No good wood topics so I posted this minor rant.

I needed a cheap TS for onsite construction on a single personal project. At Lowes I bought the lowest end Skill for $199. I knew I wasn't buying the best quality but it was almost a disposable purchase in a sense. I just needed it for a few months.

Honestly, disposable is generous. Yes I am used to a Saw Stop in my shop but this POS was nearly unusable from from the get go.

First noticed an annoying "nuance" that is a design flaw in my opinion but I am sure it is considered a safety feature. If the fence lock is not fully engaged in then sticks up and out at the front rail and won't let you align a board to the fence. On construction builds when accurate cuts are "nominal" I often mark a piece for width on the leading edge, lay it next to the fence up near a non-spinning blade and bump the fence over until I get the width set that I want, then lock down the fence.

Totally impossible with this fence lock.

However, turned out not to be a problem when the fence lock handle snapped off about the third time (literally) I used it.

I used a vice grip and clamp to lock down the fence after that.

Then I started to rip a 2x4 which was a bit of a task for this little machine so I moved slowly. However, as soon as I let up on the feed through pressure the piece suddenly shifted away from the fence. I thought I had some stressed wood or really lost my technique or had a bad fence alignment. However, after I had the same issue while ripping a 1/4 x 2 stop molding I figured out the "trunnion" is so weak and flimsy the the blade actually starts to flex toward the fence under the least amount of cutting stress. I tightened the slip collar at the back where it allows the mechanism to tilt for bevel and locked the blade bevel down as hard as possible and it can still felx at least a 1/4". It could flex a good 1/2" with factory settings.

Pretty much unusable design unless you feed so slow or you aren't worried about a snaking rip line.

I will toss this when the project is over. To trashed by paint spills and job site dust, dirt and scratches to return.

On 9/25/2013 7:06 PM, SonomaProducts.com wrote:
No good wood topics so I posted this minor rant.

I needed a cheap TS for onsite construction on a single personal project. At Lowes I bought the lowest end Skill for $199. I knew I wasn't buying the best quality but it was almost a disposable purchase in a sense. I just needed it for a few months.

Honestly, disposable is generous. Yes I am used to a Saw Stop in my shop but this POS was nearly unusable from from the get go.

First noticed an annoying "nuance" that is a design flaw in my opinion but I am sure it is considered a safety feature. If the fence lock is not fully engaged in then sticks up and out at the front rail and won't let you align a board to the fence. On construction builds when accurate cuts are "nominal" I often mark a piece for width on the leading edge, lay it next to the fence up near a non-spinning blade and bump the fence over until I get the width set that I want, then lock down the fence.

Totally impossible with this fence lock.

However, turned out not to be a problem when the fence lock handle snapped off about the third time (literally) I used it.

I used a vice grip and clamp to lock down the fence after that.

Then I started to rip a 2x4 which was a bit of a task for this little machine so I moved slowly. However, as soon as I let up on the feed through pressure the piece suddenly shifted away from the fence. I thought I had some stressed wood or really lost my technique or had a bad fence alignment. However, after I had the same issue while ripping a 1/4 x 2 stop molding I figured out the "trunnion" is so weak and flimsy the the blade actually starts to flex toward the fence under the least amount of cutting stress. I tightened the slip collar at the back where it allows the mechanism to tilt for bevel and locked the blade bevel down as hard as possible and it can still felx at least a 1/4". It could flex a good 1/2" with factory settings.

Pretty much unusable design unless you feed so slow or you aren't worried about a snaking rip line.

I will toss this when the project is over. To trashed by paint spills and job site dust, dirt and scratches to return.

Too bad you didn't check Craigs list.. I see dewalts all the time for
sale. Reasonable too, probably about he same price you paid.


Sounds like a dangerous tool. Right the *******s that make it...
(BOSCH) and let them know how well the POC works, and holds up.

Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

--
Jeff

"SonomaProducts.com" wrote:
No good wood topics so I posted this minor rant.

