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With this saw even fine tooth blades work well. If you have 115 to 120 volts you are pulling over 1,000 watts of power, 990 at 110. You have over one horsepower working for you here. Having the blade on the left is great, and the cut matches the sight. Don't be confused by "peak" hp statements which is what it takes to melt the motor. For what it's worth 746 watts at 100% efficiency is one horsepower. My Saw Boss is several years old which is newer than some of the reviews here.
This thing chows through everything I've gone after from thin materials with fine tooth blades to 2X8's for garage projects. I found the blade adjustments were accurate and require deliberate firm pressure to secure them but they did not let go ever. I can only say good things about this saw. This where you get a sears 6.5hp vac which at 120 volts needs about 44 amps to pull 6hp. Shaft end play on the blade is zero, and a friend who is a gear cutter measured the shaft with his precision tools. I've used some fine tooth blades over the years in a number of different saws and usually it gets old quick. You have 15 amps for most residential receptacles.
You have to remember the work is slower but this saw pulls "9" amps so it won't slow you down no matter what you do.
What all other reviwers have overlooked about this saw is that, it can work all day long, do almost any job necessary and because of the smaller blade do it with less electric power.I can use this saw with a small generator or a 200 ft. extension chord with no proplem.If my saw boss ever breaks I will buy another one.
My go to saw that is allways in the truck. I,ve been a carpenterfor 20 years now and own and use over 10 differant electric powered sawsthat I use regulary on any given job. Exelant tool, this is one of my favorite saws. The Porter Cable Saw Boss has the power to cross cut and rip 2 X matierial that I otherwise would have to use a worm drive drive saw to do. Oh, and it's heavy duty biult TOO. It,s the lighter weight and size that is so useful, AND THE BLADE IS ON THE LEFT SIDE of the motor, most saws of this type have the blade on the right side, the point is you can see what the blade is doing (if you are right handed ).
In my younger days on jobsites I "prided" myself on being "the man" slinging around heavy tools like they were nothing but in my older and much wiser days I truly appreciate the virtues of something smaller and lighter but still as capable. Truthfully, what more do you need for a circular saw.As for the comments about the saw being underpowered I honestly don't understand how that can be. Some have stated the lack of blade options as a negative but I must disagree. That being said and as much as I love and recommend this saw if you often have the need to cut stock of thicker dimensions than the Saw Boss is capable of then obviously a good 7 1/4" would definitely be the way I' go.The strong points of this saw are most importantly the small size, light weight and right-hand drive. I bought this saw back in 1996 and I don't think I could be happier with it.
Not only does Porter Cable offer an 18T rip and and 40T crosscut blade ( I have both and they are more than acceptable) but Freud also offers both a 20T rip and 40T crosscut blade. Being that 99.9% of the time I cut nothing more than sheet goods or 2x material at 45º the small size and light weight of the Saw Boss is perfect for me. This saw is an absolute pleasure to use and the right-hand drive gives us righties a perfect view of the cut line.As for negatives I personally don't have any. I'm not out to call anyone a liar but any sort of 2x material is no match for 9 full amps and a thin kerf carbide blade - my personal experience has confirmed that repeatedly.All said and done if the majority of your sawing involves nothing more than 2x at 90º or 45º and/or sheet goods then I think you'd truly appreciate the beauty of the Saw Boss and I'd venture to say it would be a welcome addition to your gang box or garage but if you frequently saw anything out the the Saw Boss's limits then it, again obviously, would be a questionable investment for me or anyone. This saw, as with any and every tool, has limits and within those limits it excels.
The 345 is a well sized circular saw for most jobs. If I had paid $140~150 for a new unit, I would be much less impressed. The lefthand configuration provides great access for viewing the cut (but wear safety glasses), if you're a righthanded user.On the negative side, the price tag is high and the blade selection and availability are limited. The base plate is unimpressive, similar to the sheet metal plates found on B&D and Skil sawsI bought my 345 used for $25, so I'm quite happy.
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