Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
Date:         Wed, 12 Aug 1992 16:23:56 EST
From:         "Lawrence E. Rondot" <RONDOT@IPFWVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Pourter Cable Palm/Ramdom Orbit sander info wanted

Had a little problem with this item, so I am posting it...
Larry Rondot
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 13:51:58 EDT
From: talaga@e5sb.osdhw.syr.ge.com (dave talaga x2752)
Subject: Re: Porter Cable Palm/Random Orbit Sander info wanted.

> Date:         Fri, 7 Aug 1992 14:50:00 GMT
> Reply-To: b29!jbean!john@ingr.com
> From: John Bean <john@jbean.b29.ingr.com>
> Subject:      Re: Porter Cable Palm/Random Orbit Sander info wanted.
>
> In article <3214@bcstec.ca.boeing.com>, munoz@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (David
> Munoz) writes:
> |>
> |> Although It's a good to be able to swap disk without wasting a sheet, I'd
> compare
> |> the cost of the sheets if I were you.  I found that the stick-on types were
> less
> |> than half the cost of the velco ones.  For me, the re-usability wasn't
> |> worth the large extra cost since a sheet dosen't last very long anyway.
 This
> |> is especailly true for the finer grits.  BTW, the Porter-Cable is an
> excellent
> |> unit.  It's reliable and plenty powerful.  My only complaint is that it
> could
> |> have been a little more ergonomically designed.
> |>
> |> David Munoz
> |> dgm1626@boeing.com
> |>
>
>     Did you buy the one with or without the dust collector? It it actually
> worth the $25 extra to buy the one with the dust collector and a the
> stick-on base ? I have only seen the dust collector variety in catalogs
> with the velcro-ish base.
>
>    I thought the point of a power tool was to create dust & shavings...
>

I spent the 25 bucks for the dust collector.  Hmm:  what can I say--it sucks.
 In more ways than one.  It does not live up to the quality and foresight that
 one generally attributes to PC, but it does remove a genrous portion of the
 airborn dust.

To attach it you must remove the sander pad --no big deal, but an inconvienence,
 and hook it to a vacuum of your choice.  Neither of my vacuums match the PC
 hose size so the duct tape gets some action.  Once the thing is hooked up it
 extends beyond the sander pad by  enough to obscure what is actually being
 sanded; plus it increases the diameter of the pad which makes it less capable
 of doing close-in work.  If that ain't enough, it lends a new wrinkle in the
 controllability of the already cumbersome design of the sander (the sander dips
 in the direction of the hose).  The end result is you end up sanding by "feel"
 instead of sight (my experience is you must keep this think flat , or at least
 know where it's not parrallel to the surface, to keep from snading to  much
 off--a hard thing to do by feel).

 As I said previously, it does remove most of the dust (90-100%) from the air.
 Considering the amount of dust this thing produces that is no small feat (I
 used an 8 amp Sharp upright, certainly not known for its suction but a whole
 lot quieter than a shop-vac).

In summary:  it does remove sawdust, but it is definitely an afterthought.  If
 you need to do alot of sanding it's worth it, but for the amount I need to do I
 generally leave it on the pegboard.