The saw is light weight and easy to use. My only complant is that the three stores that I went to that sell the saw never had replacement blades.

if you use it for what it's meant for, trim and thin stock. I know that after burning one out cutting both sides of 2" oak with one after leaving my old Rockwell 6 1/2" saws in my shop one day. Fortunately, Porter Cable will rebuild them at the factory for a very reasonable price. It's good as new now. pThis is a pro's tool, so it doesn't have all the cutesy attachments that home users have come to expect. It will, with the appropriate blades, do a nice job on plexiglass and formica as well as wood. pI'd recommend thin kerf blades with this, and keep 'em sharp.It's more a finish tool than anything else.

After finally getting the saw. ( the first one came in broken durng shipping). It was put to the test and really has impressed me. It's just what the doctor ordered for trim and getting those sheets of plywood down to a workable size. The saw is powerful yet small enough to not be a burden. I was having problems getting blades at the local stores but went back to amazon and there they are, as many as one would need. I must admit during this transaction, I was somewhat disappointed that the first one was delivered broken but Amazon came through and made the second shipment as painless a anyone could expect. The saw is a little pricey but worth it..... If it's trim and plywood sheets you need to size this, is the tool to buy.

I have been a home workshop woodworker for over 20 years and I am a fan of Norm Abrams' work. I noticed him using this saw on his show for years. I finally decided to spend the money and get one. (I have one child in college and one yet to go.) What a fabulous saw! The primary use I had in mind was for breaking down large sheets of plywood, hardboard, paneling, etc. It is so light weight and handy that the user has complete control of the saw's movement throughout the cut. My experience in cutting 4'x8' sheets, particularly the rip cuts, is that at some point in the cutting process I have to walk around and use my non-dominant hand (I am a lefty). With a standard 7 1/4" circular saw I always felt uncomfortable and invariably felt the saw wander periodically during the cut. Again, because this saw is much smaller and lighter I feel much more control even with my right hand.pI have used it a few times on 3/4" stock (oak and pine) and found it to be not only sufficient but quite aggressive. Overall, I am nothing short of delighted with the product. I own a number of Porter Cable products (e.g.,cordless drill, profile sander and biscuit joiner)and have found all of them to be excellent tools. This one is OUTSTANDING.

I've had a Porter-Cable 0314 4-1/2" Trim Saw since the 1980s - and it was such a good design, the current version is virtually identical. (E.g., mine has round knobs; new knobs are triangular!) Being corded, it will also be just as good 20 years from now, given that I won't use often enough to wear it out. This is one tool to hand down to your children...
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br /One reviewer suggested buying a battery powered trim saw. That might be a smart choice if you will use the tool often; e.g., weekly. Otherwise, this saw, over the long haul, will be MUCH less costly because it will never need battery, or tool, replacement. Every battery-operated tool manufacturer periodically changes/improves their battery design. Next generation batteries probably won't fit your [old] tool and/or will be a different voltage. So, when the batteries die, and they all will, you'll have to replace the two batteries - and they are expensive. Or, "your" batteries will no be longer available, so you'll have to buy a new saw.
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br /Another reviewer said his saw's sole plate was "out of parallel with the saw blade 3/64" over the length of the plate. Mine is also off, but only by 1/64"; which hasn't been an issue when using a straightedge to guide the saw. If it were, some judiciously placed thin washers in the adjusting mechanism would bring that to zero.
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br /Still another reviewer said his saw's sole plate was "flimsy and inaccurate". I don't understand that comment, unless Porter Cable has used different plates. The sole plate on my saw is very stiff steel, 1/16" thick - rolled at the edges for strength, and is attached to the saw in four places - it doesn't flex and works exactly as expected.
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br /This is a lightweight; very portable and maneuverable saw; having less torque power than a full-sized circular saw. Those are distinct advantages in many situations, such as using it vertically or over your head, or when cutting trim-sized stock. On some jobs it's just more practical to use a small saw. It's also safer than a large saw because it's lower torque means a reduced chance of the saw getting away from you. E.g., my wife wouldn't use my [huge] worm-drive or standard-sized circular saws, but this one is perfect for her.
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br /I've been happiest with this saw since a carbide blade was installed some years ago. Although this is a terrific TRIM saw, I wouldn't recommend it for the ONLY circular saw in your toolbox. This is because maximum cutting depths are too shallow for 2x4s and other thicker stock, and because it cuts much slower (on heavy stock) than a bigger, more powerful, saw. It is a well-designed, professional grade tool.

