Porter Cable PCB375SS

For the price I'm pretty happy

For the price I'm pretty happy

Can you fill in the 'unknowns' above ?

Had this saw for about a year. AT that point it began to fall apart It was out of warranty so I tore it down and there was parts lying in the bottom of the saw one part was broken just like it was made of pot metal. in the past 35 years I have owned 4 saws and this

porter Cable was the worse saw I ever owned.

I got this saw as a Gift.So sar so good.Had to change a few things The tighting screw on the bottom.moved it to the left side,after trimming the dust cover down some.thats it.Mine is Belt Driven,1 Yr Warranty,I got the Ext Warranty thru Lowes.No Foot Padel.Dust Collector port,but no dust collector.Takes Pinless blades.I feed my Blades thru the Top.I use this saw several hours a day.Almost every day.Once I got the Tension set on it.I t is preforming fine.I am keeping my fingers crossed.My former saw was a Porter Cable and it lasted for 4 yrs.with daily 5 to 6 hrs use. I hope this info helps.Oh the Bldae Storage is under the Table.

I got my Porter Cable in September. I used it off and on but in November started using it almost daily to make gifts for Christmas. By December it was in the shop, it was squeaking and vibrating. I tried lubing it to no avail, and then it stopped working altogether. The repair man said there was a set screw tucked in the back that was missing entirely. He replaced it and it worked fine for 6 weeks. Back to the shop; I thought it was the same issue but this time it was a different screw towards the front of the saw. Both times the people at the shop weren't happy to see my saw; apparently Porter Cable is notoriously difficult to deal with warranty-wise. This past Monday (about six weeks from the last time) it started acting up again. It rattles and squeaks and vibrates, and just when I think I've got it fixed, it starts up again. This is the third strike for me. I'm not driving an hour to take it back for repairs, and I'm not dealing with it anymore, warranty or no. There is very little information online about how to fix this saw yourself, and apparently another thing Porter Cable is notorious for is not stocking parts for their tools. If something needs to be replaced there is a good chance that it won't be available. Since this is a fairly new model there are parts available online but some are already in limited quantites.

When it is working properly, it is very quiet, like a sewing machine. It was definitely a step up from the Dremel Moto-Saw I started on. For occasional use this is a fine saw but if you are planning to really get into scroll sawing I can't recommend it.

It does not come with a foot switch; there is a dust collection port.  It takes both pinned and pinless blades. I always feed the blade from the bottom with it. Blade changing is easy once you get the hang of it.There is a plastic insert in the table that is not flush with the table so if you are working with small pieces of wood they can catch on the edge between the plastic and the metal table which is very annoying. Also the plastic gets chewed up by the blade very easily (especially when you are just learning how to use a scroll saw) and then you have a large ragged gap. The gauge for the table tilt was off by several degrees. The stand is nice and sturdy but it is standing height (for me anyway, I'm 5'1") or you can sit on a stool with it. I paid $199 for it and I guess I got what I paid for; I certainly used it a lot though there was a lot of downtime while it was being repaired.

I run mine daily, sometimes 10 hours but on average about 6 - 8. The plastic insert at the blade sits low, it will catch the corner of wood on short pieecs. The fix, tape a playing card over the hole. The blade holder screws that came with the saw, were breaking blades very fast. Took them out looked at hte, tried to file them flat, metal was too soft to keep blades after several blade changes. Fix, went to home depot, purchased some 6mm allen head bolts, filed and sanded the bottoms, no more blades breaking because of the bolts. The blower nozzle wears out fairly fast and drops out of range to do any good. Some electrical tape helped this. I use this saw contantly and will say for the price it is a great saw. for a beginner. I had the 16" version that lasted me 4 years or so. Minimal vibration, pretty quiet. I feed my blades from the bottom and now use a long allen key to set the bolts. Not an issue. I would recomend this saw for someone learning or as a second saw in a heart beat. I'm just saving up for a more heavy use saw like Ex-21 or the like.

I am new to scrollsawing and this is my first scrollsaw.  Having said that, it has provided me with enough enjoyment that I have starting looking online for patterns, forums, blogs, etc.  I hope to use this saw for quite some time. 

The center table top plastic gets cut and jagged from the blade loosening up unknowingly while using the saw.All of my Chinese saw and dremils did this .

For those living outside the U.S., you also may have this same model available to you.  This saw is manufactured by Rexon and is also sold under that brand name as model 18" Rexon VS4500R.

Reference:    http://www.rexon.net/home03.aspx?ID=$2001&IDK=2&EXEC=D&DATA=718

I recently bought one of these to upgrade an old Craftsman  I picked up to explore an interest scroll saw work.  I wish I had the Craftsman back!  Changing blades, especially spiral blades, is ridiculously difficult.  And, because of the fixed upper arm and the resulting minimal clearance, threading a blade through a hole is difficult in the extreme, often damaging smaller blades, if the work piece is larger than a 1/2" thick and wider than about 6"  total width.  I would certainly advise a friend against buying this saw.

Porter Cable PCB375SS

• Brand - Porter Cable
• Model - PCB375SS
• Manufacturer - Porter Cable
• Price - $199
• Light Standard - Yes
• Foot Switch Standard - unknown
• Dust Blower - Yes
• Dust Collection - unknown
• Blade Type Accepted (Pinnless/Pinned) - unknown
• Blade Changing (Toolless/Tools Required) - Toolless
• Blade Feeding Method (Top Feed/Bottom Feed) - unknown
• Blade Tensioning (Front or Back) - Front
• Table Size - 20-in x 12-5/8-in
• Throat Depth - 18"
• Table Tilting (Left, Right, or Both) - Both (45 degrees Left, 15 degrees Right)
• Variable Speed - Yes
• Motor Size - 1.6 Amp
• Belt or Direct Drive - unknown
• Country of Manufacture - China
• Warranty - unknown

Do you own this saw?