I needed a cheap TS for onsite construction on a single personal project.
At Lowes I bought the lowest end Skill for $199. I knew I wasn't buying
the best quality but it was almost a disposable purchase in a sense. I
just needed it for a few months.

Honestly, disposable is generous. Yes I am used to a Saw Stop in my shop
but this POS was nearly unusable from from the get go.

First noticed an annoying "nuance" that is a design flaw in my opinion
but I am sure it is considered a safety feature. If the fence lock is not
fully engaged in then sticks up and out at the front rail and won't let
you align a board to the fence. On construction builds when accurate cuts
are "nominal" I often mark a piece for width on the leading edge, lay it
next to the fence up near a non-spinning blade and bump the fence over
until I get the width set that I want, then lock down the fence.

Totally impossible with this fence lock.

However, turned out not to be a problem when the fence lock handle
snapped off about the third time (literally) I used it.

I used a vice grip and clamp to lock down the fence after that.

Then I started to rip a 2x4 which was a bit of a task for this little
machine so I moved slowly. However, as soon as I let up on the feed
through pressure the piece suddenly shifted away from the fence. I
thought I had some stressed wood or really lost my technique or had a bad
fence alignment. However, after I had the same issue while ripping a 1/4
x 2 stop molding I figured out the "trunnion" is so weak and flimsy the
the blade actually starts to flex toward the fence under the least amount
of cutting stress. I tightened the slip collar at the back where it
allows the mechanism to tilt for bevel and locked the blade bevel down as
hard as possible and it can still felx at least a 1/4". It could flex a
good 1/2" with factory settings.

Pretty much unusable design unless you feed so slow or you aren't worried
about a snaking rip line.

I will toss this when the project is over. To trashed by paint spills and
job site dust, dirt and scratches to return.

If people don't return this crap they will assume their customer is
satisfied. I'd returned it.

On 9/25/2013 8:57 PM, Leon wrote:
"SonomaProducts.com" wrote:
No good wood topics so I posted this minor rant.

I needed a cheap TS for onsite construction on a single personal project.
At Lowes I bought the lowest end Skill for $199. I knew I wasn't buying
the best quality but it was almost a disposable purchase in a sense. I
just needed it for a few months.

Honestly, disposable is generous. Yes I am used to a Saw Stop in my shop
but this POS was nearly unusable from from the get go.

First noticed an annoying "nuance" that is a design flaw in my opinion
but I am sure it is considered a safety feature. If the fence lock is not
fully engaged in then sticks up and out at the front rail and won't let
you align a board to the fence. On construction builds when accurate cuts
are "nominal" I often mark a piece for width on the leading edge, lay it
next to the fence up near a non-spinning blade and bump the fence over
until I get the width set that I want, then lock down the fence.

Totally impossible with this fence lock.

However, turned out not to be a problem when the fence lock handle
snapped off about the third time (literally) I used it.

I used a vice grip and clamp to lock down the fence after that.

Then I started to rip a 2x4 which was a bit of a task for this little
machine so I moved slowly. However, as soon as I let up on the feed
through pressure the piece suddenly shifted away from the fence. I
thought I had some stressed wood or really lost my technique or had a bad
fence alignment. However, after I had the same issue while ripping a 1/4
x 2 stop molding I figured out the "trunnion" is so weak and flimsy the
the blade actually starts to flex toward the fence under the least amount
of cutting stress. I tightened the slip collar at the back where it
allows the mechanism to tilt for bevel and locked the blade bevel down as
hard as possible and it can still felx at least a 1/4". It could flex a
good 1/2" with factory settings.

Pretty much unusable design unless you feed so slow or you aren't worried
about a snaking rip line.

I will toss this when the project is over. To trashed by paint spills and
job site dust, dirt and scratches to return.

If people don't return this crap they will assume their customer is
satisfied. I'd returned it.

I suspect it is still with in the warranty period I would take it back
so they will be aware of the poor quality. Even it they do not give
your money back you still have accomplished the purpose.

On 9/25/2013 9:15 PM, knuttle wrote:

I suspect it is still with in the warranty period I would take it back
so they will be aware of the poor quality. Even it they do not give
your money back you still have accomplished the purpose.

