The Skilsaw Worm Drive Table Saw has been busy on my jobsites where it has ripped a mile of lumber, everything from maple face frames to deck boards and site-made post caps, which are essentially full-depth cuts in pressure treated 2×6.
However, this has been a tough review to write because on the one hand, I like this saw and it has a few features that should be building code (standard functions). On the other, even with its worm drive mega motor, it’s not a quantum leap in the category.
Keep reading for the my take on the Skilsaw Worm Drive Table Saw.
Worm Drives and Power
When it comes to the Skil’s legendary 77 wormdrive circ saw, it truly has a claim to the “Hall of Fame” blazer for the Saw that Built America. Wormdrive circ saws are beasts on framing sites and absolutely (in my mind) essential for deck building.
But are they more powerful than their competitor, called Direct Drive or Sidewinder? They built plenty of shacks too?
In my experience, no.
Quieter? Maybe.
A little more plush? Yes. And this matters when we’re making thousands of cuts.
Better for cutting off the stack or drop cutting deck joists? 1000 times yes.
The power of the wormdrive circular saw, in my experience, comes from its front-heavy in-line blade-left layout. Not what spins the blade.
The power of the wormdrive circular saw, in my experience, comes from its front-heavy in-line blade-left layout. Not what spins the blade.
Skilsaw Table Saw On The Job Site
Let’s get this out of the way early. This saw is heavy. It’s way heavier than typical table saws and it almost hurts to move it around. If you have a crew or it stays put for long periods of time, it’s not the end of the world. But, if you need to move a saw around a lot, weight can become a decision-maker.
Once in place, the Skilsaw Worm Drive Table Saw jams.
Fence
The DeWalt-pioneered/patent-expired rack-and-pinion fence works and works well. It’s tall and square to the table and glides nicely.
Dust
Skilsaw’s dust management should be building code. This tool does something that I’ve been wanting to do to my table saws for years: Remove a panel from the bottom of the dust shroud and most of the dust falls DOWN, not…you know…everywhere. It’s great. Put a box or bucket under your saw stand and catch lots of dust.
Or, keep the panel on and shoot the dust—via the glorious, easily removable for storage, angled dust chute—into a bucket or box.
Under the table, the dust shroud totally encapsulates the blade, trapping most of the dust and sending it down. Dust and shavings still come back at you, but, hey, it’s a table saw.
Push Stick and Throat Plate
Both work, but both also fall out. If you grip this saw to your chest carrying it (you have to; it’s heavy), the push stick is gone. More than once, I’ve found the throat plate on the floor of the truck. Not the end of the world, but little things also matter.
Take-Off
One thing the worm gear offers is a plushness that direct drives—unless they have a soft start feature—lack. It’s just a beat when you pull the switch to turn it on. But, again, if you’re ripping furlongs of lumber—especially indoors—the little things become big things and this little one is a big one.
Tool review rating?
There be chooch for the Skilsaw Worm Drive Table Saw, but chooch for the right user.
