I've got six and love them. The 4x27 size weighs 25 lbs. but when on a large panel it floats effortlessly except maybe when a new 60 grit belt is on it. Then it wants to pull you up and across the bench.
Keep an eye on the level of the special oil and it will last for decades.
I have the Skil saw. I use it to cut 4 x 8 panels to a size I can handle. I too like the worm drive.
Pop
4x27 belts can be found but it isn't as popular of a size as the 3x24.
You're right about the worm drive being great to use. The gyroscopic action of the in-line motor has a particularly stabilizing effect compared to a transverse mounted motor that's found on most portable power tools.
I love picking up those sanders in junk condition and rebuilding them for myself but parts, particularly the worm gears, are getting harder and harder to find.
...drifting this thread even further...
PC made a worm drive circular saw, the model 314, that I particularly like for panel work. With a Forrest blade, it makes a really smooth cut and its small size makes it a delight to handle. With any other blade, the cut seems to shred or wobble. My experience with Freud blades leaves me thinking that such blades are good only for rough cutting.
PC also made a model 548 worm drive saber saw. That saw is amazingly smooth running. I like it for sheet metal. For wood, I'll take the Bosch 1581
Model 314 worm drive panel saw. This one has the awful Freud blade on it.
Model 548 worm drive saber saw. PC also made other models of worm drive saber saws but this one was king of the heap mostly because it had a VS trigger mechanism.
If you're short like me, the saw is long enough to reach all the way across the sheet.
It’s pretty amazing how far Porter-Cable has fallen, other than the 7518, it’s pretty barren..
Rockwell also made a worm drive Port A Band.
It's an American tragedy. I think it's being phased out completely.
Once you let the MBA's and other assorted Suits who only deal in abstract "product" through the doors, followed by venture capitalists it's all down hill from there. They squeeze the body dry and move on to the next victim, er company. Rinse, repeat.
You don't have any 503 parts kicking around, do you?
"Kicking around" isn't quite a term I'd use for my parts inventory. I guess if I had parts I would sell, they would be those parts that never wore out or needed replacing. With the tools I have, I am always aggressively competing for consumable parts. With several sanders in inventory, I have to do this.
I like good portable power tools and have been getting junkers and fixing them up for years. Sometimes it gets a little overwhelming. Chords, switches, brushes and bearings are pretty standard replacement activities on about any used tool I get.
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Sanders under my bench. I keep various grits on each. All are rebuilds from various stages of disrepair.
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Some years back I got on a repair binge and dragged most all of them out for an inventory check, inspection and repairs. More cords, switches, and brushes to do.
Like most of us here, my corded 3/8" electric drills have been bagged up and put in storage. Battery drills rule these days and for good reason. 1/2" corded drills are still used when needed.
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More inventory.