This is a job site saw, plain and simple. It's accuracy is on a "construction" level. Trying to get a "cabinetmaking" level of accuracy out of it will be a frustrating endeavor at best.


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## dbhost

In all fairness to the Skill, I have used the little Delta benchtop table saw in the past and the Skil pretty much measured up to that thing… Simply put, it's a $100.00 (ish) table saw new. Nothing more, nothing less.

For what it is, I know guys that can eke some reasonable accuracy on smaller pieces with it. And the guys that have them for the most part are happy with them.

From what I have seen this saw is no better, and no worse than the B&D Firestorm, Ryobi BTS-16, benchtop Delta, or the current Craftsman benchtop model (just a rebranded Ryobi BTS-16). It will do what most guys that buy them for. There are good examples, and lousy examples of all of those models.

I can honestly see a place for saws like this. Especially when you consider guys and gals trying to put together a workshop in an already crowded garage, basement, a tiny shed in the back yard, or even on the balcony of an apartment. (I've seen it!)

There are without a doubt things higher classes of saws do all day long without breaking a sweat that this little saw can only dream of. Such as crosscutting full sheets of plywood. And perhaps an owner of such a small saw might want to pass on the dado stack, opting for a router, straight bit, and straight edge approach to cutting dadoes, grooves, and rabbets.


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## cobra5

4 years ago i bought my fist table saw--skil-xshop, Ive been happy with it so far, table is alittle small, vabrates alot, have'nt had any proplems with cutting oak yet, recently i aqurided an old 744dw dewalt table saw had to do some work on it. now its my main saw, skill-xshop is used for dado cut only have dewalt on one end of out feed table and skill at the other end [ out feed table is 8' 4" long works great in my new shop, just have to remember to lower blade on saw not being used when cutting with the other saw.


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## jake

When I starting I was frustrated that everything I read raved over high end tools and I wondered what about the beginner like me without too much money, when your buying everything to start a shop. I started with a Protech (now out of business) that was similiar to the B&d or Skil saws of the time. I had a Skil router, etc. Now I have the high end tools but it took years to aquire. My first tools served me well for a few years and I upgraded as I went. I have a Ryobi BT3100 that I often find uses for, even though I also have a Steel City, full size saw. The Sears has a clone of the Ryobi BT31OO. That saw has a huge following too and there is a website entirely devoted to it, and they produce some nice looking work. It's loud due to its universal motor and aluminum table but when it's well tuned it is accurate. I am limited in space so I love being able to grab the lighter saw and tote it to where I am working at the time. Not everyone wants a cast iron saw, just check out the BT3central.com website. I'm glad you got your saw and I hope you post some of your projects to show others what can be done while your using tools that are not the premium ones that are out of reach of so many people.


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## Newton

Well said Jake.


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## rustedknuckles

I had that saw way back, some where around 1988, I finally retired it last year. It was finniky to set up and the accuracy was not really cabinet quality, but once I got to know the saw I could make compensations. What actually killed it was running a 3" oak board through it. That sheared the arbor off, a few welds later and it was back in business for another year. It was a real little work horse and paid for its self many times over. I can't say I'm sorry to see it go, but we did have a kind of "love/hate" relationship. I would definately recomend it as a starter saw or a saw for the budget concious wood worker.


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## ceedub

With regard to the skil 10" table saw you mentioned in your review "using a splitter or a riving knife is not an opting its a must" what did you mean when talking about kickback. I'm new to table saws.


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## kosta

here is a link to a tablesaw safety video I put out in may http://kostasworkshop.blogspot.com/2010/05/episode-67-tablesaw-safety.html its covers kickback in that video


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## Manitario

Interesting discussion; I am in the process of assembling my first "real" tablesaw; a hybrid from General International. I'm a woodworking rookie, and the majority of my tools I bought when I renovated my basement. This included a $125 Ryobi TS from Home Depot which I needed to rip pine that I used for finishing. Even knowing nothing about TS, and having never used one before the Ryobi; I quickly realized its limitations, namely that it was accurate to a point, but would never be useful for anything other than rough carpentry. Thus I've upgraded to the General, which hopefully will last me a lifetime. Having never used the Skil TS mentioned, I imagine that it has the same drawbacks as the Ryobi; if you have to, you can make it work, especially if the budget can't be stretched for a better saw.


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## SchottFamily

I bought a Skil 3400 refurbished (the price was right) and just happened upon an accessory table that's no longer offered from the manufacturer but you can pick it up on Amazon or eBay for less than $100. It ended up costing me as much as the saw, but WOW, it's turned this cheap little Skil into the equivalent of some of the contractor saws that I've used - precision wise. If anyone's new to wood working, like I am, I would highly recommend picking one of these tables up for use with your Skil 15amp saw - the price alone was worth the self aligning T rip fence that came with it.

I too am trying to work around the non standard miter tracks though. That's my only complaint with this setup. Not bad at all for a first saw.


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## CaptainMarvel

I realize I am several years late to the game in adding a comment to this one, but seeing as I am "in the market" for a similar affordable table saw (I'm purely a home-hobbiest/DIY'er kind'o'guy), I enjoyed kosta's original review of this Skil Table Saw.

With regard to the rip/cross capacity, I wonder if a saw like this would benefit from a top/extension modification - perhaps similar to the Rousseau PortaMax Jr 2600 (links & images below).

I inquired about the construction of the product from Rousseau, and this is the response I received . . . *


> "The table top of the 2600 is a particle board with high pressure laminate on both sides and edge banded. The frame of the 2600 surrounds the top of the saw and bolts to the saw. Thus the 2600 stays with the saw and utilizes the top of the saw and the laminate top of the 2600 to expand rip capacity."


http://www.rousseauco.com/model2600.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Rousseau-PortaMax-Table-Fence-System/dp/B0000224RS



















With all due respect to the folks over at Rousseau, I was thinking that there are those within the innovative Lumberjocks Community who could probably come up with something even better/more durable …. which is what gave me the idea to throw out the idea into this posting (as it relates directly to the "class" of table saw that is the Skil (reviewed) above.

Thoughts ???


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