Model spotlight: the 115/115a circular saw

It started, innocently enough, with a circular saw.

I was originally a small engine mechanic at my place of employment until 2002 when I was asked to take over the power tool repairs. I started by doing some spring cleaning, sorting out the scrapped tools, and throwing out what was unusable. Many of the tools were obsolete, some were downright ancient. I was arranging circular saws when I found what would prove to be the start of a fascination (or obsession, depending on who you ask). It was a smallish saw, with a compact body that was smoothly rounded and streamlined. The saw in question was a 115, an incredibly influential 7” circular saw Porter Cable made from 1954 to 1963.

This one was the earliest version, which used a flat recoil spring to return the guard rather than the later coil spring. While nominally a 7", it would accept a 7-1/4" blade. In its day it was quite sophisticated, having one of the first telescoping guards found on a Porter Cable product. Light, powerful, and compact, the 115 was very popular with carpenters - so much so that the metal storage case had "contractor's special" printed right on it. The design of the 115 would lead to the development of subsequent saws like the 146/346, 597, and 315, but the build quality and futuristic profile of the 115 would never be matched.

Of course, I didn't know any of this at the time. I just thought it looked neat.

Due to its many virtues, the 115 was widely used, and is one of the less expensive saws to buy these days. An early model will have the narrow, K-series-style base, but later models went to a more modern wrap-around base. Other than that and the improvement to the lower guard spring, a 115 is a 115- why paint the peacock?

As of this writing, I own 36 different models of circular saw... from the tiny 126 to the gargantuan 542. I use them all, sometimes having three or four saws out for one project, set up with different blades, or adjusted to different depths and angles. But the saw I reach for, nine times out of ten, is that same saw that piqued my interest over a decade ago.

By The Numbers:

Made: 1954-1963

Motor: 10 amp

Blade Size: 7"

Look for: cracks in lower guard; missing end cap, stripped gears, damaged blade screw and washer