How about a classic Porter-Cable thread?

[four.cycle]

The wooden crate that it's in was built by the original owner. He used it for about 30+ years to resurface slate blackboards for the Seattle Public School District.
I did have to replace the power cord, but other than that it runs fine.
Make me an offer I can't refuse!

 

[genog]

I bought this Porter Cable/Rockwell Model 136 belt sander from a very nice gent on Craigslist.
My hope is to use the ole boy.....sparingly
But, it has a problem.
...it doesn't work very well

 

[JHuston]

Not tracking, or no power? The 136 was generally a reliable sander.
- James Huston

 

[mistadobalina]

I recently picked up an old Syracuse Porter Cable "BS" bandsaw, #274 for a helluva price, and I'm inspired by how clean your bandsaws look.




I can't find any information outside of Woodworking and Sanding Machines ad from 1931:


I look forward to restoring it to a condition similar to the ones in an earlier post and putting it to frequent use.

 

[JHuston]

That's a wonderful example of the Porter-Cable BS, made between 1925-1935 or so. Your guards are OEM with the addition of sheet metal; the originals were open ( since the saw has solid wheels, there's less need to protect the operator- no spikes to stick an appendage into while the saw is running ). I can't see what that saw has for a motor and drive, but if it retained the original gearbox, you're a lucky man.
The first version of this saw ( made by Syracuse Sander ) debuted around 1918, and had the motor mounted outboard, to the left of the operator. The drive was via sprockets and a silent, or leaf, chain. This is what my black band saw would have originally had, but these band saws are almost always missing the original drive system. The improved version moved the motor into a sort of doghouse in the casting, and all Porter-Cable did ( after buying Syracuse in 1922 ) was add some guards and a few gearing variations ( although the metal cutting version also gained a square table with a built-in in fence and rail system ).
Your saw would have been a blueish gray new ( I use new Ford gray ), and was one of the nicest band saws of it's class. The only drawback is the difficulty of mounting a fence to a round table.

- James Huston

 

[mistadobalina]

That's a wonderful example of the Porter-Cable BS, made between 1925-1935 or so. Your guards are OEM with the addition of sheet metal; the originals were open ( since the saw has solid wheels, there's less need to protect the operator- no spikes to stick an appendage into while the saw is running ). I can't see what that saw has for a motor and drive, but if it retained the original gearbox, you're a lucky man.
The first version of this saw ( made by Syracuse Sander ) debuted around 1918, and had the motor mounted outboard, to the left of the operator. The drive was via sprockets and a silent, or leaf, chain. This is what my black band saw would have originally had, but these band saws are almost always missing the original drive system. The improved version moved the motor into a sort of doghouse in the casting, and all Porter-Cable did ( after buying Syracuse in 1922 ) was add some guards and a few gearing variations ( although the metal cutting version also gained a square table with a built-in in fence and rail system ).
Your saw would have been a blueish gray new ( I use new Ford gray ), and was one of the nicest band saws of it's class. The only drawback is the difficulty of mounting a fence to a round table.

- James Huston

Thank you for the background! It seems like it will be a great workhorse for me once I get it cleaned up, and possibly painted gray.

I was finally able to unload it from the truck today, and get a better look at it. Looks like everything is there except for the additional wooden table. The motor works kind of, but I think the switch is bad.

I’ll be digging into it one of these days soon, I hope.

 

[JHuston]

Thank you for the background! It seems like it will be a great workhorse for me once I get it cleaned up, and possibly painted gray.

I was finally able to unload it from the truck today, and get a better look at it. Looks like everything is there except for the additional wooden table. The motor works kind of, but I think the switch is bad.

I’ll be digging into it one of these days soon, I hope.

Count yourself fortunate- you have the entire drive system, save for the original 1/2 ho Master motor; that's almost unheard of!

When you get into it, let me know if you need any help. I've rebuilt a few of them at this point, and would be happy to help. Matter of fact, I can get you any measurements you need to reproduce the table- the Syracuse Sander version was mahogany, but the jury's still out on whether or not Porter-Cable changed it.
- James Huston

 

[mistadobalina]

Count yourself fortunate- you have the entire drive system, save for the original 1/2 ho Master motor; that's almost unheard of!

When you get into it, let me know if you need any help. I've rebuilt a few of them at this point, and would be happy to help. Matter of fact, I can get you any measurements you need to reproduce the table- the Syracuse Sander version was mahogany, but the jury's still out on whether or not Porter-Cable changed it.
- James Huston

Thank you for the offer! I could definitely use the measurements for the table replacement. I will likely go with walnut or hickory, as that's what I have available.

If I were to replace this motor, do you have any recommendations for what I should go with?

 

[JHuston]

The saw was originally equipped with a 1/2HP Master motor, either three phase or repulsion induction single phase. RI motors work well in this application because they excel at starting under a load due to their superior starting torque- those solid cast iron wheels have a lot of inertia.
- James Huston

 

[genog]

I spied this old router at a Garage Sale this past weekend.
Oxidized and kind of crusty, I only wanted it for the D-handle base.

