Customer Reviews
Made a mess..... 
2005-09-08
Get a real panel saw!!! This thing slipped at the edges, put large dents in my wood when it held, bowed in the center where the two pieces of angle were joined. Basically, you might as well use a piece of iron and a couple clamps. It is definitely not for precision work. I wrecked 2 sheets of plywood (1/4" off in the center of an 8' pieces and up to 1/4" slip on the end) before I decided to borrow a real cabinet saw. I would definitely not recommend it for anything.
nearly perfect, but for a few things 
2005-09-05
i purchased this set after seeing it in the catalogue and thinking it was a great idea.
pros: will cut a perfectly straight line on up to full sheets diagonally. stores well when disassembled. inexpensive.
cons: if the sheets are not supported, or if you're on the roof (my first time using it was on a 7/12 cutting 5/8 OSB at a 45deg bevel for overframes) the lines can be less than perfect. it also adds a slight set up time when compared with a chalkline.
my major complaint is that the saw base did not mount well to my porter cable saw boss 6" saw. i bought the pps-2 specifically because i had this spare saw lying around and intended to dedicate the saw to use with it. i eventually made it work, but only after moving the saw farther over on the base than the specifications called for and after cutting some of the base off with a grinder. before i cut the base, bevels beyond 25deg were impossible.
so, for the price the pps-2 is a great tool to have, but don't expect it to be super-easy to set up. if conditions are controlled, however, better than factory edges are possible.
Smooth & Straight 
2005-08-31
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.
Very Nice, with some limitations 2005-06-03
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!
Easy Panel System 2005-04-08
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.
Finally get it! 2007-11-19
As a weekend woodworker, I used to cut sheet good with a straight edge. This tool has made this task simpler and without hassle. The very first cut was perfect. I am very happy that I finally purchased this.
good item, accessories need improvement 
2007-06-15
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.
i don't own this but.... 
2007-05-26
before buying this..if you are serious...and you can afford it... look into festool's version of this concept. light years better, one of the best purchases our shop ever made. especially good for site work when you need precise cuts but didn't bring the table saw. i shunned such 'snooty' tools for years but now i'm convinced that most of what festool makes is the best in it's class.
Great, easy to use product 2007-05-26
For any possible application where a panel saw can be used, this tool is superb. The work has to be supported, for me an old hollow core door over 2 saw horses worked great for cutting 3/4" MDF. Only thing I'd like to see or have described in the documentation is a gizmo or method for determining where to set up the fence in relation to the cut line. By trial and error, I worked out a couple of marks on my 36" measuring stick (one for the fence sitting on the "waste" side of the cut, one for sitting on the good side). They give instructions for adding a "sawboard" but it requires drilling holes in the fences. Would have been nice if the holes were already there. Maybe you could clamp the fence down, butt a piece of hardboard against the edge and clamp it, then run the PPS-2 to cut the hardboard. That should give you a template to set the spacing between fence and cut line...
PSI Woodworking PPS-2 Portable Panel Saw System 2007-01-11
It does what it is supposed to do once you set up your particular saw. I used a 18V Dewalt Trim Saw which has a 5-3/8" blade. The cradle was not designed for a "Small" saw. I had to modify it by drilling two extra holes to mount it. Once I got it set up. It was fine. There is a learning curve, but hey, there are a lot of varibles out there when it comes to what saw you are going to use. I do have a regular power circular saw and I don't think I will have any problem using it with this system.. IT DOES CUT A STRAIGHT LINE! Look at your altenatives.. Much more expensive. I would recommend it.