If so, we need your help. The more information we can provide to help a fellow scroller on their purchasing decisions, the better. If you own this saw, please place your vote above to rank some of the key features. Also, leave a comment below and share your experiences with this saw. If you see any missing or misinformation in the features list above, please let us know in the comments below. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

Steve Good has a review of the Porter Cable on his "Scrollsaw Workshop" site.

Hello,

I am new to this group and also just bought and put together this saw today.   I have filled in some of the missing information bellow for the saw.    As for feedback, I havent used it yet so I cannot say yet.   I will post my feedback once I get a chance to run the saw a little bit.

What do you mean by the blade feeding method?  

Porter Cable PCB375SS

• Brand - Porter Cable
• Model - PCB375SS
• Manufacturer - Porter Cable
• Price - $199
• Light Standard - Yes
• Foot Switch Standard - unknown  (Not Standard)
• Dust Blower - Yes
• Dust Collection - unknown  (Sawdust Collection Port, Will accept a 1 1/4" dia hose.)
• Blade Type Accepted (Pinnless/Pinned) - unknown  (Accepts Pinless & Pinned Blades)
• Blade Changing (Toolless/Tools Required) - Toolless
• Blade Feeding Method (Top Feed/Bottom Feed) - unknown 
• Blade Tensioning (Front or Back) - Front
• Table Size - 20-in x 12-5/8-in
• Throat Depth - 18"
• Table Tilting (Left, Right, or Both) - Both (45 degrees Left, 15 degrees Right)
• Variable Speed - Yes
• Motor Size - 1.6 Amp
• Belt or Direct Drive - unknown  (Direct Drive)
• Country of Manufacture - China
• Warranty - unknown (3 Year Limited Warrenty,  1 Year Service Warrenty, 90 Day Money Back Guarantee.)

Do you own this saw?
If so, we need your help. The more information we can provide to help a fellow scroller on their purchasing decisions, the better. If you own this saw, please place your vote above to rank some of the key features. Also, leave a comment below and share your experiences with this saw. If you see any missing or misinformation in the features list above, please let us know in the comments below. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

The factory insert is pretty bad.   It sits lower than the table and it is flimsy.    When working with small parts I got a lot of vibration in the material due to the fact that there was no support under it.   I replaced the factory insert with one I made of wood.    I planed down a piece of wood down to .135" thick, then cut a 3.125 circle out of it.   I cut a line down the center and cut away and area around the blade.  Gives me plenty of support now for my small parts.   

I had this saw for a little over two years with no big issues at all.  Ran well, very little vibration.  The insert was the only real problem I had with it, and I simply made a new one out of MDF.  Stand was fairly solid as long as the bolts were tight.  I sold the saw to a friend when I bought my new Excalibur, and he is still using it after almost a year, so that's 3 years of use for under 200.00.  Great saw for someone just starting out, or a on a limited budget.

I am new to this forum and to this type of scroll sawing .I have been a carpenter for over 30 years and own about every power tool made .I am not very fond of Amerasian tools. With that said I have tried a lot of scroll saws From CL to tool suppliers.with the help of forums like this i kinda knew what I was looking for and really did not want to buy someone else's problem.So i bought the PC. Had it for a couple of day's. I plugged it in and it had a very loud knock I traced it to a screw that holds the switch housing on that was hitting the upper arm.Took care of that.The saw is very quiet and passed the nickel test.But for how long,I don't know.Two things i do not like are the blade change and the plastic insert I made a tool for the blade change and it works pretty good.I made a new plastic insert that is a lot stiffer.The angle gauge is a joke .It is a 200.00 saw made in Asia..So just for insurance I won a bid on eBay for a Hegner with a stand.I don,t know what to expect from the Hegner,it should be here next week

My first saw came from a pawn shop. An old rusty red master craft that I paid $50, to much but it was an introduction into the craft. Used this saw for 3 or 4 months. Started to look for an upgrade. Limited budget so choices were a General from Harbor Freight, Ryobi from Home Depot or the Porter Cable from Lowes. Nothing worth looking at was showing up on Craiglist. So I started to look for reviews from people who were still using the saw 3+ years after the buy. It soon became clear that over time the PC was the winner. One other thing, after I bought the saw I started to look on you tube for tips and ideas and noticed a lot of people use this saw, or at least use this saw and post on you tube. 

Like everyone else that drop in plastic insert was a problem, but easy to fix with a few pieces of packing tape. Next to my old master craft, changing blades is a breeze. No problem with vibration. Also think once I add in the foot pedal I will like it even more. After I have use the saw for a year or more will come back and write a follow up.

edit-(year of use follow up. While the saw was a massive improvement over the one I had, I would not recommend this as a starter saw. The top reason for me is the table. brushed aluminum which nothing slides, I also think if it was steel the added weight would cure other problems with the saw like vibration. Oh and that drop inset around the blade, grrrr. One of these next days going to replace this one with a better unit)

Hello, I am new to scrolling and purchased this saw to get me started. I've been an avid woodowkrer for the past 15 years. I mostly purchased this saw for the price point and also because it comes with a 3 year warranty from porter cable. For what this saw is (an entry-level beginner saw) it seems to be good and works for me. If I find I enjoy scrolling enough I will most likely purchase the new Jet 22" scroll saw. 

Cheers,

Alex

The blade insert got me problems too. Saw a suggestion somewhere to attach a playing card to the top. It has worked so far and I was a bit creative, sort of. My stepson suggesting using the Ace of Spades,so it would look 'cool'.  He may have actually been right, but I will deny, deny, deny if he ever gets wind of that.  LOL.  Here's a pic of the updated insert.