Skil flooring saw

[GaryB]

Has anyone had a play with the Skil flooring saw? I've been eyeing this little thing for a while because it looks like the right size for a lot of what I do, and, of course, I'm a little wary. It's cheap at $156 or so and is a bit cheap looking, too. I have handled it in my local Lowes and it feels ok, not much slack in the slide bearings and pretty solid overall. Sadly I haven't had a chance to use one or measure the results for accuracy so I'm hoping one of you has tried it and can offer insights.

It'll be a long time until I can get a TS55 and if this does a good enough job it will be my go-to for little jobs.

 

[Alan m]

dont know about quality etc but if you want it for flooring then get it. it wont need to be as acurate for flooring as the expansion gap will be covered, 1-2 degrees out wont be seen. i would reconment to buy it if you need one and return it if it is not of good enough quality

 

[Frank-Jan]

.... i would reconment to buy it if you need one and return it if it is not of good enough quality

In this topic on another forum there's an experience of some one that did just that. (Allthough he said the quality was good enough, it just took to long to switch between crosscutting and ripping.)

I remembered a thread about a similar ryobi saw on the jlc tools & equipment forum, that's where I found this link.

 

[LostInTheWood]

I remember a similar report, too, somewhere.  I don't know where I saw it, JLC, ToolsofTheTrade, or FHB.  I thought it was a review in one of those magazines or something.  It's a great idea and probably works well for its intentions, but I don't think you can do rips on it.  So in that situation you'll still need your table saw or a sidewinder and something to clamp to.

 

[shoe maker]

i know of two guys who bought and tried them. and they broke down and had to return them for a new one. one guy\'s broke down a second time and he returned it for his money back. the other guy still uses his new one and says he loves it. but he is cheap skate and loves anything dirt cheap. as far as accuracy goes its a flooring saw and all there cuts get covered up by baseboard or shoe molding so i don\'t think it is a concern of theirs. the guy who still uses his says he hooks up to a vac and cuts inside with out any dust issues

take it for what its worth.

 

[Holzhacker]

There was a question/discussion about this saw a while ago also. I didn't know about it beforehand and started looking into it. We ended up buying one for laminate flooring jobs. It's been about a month and quite a few flooring jobs now. From the start I wasn't sure what the debate was all about considering its a saw for less than $200. Buy it, see how it works. If it works good great, if not it becomes a laborers tool.
After the 1st month I have to say this saw has been a great investment. It's light and easy to carry into a job. Just the fact that we no longer have to carry a small table saw and 10" chopsaw into the jobs makes it more than worth it. All cutting now gets done with the Skilsaw and a jigsaw. The saw makes good clean cuts in various types of laminate flooring and plywood scraps. Haven't tried it on full 3/4" flooring yet. The motor seems plenty strong. The settings are accurate enough. It seems to be pretty sturdy overall. As long as it doesn't get tossed around the truck too much it should be fine.
The tool video show the guy happily cutting on the floor. This hasn't been the case for us. Cutting on the floor still seems awkward and uncomfortable. Even though it isn't supposed to, it does slide around on the lam flooring more than is ideal. We use it on saw horses and a piece of plywood.
DC hooked up to our new CT26 has been really excellent. I was a bit worried because the lam dust tends to be rough for DC because its so fine. There is very, very little that doesn't get sucked up. One drawback is that we have to put a block behind baseshoe for cutting. The saw reach and angle won't cut shoe butted to the end of the table without a block behind it. Not a huge deal. If you use the saw, you can see why.
I would have no problem recommending this saw. If/when it breaks down we'll go out and get another one.
Hope that helps, Markus

 

[GaryB]

thanks for all the replies.

I won't be using it for floors, cutting small pieces of wood up to 7/8" thick and 8" wide into smaller pieces about 4"x4" in size. The table and chop saws are too big and dangerous for the smaller sizes to be cut safely which is where this would come into play. Basically cutting stuff that I currently use the bandsaw to do.

 

[nehardwoodfloors]

No bevel cutting!
No good for floor installations against any baseboards!

 

[Alan m]

why would you need bevel cutting
why is it No good for floor installations against any baseboards. wouldnt there be a quarter rounder moulding used to cover the gap

 

[nehardwoodfloors]

Not in the Northeast!
I have actually heard that we are the only part of the country that installs against the B-boards with no mouldings!

Yup we scribe to the bboard and bevel our cuts so when we drop them in, they dont rub the paint of the baseboards.

Most contractors around here do the baseboards first! Then we install and sand and no molding is ever used!!!!\

Most contractors dont want to scribe the b-boards to the floor or see gaps between the b-boards and the floor.

I like it because it can seperate the skilled installers from the lacking ones.

 

[Alan m]

is there no room for expansion or is the floor moisture content controlled sufficiently

 

[nehardwoodfloors]

No room and the wood must obviously be acclimated.
Once in awhile on new houses you'll see buckling but not usually.