What purpose? Letting some clerk at Lowes know you did not like the
saw? Doubt it goes past there.

On 9/25/2013 8:55 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 9/25/2013 9:15 PM, knuttle wrote:

I suspect it is still with in the warranty period I would take it back
so they will be aware of the poor quality. Even it they do not give
your money back you still have accomplished the purpose.

What purpose? Letting some clerk at Lowes know you did not like the
saw? Doubt it goes past there.


I suspect that with out getting your money back that the complaint will
fall on deaf ears.

In article , Ed
Pawlowski wrote:

On 9/25/2013 9:15 PM, knuttle wrote:

I suspect it is still with in the warranty period I would take it back
so they will be aware of the poor quality. Even it they do not give
your money back you still have accomplished the purpose.

What purpose? Letting some clerk at Lowes know you did not like the
saw? Doubt it goes past there.

Dunno about Lowes, but where I work anything that is flawed and
returned by a customer goes back to the vendor. The store doesn't eat
it.

--
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to
read. - Groucho Marx

On Wed, 25 Sep 2013 21:43:35 -0600, Dave Balderstone
wrote:

In article , Ed
Pawlowski wrote:

On 9/25/2013 9:15 PM, knuttle wrote:

I suspect it is still with in the warranty period I would take it back
so they will be aware of the poor quality. Even it they do not give
your money back you still have accomplished the purpose.

What purpose? Letting some clerk at Lowes know you did not like the
saw? Doubt it goes past there.

Dunno about Lowes, but where I work anything that is flawed and
returned by a customer goes back to the vendor. The store doesn't eat
it.

Right, But is will be just another tool on the pile and the customer
experience will not get back to anyone that matters.

On Wed, 25 Sep 2013 21:43:35 -0600, Dave Balderstone
wrote:

In article , Ed
Pawlowski wrote:

On 9/25/2013 9:15 PM, knuttle wrote:

I suspect it is still with in the warranty period I would take it back
so they will be aware of the poor quality. Even it they do not give
your money back you still have accomplished the purpose.

What purpose? Letting some clerk at Lowes know you did not like the
saw? Doubt it goes past there.

Dunno about Lowes, but where I work anything that is flawed and
returned by a customer goes back to the vendor. The store doesn't eat
it.
Depends what product, and the source. A LOT of even non-defective
merchandise goes through the "hammer" because it doesn't sell and is
too expensive to keep warehousing - and if it is a "store brand" it
does NOT go back to the manufacturer - particularly if it is Chinese
(or other foreign) sourced. You should see all the bycycles and other
seasonal goods that end up in the local scrapyard crusher from places
like Wallmart, Canadian Tire, or in the old days, KMart (before they
left Canada)
Defectives are documented and destroyed unless the manufacturer is
really concerned and wants samples to analyze.

Same thing happened with faulty automotive parts replaced under
warranty. Half the time the "road man" for the manufacturer didn't
even want to see the defective parts unless the dealer's warranty
numbers were out of line - then they would do monthly "audits" - and
you better have ALL of the claimed parts available for inspection.
They were then destroyed/disposed of under the auditor's supervision.
(to be sure some crook didn't claim them on another vehicle next
month)

On Wed, 25 Sep 2013 19:57:08 -0500, Leon wrote:

"SonomaProducts.com" wrote:

snip

I will toss this when the project is over. To trashed by paint spills and
job site dust, dirt and scratches to return.

If people don't return this crap they will assume their customer is
satisfied. I'd returned it.

Leon's right, I'd return it too.

If you buy cheap you get cheap. But according to your description
this was way worse than cheap -- this was total junk.

On 9/25/2013 7:06 PM, SonomaProducts.com wrote:
No good wood topics so I posted this minor rant.
....
I will toss this when the project is over. To trashed by paint spills and job site dust, dirt and scratches to return.



Thanks for the review. Nice to reaffirm money invested in a good saw is
not wasted. Sorry about your experience!