The nice lady who sold it to me said that it works, but like I said, I only wanted the D-handle

When I took it home and plugged it in, I was more than delighted.
The Ole Boy rips!
Runs like a champ, so I cleaned him up a bit and changed the power cord


This old router is going back to work.
I going to put a trim bit on him and use him to trim veneer

 

[tombell572]

I have two Burke Horizontal Mills, one in its original horizontal form and the other with a Porter Cable vertical milling attachment. In looking for a vertical attachment I originally considered Burke's own version which attaches to the mill spindle. The Porter Cable vertical head is attached to a shank which is inserted in place of the mill's overarm which places it considerably higher in relation to the table and yields a much larger vertical work envelope. When I realized that advantage I started searching for a P/C unit and eventually found one on eBay. In adapting it to the Burke mill, a few modifications were required. The Burke overarm is two inches in diameter and the P/C mounting shank measured 2 1/4" which required turning it down to match the overarm sockets. The P/C milling attachment's drive shaft runs through its mounting shank and exits at the rear of the mill. I needed a way to connect it to the mill's spindle. I fabricated a a shaft running through the mill spindle and attached with B&S #9 taper inserted in the original tool drive socket. The two shafts are connected via roller chain and sprockets. Speed changes are made using the original 4-step sheaves on the motor and spindle.

Tom B.

 

[Woods_Wanderer]

I missed this thread when it was first created, so here's my only Porter-Cable tool. I looked for a good 6 months to find a G4 belt grinder and eventually ended up with this DG4 combination unit. It's a G4 4" x 54' belt grinder bolted onto a D1 15" disc sander. This unit was made under WWII contract and has the "War Finish" plate to show it. It still needs a good restoration, I'll get to it one of these days. It's also my first phase converter install.

 

[JHuston]

I missed this thread when it was first created, so here's my only Porter-Cable tool. I looked for a good 6 months to find a G4 belt grinder and eventually ended up with this DG4 combination unit. It's a G4 4" x 54' belt grinder bolted onto a D1 15" disc sander. This unit was made under WWII contract and has the "War Finish" plate to show it. It still needs a good restoration, I'll get to it one of these days. It's also my first phase converter install.

That's an astoundingly rare machine! Porter-Cable had two combination machines, yours and an earlier design called the BD-1. To find a War Finish example is about as rare as it gets!
-James Huston

 

[JHuston]

I have two Burke Horizontal Mills, one in its original horizontal form and the other with a Porter Cable vertical milling attachment. In looking for a vertical attachment I originally considered Burke's own version which attaches to the mill spindle. The Porter Cable vertical head is attached to a shank which is inserted in place of the mill's overarm which places it considerably higher in relation to the table and yields a much larger vertical work envelope. When I realized that advantage I started searching for a P/C unit and eventually found one on eBay. In adapting it to the Burke mill, a few modifications were required. The Burke overarm is two inches in diameter and the P/C mounting shank measured 2 1/4" which required turning it down to match the overarm sockets. The P/C milling attachment's drive shaft runs through its mounting shank and exits at the rear of the mill. I needed a way to connect it to the mill's spindle. I fabricated a a shaft running through the mill spindle and attached with B&S #9 taper inserted in the original tool drive socket. The two shafts are connected via roller chain and sprockets. Speed changes are made using the original 4-step sheaves on the motor and spindle.

Tom B.

Neatly done! My Porter-Cable universal head is mounted to a J E Costilo milling machine, and uses a separate step pulley running off the overhead lineshaft. I've been quite pleased with the performance of the head, and actually prefer it to my Rockwell vertical mill for small jobs.
-James Huston

 

[tombell572]

Thank you, James. I'm also pleased with the results I get with the P/C head. I hadn't heard of a Castilo mill so I checked Tony's UK site and found yours. That's a nice set-up on a very nice unusual mill.

Tom B.

 

[Woods_Wanderer]

That's an astoundingly rare machine! Porter-Cable had two combination machines, yours and an earlier design called the BD-1. To find a War Finish example is about as rare as it gets!
-James Huston

Oh, that's really interesting. When I did some pre-purchase research I couldn't find any other examples of a DG4, I guess that explains why.

 

[JHuston]

Oh, that's really interesting. When I did some pre-purchase research I couldn't find any other examples of a DG4, I guess that explains why.

Porter-Cable abrasive machines were always the most common stationary machine encountered, but even hat series had its share of unicorns. The G-4 ( direct mounted belt sander ) was made in enormous quantities, the AG-4 ( coupling driven version ) less so, and the DG-4 ( direct drive belt/disc sander ) that you have is quite rare.
The most uncommon stationary machines I own are the partial B-1 sander ( only known survivor ) and my D-5 lapping machine ( ditto ). Most of the other machines in my shop were big hits with industry and the Armed Forces ( I have at least two former USN belt sanders )
-James Huston

 

[deekay08]

Came across this post looking for some info on PC tools. My grandfather was the last Rockwell/PC employee in the Syracuse NY location. Pretty cool to see the tools he had a part in producing.