While the motor and blade assembly of this tool seem to be up to Porter Cable standards, I'm disapointed in the sole plate of this saw. It is flimsy and not very accurate. So sloppy, in fact, after you adjust the depth of cut you better check to see if the sole is still square to the blade. Oh, and the set screw used to square the sole to the blade when the saw is set to max. depth of cut ... I tried to adjust it and the thing fell out in my hand. By the looks of it, PC didn't bother to thread the hole. They just forced this screw in a few turns, which means you can't back the screw out because it becomes immediately loose. Shoddy. I wish I looked more closely at some of the small cordless options that are out there now.

I am very happy with the Porter-Cable trim saw. The PC makes very clean and precise cuts. This size trim saw is all I need for cutting ply woods and MDF. I love the small size for working with ply wood and the horse power is unbeatable. I encourage anyone who needs a circular saw to get this one!

I have owned this saw for almost two years now. I also own several "side-winder" saws and a Skil brand worm-drive saw. The big Skil worm-drive will always be close for those jobs that require more power and capacity. The Porter Cable 4 1/2" trim saw has replaced all other saws for most of my cutting though. I love the power and light weight packed into this easy to handle marvel. I use it for all of my sheet goods as well as any free-hand 1X cutting. I also loved the roomy steel case that easily holds the saw, and blades.

I purchased this saw a while back and have not looked back or given it a second thought since. It is a hard working and powerful saw. I have several blades and it rips through plywood and other materials with ease. The worm drive in extremely smooth and strong and allows for cutting with a guide on either side of the blade (no motor getting in the way.) One of the best investments I have made in power tools in a while.

great tool that may never wear out!i have had mine for almost 16 years with just some routin maint.it just keeps running...

I purcahsed this saw a few months back after salivating for it for a few years now. I couldn't justify purchasing this saw when my table saw and circular saw more than do the job, but finally I got sick of using those bigger tools for small jobs and that's I finally gave in to this purchase.
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br /Now this item isn't the cheapest option available out there but by far in my eyes it's the best and worth every penny. Right out the box with the stock blade the saw does a good job on various thicknesses of wood. I haven't had the pleasure of using it on plexigass yet but I'll get there. Overall though, I definitely recommend this saw but remember this is a trim saw. You have your regular circular saw and or table saw for the big jobs. This saw is more for the small little jobs or cutting trim, etc. Enjoy!
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br /PS... My only complaint is that this tool does not come with a case. In my eyes, every power tool should come with its own case.

I don't know who is reviewing this saw but I make my living with these tools and I purchased 2 of these based on Porter Cables reputation to replace my Makita trim saws. I live in New Jersey and these saws are filled with gear oil which in the winter means unless you heat them up, they burn themselves up trying to turn the gear oil in the cold weather. After I realized this I put light weight oil in the other one which helped but it still burnt up with a fine cut high tooth count blade due to low motor power. I don't need a trim saw to turn a rough cut rip blade, I need it to turn a trim blade which this one does not! 2 burnt up saws = bad review!

I've been doing cabinet installation for 22 years and this is my third Porter Cable trim saw and I wouldn't buy any other.

I used this saw in a cabinetry shop to do a lot of scribing. It obviously can't do the turns a jigsaw can, but man, if you've got 20 kick skins to scribe, and uneven floors all over, this baby will get it done more accurately and quicker than anything.
br /There are all kinds of tricks to do with it to customize to whatever you're trimming.