Bill

I use a 10" DeWalt...
It is a fairly good, lightweight, portable table saw.
I put the 8" Makita Table saw legs on it.
A sharp blade is most important.
Not thrashing it, is another good idea.
john

"SonomaProducts.com" wrote in message
...

No good wood topics so I posted this minor rant.

I needed a cheap TS for onsite construction on a single personal project. At
Lowes I bought the lowest end Skill for $199. I knew I wasn't buying the
best quality but it was almost a disposable purchase in a sense. I just
needed it for a few months.

Honestly, disposable is generous. Yes I am used to a Saw Stop in my shop but
this POS was nearly unusable from from the get go.

First noticed an annoying "nuance" that is a design flaw in my opinion but I
am sure it is considered a safety feature. If the fence lock is not fully
engaged in then sticks up and out at the front rail and won't let you align
a board to the fence. On construction builds when accurate cuts are
"nominal" I often mark a piece for width on the leading edge, lay it next to
the fence up near a non-spinning blade and bump the fence over until I get
the width set that I want, then lock down the fence.

Totally impossible with this fence lock.

However, turned out not to be a problem when the fence lock handle snapped
off about the third time (literally) I used it.

I used a vice grip and clamp to lock down the fence after that.

Then I started to rip a 2x4 which was a bit of a task for this little
machine so I moved slowly. However, as soon as I let up on the feed through
pressure the piece suddenly shifted away from the fence. I thought I had
some stressed wood or really lost my technique or had a bad fence alignment.
However, after I had the same issue while ripping a 1/4 x 2 stop molding I
figured out the "trunnion" is so weak and flimsy the the blade actually
starts to flex toward the fence under the least amount of cutting stress. I
tightened the slip collar at the back where it allows the mechanism to tilt
for bevel and locked the blade bevel down as hard as possible and it can
still felx at least a 1/4". It could flex a good 1/2" with factory settings.

Pretty much unusable design unless you feed so slow or you aren't worried
about a snaking rip line.

I will toss this when the project is over. To trashed by paint spills and
job site dust, dirt and scratches to return.

On Wed, 25 Sep 2013 16:06:57 -0700 (PDT), "SonomaProducts.com"
wrote:

No good wood topics so I posted this minor rant.

I needed a cheap TS for onsite construction on a single personal project. At Lowes I bought the lowest end Skill for $199. I knew I wasn't buying the best quality but it was almost a disposable purchase in a sense. I just needed it for a few months.

Honestly, disposable is generous. Yes I am used to a Saw Stop in my shop but this POS was nearly unusable from from the get go.

First noticed an annoying "nuance" that is a design flaw in my opinion but I am sure it is considered a safety feature. If the fence lock is not fully engaged in then sticks up and out at the front rail and won't let you align a board to the fence. On construction builds when accurate cuts are "nominal" I often mark a piece for width on the leading edge, lay it next to the fence up near a non-spinning blade and bump the fence over until I get the width set that I want, then lock down the fence.

Totally impossible with this fence lock.

However, turned out not to be a problem when the fence lock handle snapped off about the third time (literally) I used it.

I used a vice grip and clamp to lock down the fence after that.

Then I started to rip a 2x4 which was a bit of a task for this little machine so I moved slowly. However, as soon as I let up on the feed through pressure the piece suddenly shifted away from the fence. I thought I had some stressed wood or really lost my technique or had a bad fence alignment. However, after I had the same issue while ripping a 1/4 x 2 stop molding I figured out the "trunnion" is so weak and flimsy the the blade actually starts to flex toward the fence under the least amount of cutting stress. I tightened the slip collar at the back where it allows the mechanism to tilt for bevel and locked the blade bevel down as hard as possible and it can still felx at least a 1/4". It could flex a good 1/2" with factory settings.

Pretty much unusable design unless you feed so slow or you aren't worried about a snaking rip line.

I will toss this when the project is over. To trashed by paint spills and job site dust, dirt and scratches to return

Find a "flooring contractor" at Lowe's and give it to him he can
finish it off.