I own sixty-eight circular saws, and that’s utter lunacy, part five-the heavy/super duties

By the mid-1950s, the Porter-Cable lineup had shifted from the Speedmatic/ Guild dichotomy to a single product line with three designations: standard duty, heavy duty, and super duty ( also known as homeowner duty, contractor duty, and holy cow, you do a lot of sawing duty). Standard duty tools ( 125, 160) are a subject for another time, and we have already seen the heavy duty saws ( A-4,157,146,115,108). Today, we'll discuss the heavy/super duty family.

In 1956, the super duty tribe consisted of some familiar faces; the 507 and 508, BK-10, and BK-12 are all known to us, but a new kid on the block appeared in 1956, a saw that would become an instant classic and herald the further development of new 10" and 12" saws, and go on to a nearly twenty-year career.

Enter the 528.

This example is a type 2. The original, short-lived version ( made, it seems, in the early part of 1956, but already superseded by October of that same year)uses the same K-series handle as the 507/508 saws, complete with an embossed switch plate.

The 528 is, in essence, the logical evolution of the 508, differing in the respects of speed (6,300 rpm no load, versus the 508's 7,000), being an 11 amp saw ( as opposed to the 508 at 9 amps), running an 8-1/4" blade instead of an 8", and of course, the telescoping guard. The swing guard was referred to as a safety guard by the 1950s ( and it is a bit safer when cross-cutting 2"x4" lumber since it doesn't have to move and expose any more of the blade), but it was a bit outdated by the time Ike Eisenhower was winding down his first term. Other companies had already gone to a telescoping system decades ago, and the 115/146/108 saws had proven it to be a perfectly sound system, so the 528 sported the newer design from the beginning. This particular version was heavier than the ones on the 146 and 115 and held up much better; I've had to weld many a 146 guard back together, but I haven't ever seen a 528 guard that was bent, much less broken.

The 528 is the first of what I consider the fourth generation ( the standard and heavy duty saws deviate from the original K-series saws in too many respects to be direct descendants of the K-series saws). A nuclear family of only three saws perhaps, but the series that would survive longer than any of its predecessors, from the white socks and buzzcut era 'til the end of the bell-bottomed '70s.

The 528 was joined in 1959 by the 510,

A saw which was similarly evolved from the highly successful BK-10, but the BK-12 still held sway as the largest of Porter-Cable's telescoping guard saws until 1962, when the 542 debuted.

There are two versions of the 542 design; the 542 itself, and the 512, a version made to meet a government contract for a 12" saw fitted with a suppressor to prevent radio frequency interference. My example is a 512 (though someone has removed the model tag on the base) and was likely made right around '62, as later versions would exchange the Porter-Cable name with Rockwell in the upper guard cartouche.

This family would survive into the late '70s, with the 510 and 542 making it as late as 1978. The running changes to these saws were largely confined to the cosmetics, with the original polished finish being replaced by the peace sign era putty gray paint and black cartouche fields after 1975.

While the fit and finish of these saws were better in the early years, there really is no such thing as a bad fourth-generation saw, and I wouldn't be without my three examples ( well, strictly speaking, five examples. I own three 528's, and no, you can't have one), although the 512 is the one I've piloted the most, being an ideal machine for contending with barn beams and larger slabs. I would consider any one of this trio an excellent choice for the person who wants a classic saw but also plans to use it a great deal; the design is about the easiest to change blades or adjust the cut while retaining the build quality and power of the older designs. There are few poor Porter-Cable saws ( although we'll be mentioning some of them in our next installment), but these saws are some of the best.

Next time, we'll take a look at the flimsiest of the bunch, the Arnold Stangs of the Porter-Cable world,the standard duty saws.