Customer Reviews

Porter-Cable 3802 12-Inch Compound Miter saw

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I bought this saw after comparing several other models, including DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Makita. There was no comparison. The powerful motor; the smooth, relatively vibration-free operation' just the solid feel of this saw make it a winner. Its biggest drawback is the weight. It's HEAVY.... But the convenience of building a stand by setting it on 2-2x4's, in the slots provided, on a pair of sawhorses, make up for that and then some. The accuracy blows away any of the DeWalts I've used.

I chose this saw over the comparable DeWalt because the table looked significantly more solid. (If you don't see what I mean, turn them upside down and look at the tables and the detent mechanisms.) After the purchase, I was impressed with the ease & speed of setup - using 2 adjustable sawhorses I already had, I cut up several 2X4's and had the saw bolted down, set up and sawing decking in very little time. A nice feature, to be sure. There is NOTHING on this saw that feels flimsy - every knob, slide, and adjustment feels like it will last 20 years. And so far, the cuts are all smooth and accurate.

I purchased this saw for my son. We looked at the Dewalt 12" (which I have) the Delta and all of the others. The Porter Cable was just so much more solid. I was somewhat surprised how they have cheapened the Dewalt from the model that I have. On a side by side comparison I just can not imagine anyone NOT buying the Porter Cable. We tried it out and it is so solid and smooth that I almost hate the thought of having to go back to my Dewalt. The Porter Cable as a few dollars more, but it was well worth it. The only problem was it wouldn't fit in the car. We had to take it out of the box. Good luck.

I recently purchased a DeWalt compound miter saw, being unable to find the Porter-Cable 3802 I wanted to begin with. I then found a 3802 at a competitor's store, took back the DeWalt and bought the Porter-Cable. I did use both saws to cut comparable wood, to include 1x4 untreated pine, and 2x4 treated pine. I like the Porter-Cable's fence better..., but I thought the DeWalt cut the material with less effort than the Porter-Cable - honest. The DeWalt also was easier to transport, which is a consideration if you are using the saw in a mobile capacity. I like my Porter-Cable, and will keep it, though. It is a very nice tool. One complaint about both: no 'detent' at 30 degrees? I know 60 is the compliment, but work with me.

After some strong hinting, my wife bought this saw for me as a gift... Fit and finish were top-notch. Noticed right away that the saw is very heavy. Probably not the best choice if one plans to move it often. My biggest gripe is that it does not come with a hold-down clamp. I assumed it did ... especially since the 10" sliding version does include one. ... Not terrible, but one would think that manufacturers would include an item that, according to their own instructions, is absolutely essential for accurate cuts.
...I had no problem getting everything adjusted and it took about an hour and a half for assembly and adjustment. It was not perfectly aligned out of the box, but now that everything is adjusted, it is maintaning its angles well after a modest amount of cutting. Power is excellent, it is almost vibration free and is very quiet. The table is easy to adjust and lock and returns back to square well. The stock blade, although billed as "premium," is mediocre. Okay for rough work but unnacceptably rough for cabinetry/furniture making. I replaced mine with the Forest Chopmaster and the results were excellent. The Forest blade is worth every dollar. Overall, this saw was a great value. I don't shoot down a tool because it needs adjustment. I have yet to purchase a tool, regardless of price, that did not need at least a little tweaking. Anyone who says otherwise is, well one of three things: very lucky, exaggerating, or someone who needs to get better gauges/squares. I tried a few other saws before buying this one, checked out reviews in magazines and online and discovered that ALL of them have faults. Ther difference being that the ones from the makers with better reps: PC, Delta, Dewalt, Bosch, Makita, etc.,- you know the list- tend to have relatively insignificant faults. Good hunting!

That's the feel of this saw. It is stable and smooth in all operations. The fence,table, guard and bevel functions are all just solid. It is well-balanced, and sits firmly on a 2x4 base you can build in about 5 minutes.

It cuts smooth and fast, and was perfectly aligned out of the box.I would buy another without hesitation.

The saw is powerful and well built, BUT.. If you want to use it for woodworking instead of carpentry, pick a different saw. The table sits higher than the support wings. As Bob from Colorado says, it is designed that way. If sounds to me like PC noticed this after manufacture and distribution and decided to call it an "anti-kickback" feature. Mine seems to sit a little higher than .025" More like .03" which is about 1/32". That may not seem like much but it will throw your angle off. I am debating returning the saw and going with the Dewalt.