Replies

1. 
   Friedhaber | Apr 15, 2004 07:37pm | #1

   I'm right-handed.   I bought the PC 743 (left blade) about 6 years ago, and I have very happy with it.    It's a great saw.  

   My contractor friend always grabs my 743 when he's helping me, and leaves his saws in his truck.    :)

   Ed

2. 
   caseyr | Apr 15, 2004 08:30pm | #2

   There was a fairly long thread on this not too long ago.  Can't remember if there was a consensus but seem to remember it was different strokes for different folks as to whether they wanted to see where they were cutting more easily vs what ever else that I can't remember.  With luck either the SEARCH (lower left when you go to the bottom of the frame at left) or ADVANCED SEARCH (upper left when you are at the top of the left frame) might get you the thread if you can figure out the right search terms. 

3. 
   JohnSprung | Apr 15, 2004 08:33pm | #3

   It also depends what you're doing with the saws.  For remodeling it would be good to have one of each so you can work up close to obstructions. 

   -- J.S.

4. 
   MGMaxwell | Apr 15, 2004 08:33pm | #4

   I'm a righty and have the lefty PC. I like itl, but it sure spits saw dust in your eyes.

5. 
   WorkshopJon | Apr 15, 2004 08:44pm | #5

   "I am buying a new circular saw and I noticed that PC offers a right and left hand saw"

   Mark,

   I have a PC......righty, It's not a bad saw, but it is flimsy.  For 90% of stuff, you don;'t need to an adjustable angle, which contributes to the flimsiness.  There are definitely better saws out there though.

   I wouldn't buy one again.

   Jon

6. 
   skids | Apr 16, 2004 01:15am | #6

   lefty is the only way to go, but don't get a PC, buy a bosch (makers of skil) wrom drive and have a real saw! you will have it for life, and in the hands of an experienced craftsman a freehand cut can rival that of a table saw.

1. 
   hfhcarp10 | Apr 16, 2004 05:21pm | #21

   Skids----Right On!  When my father-in-law's Craftsman table saw puked, attempting to rip 2X sleepers last summer, he finally agreed to "allow" me to rip 'em with my Mag 77.  He just had to watch and eat crow...and sawdust.  He picked one up the following week!  "Left" is no longer a term reserved for the Kennedy's.

7. 
   GoldenWreckedAngle | Apr 16, 2004 01:33am | #7

   I have the left blade PC and like it a lot. The adjustable exhaust port helps but it does put more saw dust in your face than a blade right saw.

   I like to pretend I'm a real framer using a worm drive.

   Kevin Halliburton

   "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon

1. 
   xMikeSmith | Apr 16, 2004 02:53am | #9

   i've got the lefty PC.... i've got  the new bosch CS20... i prefer the  lefty pc... but i use both...

   i've also got  a skil  8.25" worm.... and a rockwell 314....( my beater saw) 

    and a milwaulkee 10"  ... talk about torque

   i really like my lefty PC.. i would have bought the Righty version too, but i wanted to see how the Bosch would be....so far , so goodMike Smith   Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

1. 
   dieselpig | Apr 16, 2004 03:41am | #11

   Mike,

     What do you think of that new Bosch so far?  I finally got a chance to put mine through the wringer the past few days.  Rain wouldn't let me pour my ten footings, but I wanted to work anyway.  Spent the last two days in the rain, downpours at times, precutting a pair of two story porches for the back of some condo's.  Notching very wet PT 6X & 4X, crosscutting and cut a dozen 2X12 stringers.  I was very pleased with it's performance.  Even got to see the "slip clutch" blade action on a stringer storing some serious energy which was trying to bind the blade.  Found that depth of cut scale to be the most useful one yet....I actually use it! 

   Did you wind up with the corded or the "DirectConnect" one?

1. 
   xMikeSmith | Apr 16, 2004 04:09am | #14

   diesel... i bought one about two weeks ago.. direct connect... when my son-in-law left for Charlotte and their new house... i had to start him off right...  gave him my Bosch...

    went and bought another one... still haven't cut anything.. i really bought it to use with the E-Z track system i bought at JLC-live.... my lefty wouldn't work on the trackMike Smith   Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

2. 
   GoldenWreckedAngle | Apr 16, 2004 08:05pm | #22

   I see you run yours without the exhaust port nozzle. I've done that a couple of times by accident and it seems like I get less sawdust in my face that way.Kevin Halliburton

   "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon

8. 
   trimnailer37 | Apr 16, 2004 02:47am | #8

   when i first started in construction i wondered why the saws were made for me (lefty) unlike anything else in life. finally they have started to make them the other way for the righties, but i can imagine it being difficult to switch after a long time in the game. the pc is the best saw out there, although bosch is the only one i haven't used. get the blade left, especially if you don't have a lot of experience to make it seem backwards.

9. 
   FrankB89 | Apr 16, 2004 03:28am | #10

   I'm one of those West Coast Neanderthals who mostly uses a worm drive....the Bosch/Skil 77 is a great saw!  But I also use the PC lefty for overhead stuff or where weight is a consideration.  My Father-in-Law, from New Hampshire, always chides me about my left-handed saws, but, to me, it's what I'm comfy with.

   I think it was John Sprung mentioned the benefit of having a left and right hand saw available for convenience, especially for angle cuts.  I agree and I have a Milwaukie sidewinder that I despise but can't kill, for that very purpose.

   And somebody mentioned that the PC lefty is a little flimsy....I tend to agree...I broke the blade shroud casting on mine when it tumbled off a sawhorse. It didn't totally come apart...more like a crack that slips out of place on occasion so the blade guard hangs up.  I keep it away from my employees. But I do, otherwise, like it and it's held up pretty well, considering what I've asked of it at times.

