Skil RAS or Tops, Marvco Versions...Opinions.

[Bill Webster]

I am restoring a Tops RAS (a later version of the Skil design). It would be great to hear some opinions about these saws from people that are familiar with them. I don't know if it will be any better than a old DeWalt, but I like the open table design. Very unusual and interesting design.


tops screenshot.jpg

[Bill Orbine]

I have the Tops! Smooth rider and accurate cuts. Set up for square cuts and very rarely use it for anything other than cross cuts. In the 20 plus year I've use this saw, I can't remember it ever jumped out of alignment. When my Dad and I first acquired it, we had problems of the saw being under powered and would "catch" the wood and bog down to a stop. Took motor to shop and they found motor simply mis-wired (previous owner) and the fix took a minute or two. After the fix.....wow! Good power for 220 single phase turning a 14" blade and will easily slice thru thicker stock without ever so much a fight by either machine nor operator. Great saw and hard to find. You set yours yours up properly, you will not be disappointed.

[Bill Webster]

Thanks for the info Bill. Great to finally hear from someone that actual owns one of these saws. Which model do you have? The Tops 555s saw I bought looked great, thought I would just do a little cleaning and lubing and it would be ready to go. It had a 14" blade on it, but I am now convinced that it was intended to be a 12" saw. I am fine with that. I like the fact that this was their smallest model, will fit in my shop easier. As I started working on it I realized that it had multiple problems that made it unusable. The good news is that I can fix all of those problems and make the saw function 100% like new and no new parts will be required. It seems like this RAS design might be more susceptible to problems if neglected, but that will never be a problem for me. After tearing down this saw, I feel like I know it pretty well and look forward to having it in my shop. It is a floor space hog, but should be worth it. Mine is a 2 hp 3 phase machine, which is what I preferred. I have 3 phase wiring in my shop with a rotary converter, but this saw will be set up with a VFD with braking resistors. I will program the VFD to stop the motor in a few seconds.