PC bought the rights to this saw from Rockwell. I bought this (Rockwell) saw used four years ago and it is still going strong. There were a few flaws which they seemed to have fixed. The blade had cut a groove in the sole plate at the 45 degree angle and the power cord has pulled out a bit.
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br /But over all the saw is strong and easy to use. You can just tell it is a quality design.
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br /My major use is on plywood but anytime I need to cut overhead this is chosen over my Skil Saw (16 lbs). It is not a chore to get this saw out to cut plywood and I don't have to lug a big saw around. A good blade and this saw has made my life a lot easier. A good tool.
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br /Jon

I am disappointed with this purchase.
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br /I was looking forward to having a great new tool to work with this weekend. I've never owned anything by Porter-Cable, so I was looking forward to a quality tool. But I disovered problems that made me spend a couple hours trying to figure out what if anything is wrong. Now I'm going to have to find out how to get it repaired or just send it back. This, I'm sure, will take another couple hours and maybe I won't have the tool for several weeks.
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br /The problem is that the extended blade guard rubs up against the saw blade. The edge of the saw blade comes very close to this guard. It has very little clearance on one side and a lot of clearance on the other side. It makes contact when adjusting the depth of cut. I really don't want to see what happens when the blade is spinning at 4,500 RPM and hits this guard. Not to mention if I get a blade with thicker carbide teeth.
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br /Other problems: I had to add a little oil. After following instuctions to check oil level, I determined that some gear oil was needed. Also, there is some cheesy looking stop bolt on the bottom of the saw body that contacts the sole plate at the deepest cut setting. This looks like it doesn't belong.
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br /The manual is very poor. The diagrams are hard to read. I had trouble identifying parts. I had assumed that Porter-Cable would be made in the US. Wrong. Made in Mexico.
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br /I wish someone made a quality corded trim saw. I'm probably not going to use it enough to justify a rechargeable system. Also, I think I would be a little more careless with a cordless cutting tool.
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br /One very usefull little trim saw! Worm drive works very well and seems to handle anything lite. You can not cut a 2x4 with this so don't buy it thinking you can.
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br /The only thing porter cable should have done with it is to have provided a box for it, It was designed way back in the 30's or 40's and to this date 2007, they still do not have a box???....A Shame!
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br /The saw is much to easy to break or bend if not placed in some kind of case when transporting it. The size of this saw makes it very hard to find just the right size as well....
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br /But we have to give the tool itself 5 star because it works very very well!
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br /A bit on the "To high priced side" with out a storage however!

Tough motor and casing, but a small bump can tweak the base out of alignment. If you're wanting to use a clamped straight edge as a guide, you'll have to measure to make sure the base isn't tweaked, then you'll have to measure an offset of 1 5/16" to one side, or 3 21/32" on the other. Come on -- what's wrong with 1.5 or 3.5? Who the heck designed this base anyway. A mixed bag for a lot of bucks.

This saw, tho it is still running after 20 years (of light use), was a problem right out of the box. The edges of the sole plate are out of parallel with the saw blade 3/64" just in the length of the chord across the not very large blade, so that using a straightedge to guide the saw is impossible---the misalignment is so severe that not only is the rip quality unacceptable, the saw will stall. Under conditions which are unpredictable some component in the drive train will oscillate and the entire saw will vibrate so severely as to affect rip quality. I use the saw very rarely now and only in situations where lightness and portability are important, and in this particular task niche I believe there are now battery-operated saws which will fill the bill much more satisfactorily.

Just recived the Porter Cable 314 Trim Saw. Yes it's made in Mexico and yes the sole plate is not square to the blade. As to cutting preformance it does it's job. But the overriding issue for me is the country of manufacture. Why oh why did Porter Cable take one of their premier products send it outside of the US and away from the close oversight necessary to produce a quality product.

As soon as the Model 314 trim saw arrived, I went through the short-on-information manual, and looked the tool over.
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br /When I tried to set the depth of cut to less than 3/4", the inner guard contacted the blade.
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br /I went over the manual again and again (I even read the Spanish and German!), but could not figure out a way to make this contraption work.
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br /The guard is riveted to the bed of the saw, and therefore must move with the bed.
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br /Since the radius of the guard matches the radius of the blade, it stands to reason that when the depth of cut is adjusted, the alignment of the axes of the blade and the guard will change and at some point the blade will contact the guard.
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br /Is this a recent modification, or has this saw always been ill-conceived?
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br /Porter-Cable isn't saying.
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br /They told me to take it to one of their service centers. Not bloody likely.
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br /Amazon came through by making it easy to return this unused tool.