2.5 Amp Corded Electric 9 in. Portable Band Saw with Built-In Light

Easy to set up, and worked pretty well, however I discovered that the blade does not want to cut a straight line - It wanders randomly while cutting, and very hard to stay on the line, even after adjusting the blade guides upper and lower both.. Finally, I went out and got a 10-pack of some small metric ball bearings, cut a piece of 3/4 oak, and a piece of 1/8 NPT iron pipe, drilled a few holes, and made my own upper blade guide so that blade now runs true on 3 supporting ball bearings (back support bearing is given .030 clearance though) as pictured below.. after that little modification, this saw runs beautifully and gives me an accurate cut that stays on the line I want to cut. It has plenty enough power , I threw in a 4 TPI blade to cut green bowl blanks up to 3 1/2 inches thick, and it powers through them quite nicely.. For the price, it was an excellent buy after making that little modification.

This is a really nice band saw. I have used it a lot even though I just got it. I recommend it.

It's a very good machine, it's not for production. It has sawn out two rocking chairs from curly maple. You take your time it does a great job. Well worth the money spent.

This is an excellent bandsaw especially for the price. With a few adjustments and fine tuning, this saw exceeds my expectations. For example, The metal blade guides were replaced with oil soaked cherry dowels. Worth every penny .

Not as good as I thought. It oes not cut smooth. Does not handle 2 by material very well.

I purchased a band saw from another vendor and it failed. The replacement also failed, so I went with a SKIL band saw. It's clearly a better built product and the blade cuts straighter than the other previous saws. Plus, the blade was already installed, which is not always an easy process. Additionally, the light makes cutting more exact, because you can easily see the wood moving through the blade. The only feature I was not happy with was the 1 1/2" vacuum connection. All of my other saws are setup with 2" connections, so an adapter is required. However, SKIL doesn't sell one, so I had to find one on my own, which took some research. My suggestion is for SKIL to either change the vacuum connection to 2", or at the very least include the adapter, which is not all that expensive. That said, I really like the saw.

Absolutely THE BEST 9" bandsaw available. Considering it's price point it is clearly superior to it's competition. I have some experience with 9" bandsaws, having owned both Ryobi & Wen. This is the best of the three. I'll list the features & how the other two compare. Starting with the table, it is superior. Solid & sturdy, it tilts to 45' degrees with the same basic gear mechanism as the other two, but this one is built better, smoother, holds better, & is more accurate. It doesn't have superfluous decorative markings like the other two. The grooves on the Skil table serve a function, and decorative slots are non-existent. Right out of the box it required no squaring, which both the others did. The table includes a fence. The Ryobi doesn't, the Wen does, but the Skil is built better, & has measurements at both ends to make sure you get the fence straight, the Wen does not. All three include a miter guage, but the Skil is superior. Both the other two were sloppy with a lot of play & merely rested in the groove. This miter is tighter, & it doesn't just rest in the groove being held by gravity, it has a t-slot design so the miter doesn't lift out accidentally. This is how it SHOULD be. The Skil includes a re-positional LED light that you can literally position anywhere you need light. Neither of the other two have this. The frame & base are cast aluminum and very solid. Both the other two are welded steel and subject to variances in manufacturing straightness and flatness of the base. The Skil frame is rigid and the base flat. It is quieter than the Wen and about the same loudness as the Ryobi. It includes a brush to brush away debris from the lower drive wheel, where chunks & dust fall. The Wen has this but the Ryobi doesn't. The vacuum port is an integral part of the aluminum casting. Both the Ryobi & the Wen had bolted on plastic ports, & in the case of the Wen, not bolted on very well. The Ryobi's blade tensioning system is superior to the Skil, but not so much as to sway minimize the Skil's overall superiority. The Wen's tensioning system was a disaster day 1 generating 3 calls to Wen & ultimately return of the product. All three have a window to check blade tracking. The Ryobi is the clear winner here. It offers a superior mechanism and easier adjustment. The blade guard is solid metal on the Skil. Both the others had plastic components, & in the case of the Wen, fragile plastic components. The Skil blade guard did not track as well as the Ryobi when raising & lowering. It was annoying, but ultimately not a problem as you can easily adjust the side to side positioning manually. The Skil required that extra attention to positioning and subsequent effort, but again, not enough of a deal breaker to make it inferior. The access door, while plastic, is superior to both it's competitors. The Ryobi had a plastic door, but was was hampered by finicky clasps that appeared would break with much use. The Wen has a metal door, while nice theoretically, the manufacturing quality was so poor it didn't close properly, requiring manual filing to get it to shut. The Wen features the same type of closure knobs as the Skil, but the Skil's are of higher quality and better workmanship. The lower wheel adjustment setup on the Skil is superior to the other two, & the Wen's was outright scary, featuring massive protrusions that looked prone to trouble and the manual warned to check motor-belt tightness before even using the Wen, a sure sign of quality control problems. No such warning with the Skil, & indeed, no issue with belt tightness. The drive wheel's in the Skil are about the same quality as the Ryobi, & both are superior to the Wen. When you consider the additional features, quality of construction, attention to detail, & the price, the Skil is CLEARLY, the 9" inch bandsaw to own. The operation manual for the Skil is also superior to the other two, with clear instructions, helpful tips, and a logical organization. The Wen's was the worst. From a looks stand-point, I thought the Skil looked garish & unsophisticated in the pictures, but sitting on the benchtop it looks spectacular. The best of the three. The red somehow manages to be attractive, without being overly noticeable. Oh, I should mention the Skil's packaging design, while beautiful to behold, is inferior to either the other two bandsaws. It opens on the top or bottom and it is nearly impossible to extract the saw effectively. The Ryobi & Wen both open on the side, which makes much more sense. In the case of the Skil, OPEN THE BOX AT THE BOTTOM, not the top, & slide the box off the styrofoam ensconced saw. Home Depot should make the Skil saw the one they carry in the store, on the shelf. More features, better quality, and a great price make it a winner.

In the photo, you can spot my saw on my "command center". Nice addition to my shop. Have found it to do as well as expected. Excellent craftsmanship (for the price), I would definitely recommend this for any hobbyist.

I bought this saw to make a 7 inch scale nativity crèche out of wood and for other future small projects. For the money, this is the best value in 9 inch band saws since you get a rip fence, miter gauge, and LED light. I don't recommend this for production work, but if you are a hobbyist that only needs this a few times a year, this saw is for you. I would have gave this product 5 stars but only because miter gauge kept getting stuck along the track. The cause of this problem is the excess flashing along the miter gauge track created during the casting process of the table. The fix is by removing the flashing(s) by simply filing it down.

Started to assemble. 1st step attach table to fixture. Well one bolt fit properly the other 3 are too short. Looked to see what I had to replace the bolts but of course didn't have any that size. Called Skil and lady ask what to do and she asked for part number of bolt of which there is no p/n in the owners manual. she pulled it up in her computer, verified no pn and to purchase at Lowes or Home Depot. Went to HD. salesman helping another individual. I tried to match but bolts are metric so no joy. Of course salesman disappeared. So no help. I purchased new screw head type bolts only to get home and are too small. Frustration is really building now. The bandsaw was made in China. I'm thinking there is No Quality Assurance at manufacturer to ensure pieces fit like they are supposed to. I'll make one more trip to HD Again at my expense to see if I can buy actual bolts and if I can't I Will Return the whole unit. To date haven't even run it yet. Very Disappointing.