Porter-Cable 3802 12-Inch Compound Miter saw

by Porter-Cable

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Powered by a burly 15 amp motor, Porter-Cable's new 12-inch compound miter saw delivers big cutting capacity--mitering a four-by-four at 45 degrees and beveling a two-by-eight at 90. The saw swivels right and left to 48 degrees, too, letting you make cuts to fit even when the world isn't square.

Simply put, Porter-Cable paid attention to the details. The miter has a com-activated lock--a simple half turn locks the saw in place. The tool also has a big table that gives plenty of support space for workpieces, making it easier to hold them securely in place when cutting. There's an electric brake (all miter saws should have one), and the blade guard retracts smoothly. The D-handle design makes the saw comfortable to operate with either your right or left hand, which is convenient considering the wide range of cuts you're likely to make. We especially like how the saw's base can mount on the edge of two-by-fours for a quick job site stand. Very slick.

A single onboard wrench makes all the adjustments, including blade changes. This saw also comes with an extensive wing and a sliding fence, which give superb material support--a feature trim carpenters will find handy for cutting crown molding vertically. The fence is easily adjusted, too, in case it gets knocked out of alignment. The fence is also replaceable, so you don't have to get a whole new saw when something goes wrong. It's true, a guy could really rave about this saw for quite a while. The miter and bevel gauges are great, with embossed marks stamped into stainless steel, so it'll be just as easy to dial in the exact cut three years into the future as when you first take the tool out of the box (no chintzy stickers or attached plates here). The stainless-steel detents won't ever develop slop, either. Bevels are also easy to set. The three-wing screw lock is sturdy and holds tight, and there's good tension in the unlocked position--so the motor is easy to move (it doesn't just flop over) when you're setting bevels. --Jon Groebner

From the Manufacturer

Porter-Cable 3802 12-Inch Compound Miter saw

See all Product Description

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 27 x 23 x 19 inches ; 50 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 67 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00004RC35
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 3802
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #533,745 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NICE SAW BUT....., August 7, 2000

By 

bob schwab (colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Porter-Cable 3802 12-Inch Compound Miter saw (Tools & Home Improvement)

I bought the Porter cable because no other saw came close to the quality and accesories... It is a well made saw with 2 exceptions. 1) The infeed and outfeed tables are not level to the cutting table, I called Porter cable and they explained to me there is a .025 lower elevation on the tables to prevent kick back. It is noticable and I tested it was 1 degree off on a cut if you clamp to the left table. I intend to shim the table up with some slick tabe to level them out. 2) it is very heavy.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smoooooth performer...., July 6, 2001

By 

J. C. Collier "jcees" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Porter-Cable 3802 12-Inch Compound Miter saw (Tools & Home Improvement)

I bought this puppy after my old stalwart Delta 10" compound fell victim to some grab-n-run doofuss [that's what I get for leaving it alone while I went off for a smoke]. Since then I've given up smoking and replaced the Delta with this sweet baby. I tried out the Delta, Rigid and the Dewalt before settling on the PC. It is quiet, smooth cutting, vibration free and MY extension wings are dead level with the cutting table. It is a thoroughly well designed machine in every way. I've also semi-permanently mounted it to a two-by litter with four foot wings to either side. ... Anyway, this thing melts through SYP or 6/4 oak and slices through 12/4 cypress or doubled up two-by spruce like they were made of air. A lot of this is attributable to the fabulous blade that came with the machine. Also, the bevel gauge on the PC has clear fine hash marks permanently imprinted on a strip of bright metal riveted in place and a full width adjustable indicator. Some of the others use a sticker!?!?! Go figure. And lastly, when the head is locked down, there's a carry handle smack over the balance point. A really nice touch.

Enough already, I've got sawdust to make. Thank you Porter-Cable.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Bunch, April 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Porter-Cable 3802 12-Inch Compound Miter saw (Tools & Home Improvement)

I bought this saw last year after a long period of comparison with competing 12-inch saws in this price range. If you examine similar saws from DeWalt, Makita, and Bosch you'll find that they all offer a high level of performance, and all four come in at about the same price (excluding any special one time sales offers you may find). What sold me on this one was the rock solid construction, and what I consider to be a couple well thought out design elements. I really like the way this saw was designed to mount directly on to 2x stock. This allowed me to make a really inexpensive and effective stand out of home made sawhorses. With the saw mounted on my stand, I can attach 2x4s on edge to the stand itself and have instant supports for longer boards. Try setting this up using a pre bought miter saw stand and you'll pay a lot more money. For workshop use this is ideal, and for jobsites--well there's always a couple sawhorses around right? Another feature I really like about this saw is the miter gauge. While the gauge on the DeWalt I saw is printed to a piece of thin sheet metal which is riveted to the saw body, Porter-Cables miter scale is actually embossed steel, so that even if the paint wears off (and eventually it will) I still have my scale. When the paint on the DeWalt scale wears off, you're out of luck. Some people have complained that the table is not level side to side. I've checked mine and found it to be as close to level as the tables on DeWalt and Bosch saws owned by my friends. I've done some really fine work with this saw (using a Freud blade not the one that came stock) and haven't had a problem with accuracy yet. This is not to say that other folks didn't get saws with a less than true table, just that mine is great. In all honesty, I think that the Bosch saw is just as good a choice as this one, and the real reason I chose the Porter-Cable over the Bosch was that the PC was on sale when I was ready to buy, and the Bosch wasn't.