Replacing the guard on your Porter Cable circular saw is an easy, short repair that you can easily do at home. All you need are some basic tools and very basic repair knowledge. The guard is an important safety feature on your saw, so if it breaks, do not wait to replace it.

Remember to use eReplacementParts.com's Porter Cable parts finder to find the right parts for your Porter Cable power tools.

For this article, we used a Porter Cable circular saw. Some saws will be similar and others will use a different type of guard spring, so the repair may not follow these instructions exactly.

Replacing the Blade

When installing and removing your saw blade, remember that the nuts use opposite threading: lefty tighty, righty loosey.

1. Remove the saw blade

Remove the nut that secures the blade to the saw.

Now you can remove the saw blade.

You should also remove the flange that rests between the saw blade and saw body.

2. Remove the guard

Use a flat-head screwdriver to pry up the guard retaining ring.

Now you can pull the guard away from the saw.

3. Replace the guard

Use your screwdriver to pop the hooked end of the spring into the hole on the guard cover.

Wind the spring so that it nestles into the housing on the guard.

Now you can mount the guard onto the saw.

Use your screwdriver to slide the other end of the spring into the hole on the saw body.

Now rotate the guard around to seat the spring.

Replace the retaining ring to secure the guard.

4. Reinstall the blade

First set the flange back in place.

Then add the blade and tighten down the nut to finish the repair.

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Conclusion

Replacing your Porter Cable circular saw guard is about as easy as a repair gets. The repair will help keep your saw blade properly covered when it's not actually cutting, which means your saw will be safer than if you used it without the guard.

Before you begin any power tool repair, make sure you have the right parts for the job by using our power tool product number search.

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