gloat or boat anchor ? Porter-cable multisaw 531a

[marks542004]

Hi all,

My parents picked up a porter-cable multi saw model 531a at an auction for about $20. It seems in excellent condition with a carry box and assortment of blades as well as a can of gear lube.

There is a receipt for some parts that suggest to me it was well maintained.

It is a metal body that is chromed rather than the plastic I see in more recent tools.

Is this likely to be a useable tool or an obsolete piece of junk ??

I have not tried it yet because rather than a grounded outlet it has a

2 prong plug with a seperate ground wire. I assume you hook the ground wire to the wall plate mounting screw.

regards

[Jim]

Isn't that just an adapter? These devices were in common use 40 years or so ago. Yes, you are supposed to hook the ground wire around the screw for the wall plate. The question then becomes: Is the box grounded?

If it were mine, I would cut the plug off and replace it with a new one. Jim

[marks542004]

Yup, you are quite right, it was an adapter on the end of a grounded plug.

All outlets in the workshop are grounded with a GFI on the first of the run. I had the wiring redone when I opened a subpanel and found a mass of wire nuts where circuit breakers ought to be.

[Jim]

Some people are hopeless. A previous owner of my daughter's house spliced wires without bothering to put the splices in a box... You are good to go with the old saw. I am sorry to say that I know nothing about it... Perhaps you ought to check that the black wire is not connected anywhere to the ground or the white wire. Jim