Customer Reviews

Porter-Cable 503 3-Inch x 24-Inch Heavy-Duty Belt Sander with Dust Bag

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Used this sander in school years ago, then in cabinet shops later on, so in my later years as a hobbist I wanted to buy what I was used to, this is a heavy duty sander good for any aspect in woodworking.I have used some of the other models that are lighter and smaller but always went back to the porter cable for the overall job it does.sands fast,I will say it is a tool you must master with time.

I've inherited this one and prior to which I used 2 different PC sanders. I didn't think that I could justify the purchase of this and really didn't understand what this could do that another sander couldn't do.

The first time I used this I immediately noticed its balance and ability to get an even surface quickly. Its motor sits evenly across its entire length from front to back distributing that weight evenly across it's entire platen in each direction.

The motor on one of my lower-end PC sanders is heavy to one side. You could feel it and see it by holding it up balancing it between the knob and handle and that unbalance translated right to the wood so I had to try to compensate by adjusting pressure. This is something I had to train myself to compensate for.

You can let this 503 sander help you do the work. It's ment to sand flat, and it's heavy so you're working with gravity and balance. I had no trouble getting things even side to side and front to back in short order.

This sander has been relatively unchanged for 50 years. It hasn't fallen victim to planned obsolescence and it's readily servicable. I heard good things from a tool repair specialist. This is one sander that should last a lifetime.

I recently aquired one of these and i am very pleased with it.It is a very old model though, but looks just like this one.It is a extreamly heavy machine.Ive taken it apart and foung it very easy to assemble but very rugged internally.Plenty of power. It is most suited for sanding flat surfaces, it would be almost impossible to sand a wall, etc.Its extreamly expensive too, but of the highest quality out there. Sience it is so heavy it alows you to remove stock very quickly. Its quite a diffrence from my little dewalt 3x21.

While I've had the oppertunity to use an older model,I cannot compare it to its 12 and 15 amp brothers. I can say that it looks, weighs, and runs like a locomotive. I was very pleased with its power, but am still waiting for Porter-Cable to come out with an 4x24 version. Till then, you can't stop a locomotive.

This sander has one serious limitation--you cannot sand vertical surfaces with it. The owner's manual warns that the gears will wear out quickly if the sander is used on anything but horizontal surfaces. This is because this sander is oil-lubricated (you must keep a check on the oil level) with 90 wt. gear oil.

I'm sure this sander is very good for sanding horizontal surfaces, but Amazon should really have mentioned that it cannot sand vertical surfaces in the description.

the absolute best heavyduty sander ever made, please let me know when they become available again. (...)