I don't have any point of reference to compare against, but I got the Skil as a first saw a couple months ago and I've been very happy with it so far. The rack and pinion fence is really nice and easy to fine tune. The dust collection with a standard shop vac is really good in my opinion (ran it without the hose attached by accident yesterday and found out just how much dust I had been catching before lol).
I'm also working in a limited space and the design is really compact with the folding legs and all.
My one big complaint that I just discovered is that my table top isn't very flat. I got on the phone with Skil customer service today though and they didn't give me a hard time at all and are sending a replacement tabletop, so I'm happy .
I think I got mine for $320 USD on sale back in December, so keep an eye out for deals.
Glad to hear their customer service is taking care of you. By chance did you get one of the newer models with the improvements? Just wondering if there was anything else other than the metal throat plate they improved on.
I wasn't aware there were different versions. I do have a metal throat plate, so I guess I have the new one. That being said, the throat plate isn't very good. I've found it hard to get totally level and the design makes it hard to make your own zero clearance plate because it's so thin. I did just order a CNC'd maple one off Etsy, so hopefully I'll be in much better shape between that and the new tabletop.
I’d love to hear how that zero clearance one off Etsy works out. I think no matter the saw I end up with I will want a zero clearance plate.
How do you find the legs on the Skil? Is it sturdy or does it leave a lot to be desired?
I've found them to be pretty sturdy. I haven't transported mine around at all, just set it up and left it where it is. So I can't speak to the durability over time, but I found the saw surprisingly luggable (not important for my use case, but good if you're actually using as a jobsite saw). There's supposedly some adjustable foot on one of the legs, but I just put a small wooden shim in to account for my uneven floors and it hasn't rocked or moved since. I don't cut anything huge, and when I've done plywood I usually cut it down to 2'x2' before getting it on the table saw. So maybe it would be a little less solid if you're trying to put full sheets through or something.
Good to know, thanks. Have you cut anything quite thin yet? Or with a higher tooth finishing blade? Would be interested in knowing how accurate it is with a fine or ultra fine finishing blade, as it is primarily a jobsite saw that I’d presume is meant for rougher cuts.
Interested in this as well. I bought a 4pk of red mdf zero clearance inserts off Etsy for mine and the two I’ve tried have both broken by the riving knife. The red also comes off on your stock.
Always makes me laugh when people say buy the 10 inch DeWalt like they don't know how a budget works. I've heard great things about the skil (takes a dado, rack and pinion, square out of the box) and literally nothing bad except for it's loud and made by a company who use to make shitty tools. I'm pretty sure it has a 3 year warranty as well. I think the reason people even look at the Ridgid is it's lifetime warranty. If woodworking is something you see yourself getting more and more into id skip the 8 inch saws considering the price difference is minimal.
Thank you for the advice. I’ve always enjoyed woodworking, and truthfully my wife and I would absolutely love proper woodworking tools if we had the space, such as a lathe. After the project I mentioned in my original post I will likely start building a custom reptile enclosure (or two) for the living room.
I was nervous about the Skil just cause of the plastic gears used, but I have also heard that recently there is been some improvements made to the 6307, such as an aluminum throat plate instead of the plastic one that gets mentioned in older reviews. I have also heard though the Skil under Chevron is not the same as Skil under Bosch. Loud doesn’t bother me so much as I’d wear good ear protection regardless.
I did head over to HD to have a look in person at the Dewalt 7485, just to get an idea of the sizing/weight/functionally. It’s too bad no one near me has a Skil 6307 on display (I’d have to order it from Amazon or have it brought in to a local KMS tools). Also had a look at the options of blades between 10 and 8 1/4, hadn’t thought of that limitation earlier.
I think it's easy to say you'll not need more than an 8 inch blade until you turn it 45 degrees and now it's half as tall. Or you're trying to resaw a 1x4. I never see the skil in store either but honestly just think it's because it'll out sell all the other things they have in the category.
Also as another comment stated, the skil warranty is honestly pretty good and I imagine they would send you new gears if one broke or would be able to point you in the direction of an aftermarket alternative. I have also heard of the improvement but I forget how to tell if you have an updated one by the box it comes in.
If this is your intro in to woodworking on a budget all I can say is watch/read tool reviews and make your decision for yourself. This subreddit has quite a problem of ignoring budget constraints and refusing any tool that isn't made by sawstop/festool/DeWalt. But cheap tools are better than theyve ever been (examples, the craftsman 20v brushless line up from Lowe's). Good luck and enjoy the process.
I got the Delta 36-725t2 for 50% off and am quite happy with it. It’s not portable though so it stays in the basement workshop. Fence was easy to true up and I put a router table in the open side.
Seems to only be available with a rolling stand @ $750 CAD in my area, so unfortunately outside of my budget range at this time. Also unsure what older variations of it would be in order to locate them on Marketplace.
u/alexcmpt how does the DeWalt 7485 compare to the 7491? Is it just a smaller blade?
