Hi,
I'm considering buying a belt sander for occassional use. I have a
great planer and jointer but have a need now and again to remove more
stock than what a dremel can handle, less than what a full sized belt
sander might take off. I always like the idea of having more machine
than what I need but I also like being able to maneuver a handheld tool
at different angles with out a cherry picker. Full sized belt sanders
look beastly. Is the new Porter Cable 371K the answer? Any tests
anyone has heard of on it? Does anyone actually have it? Of those who
do, how does it compare with a full-sized sander? Does it feel like
it'll break down after a year or so?

Any thoughts about the sander are welcome. I ask (like a substitute
asking for a class of rowdy kids to not throw airplanes) that if there
are disagreements, please use fact versus opinion in your arguements
and realize that 99.999999% of the time you're not going to convince
someone else to change a deep seated position with a few crafty words
on the internet.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

Chrisgiraffe wrote:
Hi,
I'm considering buying a belt sander for occassional use. I have a
great planer and jointer but have a need now and again to remove more
stock than what a dremel can handle, less than what a full sized belt
sander might take off. I always like the idea of having more machine
than what I need but I also like being able to maneuver a handheld tool
at different angles with out a cherry picker. Full sized belt sanders
look beastly. Is the new Porter Cable 371K the answer? Any tests
anyone has heard of on it? Does anyone actually have it? Of those who
do, how does it compare with a full-sized sander? Does it feel like
it'll break down after a year or so?

I have been looking longingly at that one as well. It seems like it
would would be just what the doctor ordered in certain situations.
Unless someone convinces me otherwise, I'm planning to get one right
after Christmas.