| | |  | PSI Tools | Home » » » PSI Woodworking PPS-2 Portable Panel Saw System (Saw Not-included) | | | | | | | Description: | | This panel saw system includes a tracking fixture that attaches to your saw, plus a special fence designed to work with the fixture. The fixture mounts to the fence so that your saw will track exactly true to the fence when cutting. The tracking fixture has five heavy-duty sealed ball bearings in its point contacts with the fence to reduce friction. Therefore, guiding your saw becomes effortless, easy and extremely accurate. This panel saw system includes two new and improved 64-inch modular fence sections, and integrated clamps that assist you in cuts up to 116-inch. Some benefits are: cut up to 52-inch with each section, does not interfere with other saw functions, adapts to saws with 6-1/2-inch to 8-1/8-inch blades, requires little space, aluminum fence angle 1-1/2-inch-by-2-inch-by-3/16-inch, deflection 1/16-inch or less over 10-feet. | | | Features: | |
• Cut 4-by-8 sheet goods by length or width with cabinet-making accuracy
• Duplicate any cut possible by an expensive commercial panel saw
• Easily cut sheet goods at an angle (impossible with a regular panel saw)
• Sets up quickly and easily; just clamp down the fence, then cut
• The tracking system works with almost any hand-held circular saw
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 65.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 10.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 5.0 inches | | Package Length:
| 65.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 10.4 inches | | Package Height:
| 4.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 15.6 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 21 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 21 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 42 found the following review helpful:
 Very Nice, with some limitationsJun 03, 2005
By John Henry Newman
"John Henry Newman"
I have used my PPS-2 'system' for a couple of months and I am very happy I bought it. This is especially useful when you have to shave just a bit off of the end of a panel, especially if you have to taper the cut. Just clamp the guide down and the saw glides along right where you want it.
I won't re-hash all of the points covered by the many other reviewers. First, you can get a better feel for this tool by checking out the reviews of its predecessor, the PSI Woodworking PPS-B Portable Panel Saw System. Note that the complaints for that system can be summarized as: "the system is too flimsy". Well, the new PPS-2 system seems to have taken care of that. Note the difference in shipping wt. (42# for the PPS-2 vs about 24# for the PPS-B). I have been impressed by the solid feel of the PPS-2. My saw glides smoothly along the straight edge with no deflection. The only small complaint is that the two pieces of the guide are connected with two rods, each with about 6 set screws. This takes a few minutes every time you connect/disconnect it. I only use the full 9' of the guide when ripping sheets. Otherwise the 4.5' section is easier to work with. As other reviewers stated, be ready to modify the plate or your saw in order to get them attached, and plan on purchasing a dedicated saw for the PPS-2.
Update: After reading other reviewer comments, I don't understand how anyone can make this thing deflect significantly. My saw glides so effortlessly across the guide, that you do not need to put any lateral pressure on the guide. If you attached a piece of hardboard under the gauge (highly recommended to reduce set up time) as described as an option in the manual, it further stiffens the guide. Also, I can't comment on the supplied clamps because I don't use them; it is so easy to just use 'quick clamps'--and they haven't slipped on me yet.
Another update: After using this a bit more (about a year), I now understand how this unit can deflect in the middle of the cut. If you do not bolt the hardboard or plywood stiffener under the guide (as I mentioned above), this guide will deflect at the center if you are using the full 9' length. So, this eliminates the option of using 1/2 the guide for shorter cuts and combining both halves for longer rips. That is, if you buy this for 8' cuts, permanently connect both halves of the guide. If you want to use it for shorter cuts, be wary about joining the two halves (You will probably need to devise a way to beef up the joint beyond the means provided by PSI). This limits the usefulness of the guide.
I would like to change my rating to 4 stars, but Amazon will not allow me to do it!
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Easy Panel SystemApr 08, 2005
By Margin of Safety
This review is for the PPS-B
It cuts dead straight when setup correctly, you get two fences one for the 4' and one for the 8'.
I bought plastic coated 1/4" sheet to mount the fence on ($12 bucks for a 4x8 sheet at HD)and it slides very easy.
A few things to mention.
It is designed to cut 90's, if you want to cut 45's you will need to cut away some of the guide that mounts to the saw and most of the saw's outer shroud and safty features but it can be done and it works a charm.
Don't use any old circular saw, check the bearing runout and if there is any slop buy a new saw.
Prefit the guide to your saw, align it with the tool provided, drill oversized holes in your guide through the saw base plate to allow that fine play to get it just right.
You will want to permanetly screw some of the sheet to the bottom of the guide as a spacer.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 good item, accessories need improvementJun 15, 2007
By Orville T. Laughlin Jr.
I just used my new PPS-2 saw guide for the first time last night. The thumb screws furnished for the hold down clamps are pure-D junk. The knurled nuts stripped out of the plastic wings the first time my wife tried to tighten them. Luckily I have a large junk drawer and found a couple of wing nuts that would work. Someone else here suggested using your own clamps and that will probably be the permanent fix.
It took some doing to mount my older saw on the saw carriage, I had to drill several holes in my saw base in order to make it work. (The instructions warn of this possibility.) The result is, I now have a dedicated saw just for this tool. I'm faced with wasted minutes of teardown/set up time if I ever want to use that saw for anything else.
After I got everything assembled and secure, I ripped several 12" pieces out of 5/8" plywood and was pleased with the results. No runout and a true cut.
The instructions for spacing the guide were incorrect. The instructions said to add 2 - 11/16" to the desired width. Maybe there is a variable due to different brand saws, but we only used 1 - 11/16". I had used the spacer furnished with the kit to center the saw on the carriage. The old adage of measure twice etc. comes into play!
The neat saw carriage with its roller bearings make this tool (probably) worth the money; otherwise the person who suggested just clamping a piece of angle iron had the right idea. (And kept a hundred bucks in their pocket)
All-in all I'll give it 2 1/2 stars. Once I got it set up, it did the job; but it took an awful lot of effort to get going.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Smooth & StraightAug 31, 2005
By Mason I. Pilcher
"Handyman"
I have made about a 100 cuts on pegboard using my new PPS-2 and every cut is smooth and straight -- just like a factory edge. It is everything I hoped it would be.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 More trouble than it is worth....Dec 30, 2009
By J. Stancil
This device sounds good on paper, but in practice it fails to deliver. First of all, mounting the sled to my Dewalt circular saw was a major PITA. The clamps that hold the rail down to your workpiece do not work very well, so I used regular C-clamps. Next, the aluminum rail deflected almost 1/2 inch across the 8 foot length of plywood in the middle. This was the deal breaker for me. After trying to modify it and re-enforce it, I gave up and threw it in the garbage.
Just get a long straight edge and forget about this type of device.
See all 21 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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