    

1. 
   WorkshopJon | Apr 16, 2004 03:43pm | #20

   "the PC lefty is a little flimsy....I tend to agree"..."more like a crack that slips out of place on occasion so the blade guard hangs up."

   Notchman,

   Yeah, mine too.  That sticky blade guard actually comes in handy sometimes.

   Jon

   Edited 4/16/2004 8:45 am ET by WorkshopJon

10. 
    Gunner | Apr 16, 2004 03:42am | #12

    I have the left handed PC and love it. I actualy use both, my company saw is a right handed PC and my own saw is a lefty I much prefer the lefty.

    Who Dares Wins.

11. 
    steve | Apr 16, 2004 04:08am | #13

    i'm right handed and prefer the blade on the left design

    cant explain it, it just feels right

    caulking is not a piece of trim

12. 
    tcbudpro | Apr 16, 2004 04:39am | #15

    i use the dewalt, its lighter than a skil mag77 and spins faster also, had two on the crew for 3 yrs no problems except for a cut cord once

1. 
   shtick | Apr 16, 2004 04:53am | #16

   i learned to cut with an 8 1/4" worm saw. i prefer the blade being on the left. the only time i like the blade on the right is when im making a bevel cut thats just easier to make with a standard saw. i have the PC lefty, still the 8 1/4" worm, the DeWalt lefty, and a DeWalt righty that i all but never use. the only time i really use the worm is when cutting plywood. the saw is so heavy, its impossible to cut crooked with. the DeWalt one is nice for pretty much everything. espescially big 2x's like 10s and 12s. the PC is good for everything, but its so light, i often have trouble controlling it

13. 
    TAnderson | Apr 16, 2004 06:43am | #17

    Bought a PC lefty when my right handed Milwalkee bit the dust and I love it!  My crew last summer had a hard time getting use to it though.  Needless to say they had a hard time with a righty!  Lefty is the way to go just give yourself sometime to get use to it! Couple of compalinets- Kicks alot of dust in your face (thats why they make safty glasses) , and the PC is light and can get a little squirrelly on ya if your not careful.  Looking to buy the new PC righty when it arrives at the tool store! I hear good things about it!- Good luck give it time its worth it!

14. 
    SBerruezo | Apr 16, 2004 08:35am | #18

    I'm in California, and we use wormdrives...Don't know why, but we do.  Blade is on the left.  If my memory is right, then having the blade on the left side for a righty is good for 90 degree cuts.The benefit to having the blade on the right is for beveled cuts, because it puts most of the shoe over the part of the board that won't fall away.  The left bladed saws only have that little 3/4-1" bit.  For me, the saw is used mostly for framing and the like, so I'm in my comfort zone with a left-bladed saw.

    Young, poor, and eager to learn

15. 
    EricPaulson | Apr 16, 2004 03:00pm | #19

    I had one ten or fifteen years ago. Everyone poked fun at it until the tried it and then it was hard for me to get it back.

    This was the six inch Saw Boss. I don't know if every one is talking about this or the same saw.

    I loved that saw, good balance and enough power "most" of the time.

    A bit lite for framing and I finally stripped the gears out after about 2 1/2 years.

    A shop guy I know uses a pair for mitreing the stingers to accept the risers, I think.

    Eric

16. 
    Mark40 | Apr 19, 2004 03:44pm | #23

    So, from the response, left is in, but PC is out.   Thanks for your help with this choice.

    Thanks again

    Mark

1. 
   MGMaxwell | Apr 19, 2004 10:34pm | #24

   No, PC is not out. Go look at them and pick them up.

1. 
   DHoov2 | Apr 24, 2004 03:54am | #25

   Found a few other discussions on this: 10991 and 20519. 

1. 
   Mark40 | Apr 26, 2004 03:22pm | #26

   Thanks, as I have not bought it yet.

   Mark

17. 
    m2akita | Apr 30, 2004 09:05pm | #27

    Mark40,

    I think people are talking about a few different models of the Porter Cable. 

    There are the 7 1/4" framer's saws ( model 347 blade on right, model 743 blade on left).  These saw's have a very solid base.  Maybe the most solid/stiff out there.  I have the 347, and it has performed nicely.  The base has survived drops much better than the other saws I have ( Dewalt, Milwaukee).  Nice thick lip for running along a staight edge also.  I think most of the good reviews where talking about these saws.

    Then there is the 6" saw boss( model 345, blade on left) and the 4 1/2" worm drive trim saw ( model 314 I think, think it came in left and right blade).  These are probably the ones that people had some neg. feedback on.

    -m2akita

1. 
   Mark40 | Apr 30, 2004 10:26pm | #28

   Well, I changed my mind, again.  (At least I am not as bad as Kerry).  While walking through Lowe's the night, I saw three PC 743's on the "reduced" rack.  I was with my entire family and we ended up buying a door.  I went home and did an internet search and it sounded like this was a good saw, and the price was $100 new.  I went back to pick up the door, by myself, and there were only two saws left.  So I bought one.  So far so good, as it has been only two days.  Thanks for all the input

   Mark

1. 
   GoldenWreckedAngle | May 04, 2004 12:33am | #29

   I think you are going to be really happy with that saw. Especially at that price... Good score.Kevin Halliburton

   "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." - Solomon

2. 
   caseyr | May 04, 2004 01:17am | #30

   I have the Porter Cable 314 worm drive trim saw (actually, two of them).  Like it a lot.  Pricey, but well made.  My only complaint on it is that it only cuts 1 5/16" so you can't quite cut through a 2X. 

   The specs:

   http://www.toolmarts.com/pc_314.html

   Edited 5/3/2004 6:18 pm ET by CaseyR