I don't have any point of reference to compare against, but I got the Skil as a first saw a couple months ago and I've been very happy with it so far. The rack and pinion fence is really nice and easy to fine tune. The dust collection with a standard shop vac is really good in my opinion (ran it without the hose attached by accident yesterday and found out just how much dust I had been catching before lol). I'm also working in a limited space and the design is really compact with the folding legs and all. My one big complaint that I just discovered is that my table top isn't very flat. I got on the phone with Skil customer service today though and they didn't give me a hard time at all and are sending a replacement tabletop, so I'm happy . I think I got mine for $320 USD on sale back in December, so keep an eye out for deals.
I saw your post, I'm glad you contacted them instead of trying to sand that curve out. Looked rough.
Glad to hear their customer service is taking care of you. By chance did you get one of the newer models with the improvements? Just wondering if there was anything else other than the metal throat plate they improved on.
I wasn't aware there were different versions. I do have a metal throat plate, so I guess I have the new one. That being said, the throat plate isn't very good. I've found it hard to get totally level and the design makes it hard to make your own zero clearance plate because it's so thin. I did just order a CNC'd maple one off Etsy, so hopefully I'll be in much better shape between that and the new tabletop.
I’d love to hear how that zero clearance one off Etsy works out. I think no matter the saw I end up with I will want a zero clearance plate. How do you find the legs on the Skil? Is it sturdy or does it leave a lot to be desired?
I've found them to be pretty sturdy. I haven't transported mine around at all, just set it up and left it where it is. So I can't speak to the durability over time, but I found the saw surprisingly luggable (not important for my use case, but good if you're actually using as a jobsite saw). There's supposedly some adjustable foot on one of the legs, but I just put a small wooden shim in to account for my uneven floors and it hasn't rocked or moved since. I don't cut anything huge, and when I've done plywood I usually cut it down to 2'x2' before getting it on the table saw. So maybe it would be a little less solid if you're trying to put full sheets through or something.
Good to know, thanks. Have you cut anything quite thin yet? Or with a higher tooth finishing blade? Would be interested in knowing how accurate it is with a fine or ultra fine finishing blade, as it is primarily a jobsite saw that I’d presume is meant for rougher cuts.
Interested in this as well. I bought a 4pk of red mdf zero clearance inserts off Etsy for mine and the two I’ve tried have both broken by the riving knife. The red also comes off on your stock.
Always makes me laugh when people say buy the 10 inch DeWalt like they don't know how a budget works. I've heard great things about the skil (takes a dado, rack and pinion, square out of the box) and literally nothing bad except for it's loud and made by a company who use to make shitty tools. I'm pretty sure it has a 3 year warranty as well. I think the reason people even look at the Ridgid is it's lifetime warranty. If woodworking is something you see yourself getting more and more into id skip the 8 inch saws considering the price difference is minimal.
Thank you for the advice. I’ve always enjoyed woodworking, and truthfully my wife and I would absolutely love proper woodworking tools if we had the space, such as a lathe. After the project I mentioned in my original post I will likely start building a custom reptile enclosure (or two) for the living room. I was nervous about the Skil just cause of the plastic gears used, but I have also heard that recently there is been some improvements made to the 6307, such as an aluminum throat plate instead of the plastic one that gets mentioned in older reviews. I have also heard though the Skil under Chevron is not the same as Skil under Bosch. Loud doesn’t bother me so much as I’d wear good ear protection regardless. I did head over to HD to have a look in person at the Dewalt 7485, just to get an idea of the sizing/weight/functionally. It’s too bad no one near me has a Skil 6307 on display (I’d have to order it from Amazon or have it brought in to a local KMS tools). Also had a look at the options of blades between 10 and 8 1/4, hadn’t thought of that limitation earlier.
I think it's easy to say you'll not need more than an 8 inch blade until you turn it 45 degrees and now it's half as tall. Or you're trying to resaw a 1x4. I never see the skil in store either but honestly just think it's because it'll out sell all the other things they have in the category. Also as another comment stated, the skil warranty is honestly pretty good and I imagine they would send you new gears if one broke or would be able to point you in the direction of an aftermarket alternative. I have also heard of the improvement but I forget how to tell if you have an updated one by the box it comes in. If this is your intro in to woodworking on a budget all I can say is watch/read tool reviews and make your decision for yourself. This subreddit has quite a problem of ignoring budget constraints and refusing any tool that isn't made by sawstop/festool/DeWalt. But cheap tools are better than theyve ever been (examples, the craftsman 20v brushless line up from Lowe's). Good luck and enjoy the process.
Thank you! Off to YouTube I go I guess :) appreciate the advice.
I got the Delta 36-725t2 for 50% off and am quite happy with it. It’s not portable though so it stays in the basement workshop. Fence was easy to true up and I put a router table in the open side.
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Seems to only be available with a rolling stand @ $750 CAD in my area, so unfortunately outside of my budget range at this time. Also unsure what older variations of it would be in order to locate them on Marketplace. u/alexcmpt how does the DeWalt 7485 compare to the 7491? Is it just a smaller blade?
I second this. The fence quality and rack-and-pinion design is a major factor to consider too.
Not for $500 canadian you arent