porter cable 555 band saw

[Mr. Wonderful]

I am looking at buying a Porter Cable 555 porta band. It is a very good price and I wanted something with a metal case to polish. My plan is to build a vertical stand for it. Does anyone have experience with this older saw? Does it take readily available blade sizes? Does it have enough power? I noticed it is a two speed unit.

I know Porter Cable isn't what it used to be. I think this one is old enough to still be quality?

Any help or input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[exmaxima1]

That one looks extremely old. I had a P-C bandsaw for many years along with the matching stand. It cut square, plenty of power, and no issues with tracking. Mine had the variable speed option, not just 1 or 2 speeds. Ultimately the bronze gears wore out which I believe is fairly common for P-C saws. I replaced it with a newer Milwaukee saw, but had to make some adapters to fit it to my P-C base.

When the saw died I kept the controller board assembly and switch just in case I ever came across a decent saw that needed parts. IMHO, the P-C bandsaw was a better saw but I would be hesitant to buy another used one knowing that the gears could fail at any time. Depends on how much you need to use it I guess...

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

it would probably get very minimal use to be honest. It's just been a few times that it would really come in handy, and this one is at a great price. Plus the "retro" look after being polished gets me. I have an early 90's PC tiger saw that is still going strong that I prefer over the Milwaukee of the day. Thanks for the input though! I will keep that in mind about the gears when I check it out.

 

[Stillgottimefor1]

It does look pretty old! Love the lines of it. Some welding has been done on it but I suppose you know that...


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[Mr. Wonderful]

I wasn't sure what that was. I'm hoping I can clean that up a little. $25 seems like a good price though.

 

[Stillgottimefor1]

I wasn't sure what that was. I'm hoping I can clean that up a little. $25 seems like a good price though.

I would pay that even if it never ran. Would look wonderful polished up. James Huston would know about the problems they may have.


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[JHuston]

The 55 Porta-band came out in July of 1962 and was made until April of 1964, when it became the 555a. The biggest difference was in the blade guides, which were made taller to offer better support. Porter-Cable introduced the idea of a portable band saw for cutting metal with the 524 in 1955. I have a 524 and have nothing but good to say of it.
Make sure to check the gear oil ( porta-Bands were worm drive saws until the 1980's), make sure the tires aren't too cracked or chewed up and get to work; if you're anything like me, you'll find yourself reaching for it instead of a hacksaw every time you cut metal.
-James Huston

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Thanks for the info. I'm guessing replacement parts for this would be non-existant? That's kind of the idea I was going for on this. I wanted something better than a hacksaw. Cutoff wheels are fine but I don't care for the noise, sparks, and dust. I am really hoping this deal comes through.

 

[JHuston]

The wear and tear parts, like tires, brushes, switch and cord are all readily available, and Skil worm drive oil will fit the bill. The only thing to watch out for is a failing worm gear ( the bronze one), but barring that, you'd be hard-pressed to destroy a Porta-Band.

-James Huston

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Ok great! I keep hoping the seller will get back to me and isn't checking ebay "asking" prices before changing his mind.

 

[rlitman]

That one looks extremely old. I had a P-C bandsaw for many years along with the matching stand. It cut square, plenty of power, and no issues with tracking. Mine had the variable speed option, not just 1 or 2 speeds. Ultimately the bronze gears wore out which I believe is fairly common for P-C saws. I replaced it with a newer Milwaukee saw, but had to make some adapters to fit it to my P-C base.

When the saw died I kept the controller board assembly and switch just in case I ever came across a decent saw that needed parts. IMHO, the P-C bandsaw was a better saw but I would be hesitant to buy another used one knowing that the gears could fail at any time. Depends on how much you need to use it I guess...

Ha. I had a 726 years ago that I got cheap because the variable speed was dead, so it ran on high only. I ended up flipping it for triple what I paid after buying a two-speed model with the horizontal stand.

The OP's example has something weird going on on the right hand side blade guard. Was it welded on or something?

 

[JHuston]

The earlier Porta-Bands were prone to stress fracturing where the guide stop mounts; these were often welded back together. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, it looks like a solid repair. My 524 has several welds from being dropped- not the prettiest but it works just fine.
-James Huston

 

[rlitman]

The earlier Porta-Bands were prone to stress fracturing where the guide stop mounts; these were often welded back together. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, it looks like a solid repair. My 524 has several welds from being dropped- not the prettiest but it works just fine.
-James Huston

Ah, good to know. I had one where the cast zinc roller guide crumbled, and I ended up fabricating a replacement out of steel.