Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

the safety trigger prevents the cover from opening and stops the saw from moving downward unless depressed to prevent accidental starts... plus the blade changing lock is located there as well and out of reach unless you need to use it...

the feet also made of die cast aluminum provides a stable and adequate footing for the tool... though I would suggest bolting it to a piece of plywood or mdf just to make it more secure and less prone to damage.

most of the body is made of die-cast aluminum, here is a view from below also showing detent stops for the miter cuts...

Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

the compound angles are easily adjustable with a convenient knob at the back and can be veiwed on the right side...

the CMS I have, has what appears to be a light fracture, I have not checked further (rest assure I will soon), it could just be a paint crack or a material failure. I hope to find out soon too.

the back part is built like a tank, no complain here... and the springs are just right, not too heavy to push down and not too light to have no control.

the hold down is not as heavy duty but does more that it is suppose to (seems to be more than what is needed anyway)...

Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

the locking (down position) mechanism is plain and simple and very well thought of. it can lock the blade at full down during cuts to prevent raising the blade while still moving.

the handle is a horizontal pull down type which actually makes more sense, but the safety lever is not really left handed friendly, a better lever should be addressed by the people from Skil (nothing fancy is really needed though)...

the dust bag like almost all CMS is not really very effective though it catches dust up to a certain amount to reduce what goes airborne.

removing the bag though gives your shopvac access to better DC...

Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

The Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw...
My ratings:
Price: at Php8.7K, the 3120 CMS is well priced, nothing exceptional, but if you are a pinoyhandyman member, getting a free blade makes the deal something to save for... I would give it an 8/10 rating without the blade and 9/10 with the free blade.

Built: using die-cast aluminum makes the tool manufacturing less expensive and being affordable to end-users like us and upon close inspection, the fracture is powder coating deep only. overall the built is better than acceptable. I give it a 7/10 rank on built.

Performance: the bottomline for me is this, overall, I am very very happy with the performance of the Skil 3120 CMS, I rate it a 9/10 for the clean cuts, aligned angles out of the box... btw, the Skil CMS is less noisy than other CMS...

Value for Money: for those wanting to save a buck or two, this is a very good CMS to have, it performs very well that I would not even consider it a beginner or weekender tool. a big plus for me is accessibility of after-sale. in this category I give it a 9/10 rating.

a short note:
this is really a good CMS for the money when compared to the competition in the market today. If you are looking for a CMS that will perform the way a CMS should, with extra cash to spare for other tools, then this is for you... don't miss the chance of the free blade, it isn't forever a promo... 🙂
hope this helps, I try to be as unbiased as I could be even when Bosh offers us a full arm of support...
Cheers all.
Sonny

Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

Thats pretty damn good out of the box

I had to calibrate my cms quite painstakingly

I agree there Ben, took my other CMS three hours of adjustments and tweaking to get me
satisfied...

Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

Would this be better than the blue one we tested this month as Makati? Which is noisier by the way?

Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

Would this be better than the blue one we tested this month as Makati? Which is noisier by the way?

I cannot say just yet Jarod, only had a short time to use the blue one and never really inspected it in detail. though it is suppose to be better than this one in lots of ways, I just cannot say yet...

Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

is there a benefit of having the slide functionality? or its just an added feature that is not oftentimes used?

what's the largest dimension of wood that this skil3120 can chop in a single pass?

Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

is there a benefit of having the slide functionality? or its just an added feature that is not oftentimes used?

what's the largest dimension of wood that this skil3120 can chop in a single pass?

having a slide compound miter saw has the benefit of cutting longer pieces often done at the ts if you have one. the max cut on the skil is 5 5/8" at the base of the table and more if you can raise the piece.

Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

I cannot say just yet Jarod, only had a short time to use the blue one and never really inspected it in detail. though it is suppose to be better than this one in lots of ways, I just cannot say yet...

I see, as I would assume that the other one should be way better for the red brand is it's economical line, as marketed. I just asked because the CMS is one of my top wishes but when I experienced how a CMS started, my heart also jumped :eek:.

having a slide compound miter saw has the benefit of cutting longer pieces often done at the ts if you have one. the max cut on the skil is 5 5/8" at the base of the table and more if you can raise the piece.

I'm not sure if it's inherent to most CMS but I would wish that most would cut a little but beyond 6" for that would be a great treat.

Re: Skil 3120 Compound Miter Saw

I actually cannot find the manual online for this model, but I guess the bearings on the Bosch CMS would be way better than the Skil, I believe it is the internals that make the Bosch a better performer but also makes it more expensive than the Skil.
I am quite choosy with my tools, I like good performance and good overall construction. the Skil will perform as nec, maybe more. I won't discredit it bec of price but perhaps its construction is something that gets my attention.
noise? well all CMS that I have had and used screams. I use ear protection every time I use one, it is a must if you still want to enjoy music afterward.
the 6" cut capacity is limited by the blade diameter really, a scms has a cut capacity of 12", but mitersaws are designed for crosscutting pieces and not for ripping (which is actually dangerous to a degree). people want a scms when they intend to cut wide mouldings (more than 6") otherwise the slide mechanism is just not advisable. and just to let you know, I really wanted an scms before, but when I got the cms, I found little need for the slide capability of an scms.