Itty Bitty Belt Sander...Itty Bitty Review
Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level
>Recently I bought the new Porter Cable 371K Compact Belt sander. Cost about $119.00. It's a 2 1/2" X 14" belt sander with a contoured rubber top that allows you to handle it one handed. There is a front handle for two handed operation as well. Single speed motor.
Generally I like this tool. It is handy for smoothing curves and working on small panels etc. The larger belt sanders can be cumbersome for some tasks and this little guy comes in handy in those cases.
One downside is that the belt size is not a common size so stock up on belts from the source where you get the sander. FYI
This is by no means a recommended sander as a primary belt sander. The bigger guys still do a better job, especially on large surfaces. But if you are looking for a handy tool for smaller belt sanding tasks I can recommend this tool. And be careful, it might be small but it can still remove a lot of material in a hurry if you are not careful!
Tom