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This is a good heavy duty saw. I also have a 15 year old Makita 8 inch and a Delta 10 inch contractors saw with a 50 fence. A good job saw, in fact it is the saw I use the most (mainly because it is the smallest and the one I carry in my van). I have yet to bog it down. It is a little awkward for one person to carry though doorways.
I like that all the accessories store on the saw. This saw fills my need for a portable saw in between these two. I use it for bigger jobs, it's not some thing I would want to drag out for a few cuts. The PC has much more power and is relatively portable but is it much bigger to carry around. The Delta stays in the shop and is mainly used for cutting full sheets of plywood. I do put the saw away each night after I use it. I am a trim carpenter who who has owned several table saws in his life time.
It is accurate and has lots of power. It is not light or small. If you want a good powerful table saw that needs to be portable but won't be moved around every day this saw would be a good choice.I have had it for almost 3 years and it still works as good as it did new. The PC has more power than the Delta and I think it is just as accurate. This saw is exactly what I was looking for. I like the fence, smooth and accurate. The Makita is very light, easy to carry and set up.
Although I have been pleased with its performance when it comes time to replace it I will be probably getting one of the Bosch job site table saws. The stand is not terrible but it must be bolted to the table which makes it very inconvenient to move the saw frequently from one job site to another. This saw has surprisingly good power for its weight and has a electronic braking mechanism that stops the blade very quickly. The casing is plastic and holds up reasonably well but it would have been nice to have some metal reinforcing it. This is where the Bosch stands and many others are much better designed and the one thing I would recommend upgrading as soon as possible.
This helps reduce the saw marks on ripped stock to almost non-existent. My helper will be on outfeed and as I approach the saw when ripping, I'll place my foot on the stand cross bar to keep the saw from tipping backwards.It's heavy to transport daily but I expect a durable saw to have some weight.You won't be disappointed. Few saw marks is very helpful in my business - especially in finish work - just keep the stock moving without pausing and keep stock tight to the fence.Connect a standard shop vac to the dust port. As a result I keep an extra rod with the saw. The vac is plugged into a portable switch that I mounted directly onto the saw near the saw's power switch.
I'm a contractor, use this saw exclusively on job sites and have NOT been kind to it.The fence locking rod has broken twice. This has helped the rod last longer.I use a quality finish blade. No wobble in the arbor after 4 years of use. Makes it easy to turn on the vac and then the saw.The stand can be unstable with larger stock. I purchased this saw in 2005 after reading reviews of the DeWalt, Bosch and Delta.
The design for the rod could be better but I have since backed off the nut that adjusts the fence stiffness. If not, it will clog within a day of use.
The soft start is helpful for reducing vibration. The saw arrived earlier than expected, and performs as well or better than expected. The fence alignment is very true.
The added features of soft start and fast stop made it seem like the unit for me, but when the box arrived I was stunned at the size of the package. Amazon offered this as an alternative to the DeWalt DW745 for less money and with the stand. I gave this 5 stars because it is a nice piece of equipment, but please note it is a little larger then you may expect, if compact is what you need. As with all Porter-Cable equipment this is a nice saw, but it did not work out for me. I thought I would write this review just to provide some additional information for those that may be considering this purchase.I needed a small compact saw that one person could handle with ease, but had the power to work through hard woods. I returned mine and ordered the DeWalt saw.
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