Porter Cable 314 Trim Saw

[andrew whicker]

Hi,

Is there anything current on the market like the above saw? I've looked quite a bit and I only come up w/ cheesier designs (and they are all cordless. I am not buying into another battery platform). I like the full length shoe.

I'm strongly considering getting a used one the ebay market.

[Jim Becker]

HFT has a 4 1/2" trim saw in the Bauer brand (which I've had good experiences with) that's wired. On sale for $60 right now. It might be worth a look if you're use case isn't "hot and heavy every day and used hard".

[Lloyd McKinlay]

Rockwell makes a version of the Bauer, available at the big orange store and amazon. Good reviews and appears to have a longer warranty.

[Dave Zellers]

Rockwell makes a version of the Bauer, ...

Well now that's ironic. Rockwell was the original maker.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I vote for the used 314. Steel housing. Worm gear drive. One of the very few tools guaranteed to be left for my wife to get rid of

[Thomas McCurnin]

I use mine a lot, especially for breaking down plywood against a straight edge, because it is light and easy to control. Get a used one. They're the best.

[glenn bradley]

I picked one up used for about $100 last year. It has paid for itself so many times . . .

[Warren Lake]

Skil HD5510. Well made small light. I cant warm up to thin blades.

495901

[Thomas McCurnin]

I think I bought mine in 1987 . . .

American made in Tennessee.

[George Bokros]

Which is better a Type 3 or Type 5. Several of both on eBay right now. If memory serves Type 3 is an earlier model and is better quality than the later production runs i.e Type 5.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Dunno the answer to that question; I have T5; no problems

[Tom M King]

I have two of them. One a Rockwell I bought new in the mid 1970's, and another much newer Porter Cable I couldn't pass up the deal on. I can't tell that one is really better than the other. I would get whichever one is in better shape.

[Cameron Wood]

I had a Skil 5 1/2" saw for many years that I liked pretty well. Also had a Makita 4 3/8" saw that I never liked even 'tho I'm a Makita fan- heavy, hard to control. A Porter Cable 6 1/2" saw that was a dog, but I think the arbor was bent. A little Makita 12 volt saw that could barely cut through a cedar shingle.

Nowadays, the top Makita cordless saw has high rpm & cuts plywood great, but in the shop I use a Makita worm drive (actually hypoid) saw that never goes out so it stays in tune with a sharp blade. The rear handle gives more reach to cross cut 4' plywood and the blade on the left is great for us lefties.

I would grab one of those just for fun if passed by- was aware of them back in the day, I think they came with a case.

[andrew whicker]

I'm actually going to use it for scribing.

I have the cordless metabo hpt circular saw which I like a lot for the 'regular' size. Also have the Skilsaw 10.25" which I like a lot. And then, of course, I have a crappy corded saw for those concrete / brick days.

[Kent A Bathurst]

.......A Porter Cable 6 1/2" saw....

Man. I don't need anything other than my 314, but I used to wish I had a PC 6-1/2", after they had been discontinued.

They were motor-left, so I could see what the heck I was going.

Don't need one today, now that they're all over the place cordless.

Oh, well.

[Mark Gibney]

What do these "trim saws" do that a regular circular / Skil saw or a Festool saw is not as good at? - genuine question!
Many of you here seem to really like them, I'm interested to hear what you prefer about them over other similar tools.

[Tom M King]

Just much lighter for reaching all the way across a sheet of plywood. Much lighter, and being a worm drive, the handle is farther back making it that much easier to make that reach. Also good for trimming the edges of roof sheathing since it's so light and easy to handle.

[Mark Gibney]

Thanks Tom.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I think the intended market was for contractors. The worm drive, the compact steel case, and overall robust construction made them able to take the beatings of job-site work.

The PC 548 Bayonet Saw was its running buddy - same compact steel case design, worm drive, robust construction [I gots me onea them too]. Not really a substitute for a jig saw - more for construction tasks. Serious heavy-duty.

These were made back in the days when Porter-Cable WAS Porter-Cable

[Mark Salomon]

Find a used PC SawBoss

[andrew whicker]

For me, to be honest, I was watching another episode of This Old House and that's what the carpenter guy uses to cut scribes to the wall and I wanted to give that a shot. I've seen him use this saw a few different times for this task. I don't enjoy using a jig saw for that task very much (even though I have a nice one).

I have a few more cabinet jobs coming up and thought I would try something else.

I was surprised nothing like it exists anymore on the market. There are cheesy corded and cordless versions, but nothing like the 314 is made anymore.. from what I can tell.

[glenn bradley]

What do these "trim saws" do that a regular circular / Skil saw or a Festool saw is not as good at? - genuine question!
Many of you here seem to really like them, I'm interested to hear what you prefer about them over other similar tools.

As Tom says; lightweight but still powerful. It is embarrassing but as I age a couple of pounds difference in the weight of a power tool being controlled by one hand really comes into play.

[Rich Engelhardt]

What do these "trim saws" do that a regular circular / Skil saw or a Festool saw is not as good at? - genuine question!
Many of you here seem to really like them, I'm interested to hear what you prefer about them over other similar tools.I picked up a cordless 12 V Makita trim saw - I had to cut the rails on some older installed cabinets so I could move them down 2 inches and remake the drawers an extra 2 inches deep.
I needed a cut as straight as possible - which ruled out the jigsaw - and there wasn't really enough room to maneuver a 6.5" or 7.25' circular saw comfortably.

The small Makita worked perfectly for what I needed.

They are specialty saws. Limited in power and limited in depth of cut.

[Curt Harms]

I have one that I use for breaking down sheet goods. I made a guide from 1/4" 'masonite' with the fence made from aluminum matrix metal. The PC 314 shoe is longer front to back than it is side to side. I'm not sure if that's the reason but that little saw tracks along the fence with no effort. The saw runs on the guide's surface. One downside for the way I'm using is limited depth of cut which is why I opted for a thin guide base. Glue the fence to the base making the distance from the edge of the guide to the edge of the base greater than the edge of the saw base to the guide's surface. Make a pass with the saw cutting the base material. Perfect alignment of the edge of the jig to the edge of the jig base. Same idea as the track saws with the replaceable edge.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Ditto. Moved into condo; big iron and DC gone. 1/2" sacrificial ply base on top of patio table. I used 3/8" x 1" alum bar stock for guide on same 1/4" masonite. To one side of guide it reads "314". To other side it reads "Trim Router".

It works good enough for me to align to layout marks and make finish cuts, including cross-cut hardwood.

Plus - Forrest makes a 40t 4-1/2" dia blade for this saw. That's an even finer cut than 80t on a 10" blade.
Of course -you might spend more on the blade than a used saw, but the cut quality is excellent

[Greg R Bradley]

I have an original 314, bought as a second saw for a vacation home and probably used for less than 2 hours total. Would be happy to sell it but not cheaply. The ones on eBay asking $200+ are total garbage by comparison. It wasn't practical to use inside my ski condo in the wintertime so I changed plans and then it sat in the box until I sold the condo 25 years later.