Photo Index - Porter-Cable Machine Co. - B-5 belt sander

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Porter-Cable Machine Co.
Syracuse, NY and Jackson, TN

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Sander
Machine Size:	3"x 24"
Submitted By:	James Huston

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	B-5 belt sander
Date of Manufacturer:	c.1928
Serial Number:	4836
Last Updated	12/31/2019 4:38:43 PM

Comments:

I had been on the lookout for a B-5 sander for several years, only to see everyone of them elude me, when I was offered this example by Paul (speedmatic) for free if I would try to repair it. The sander was in truly awful shape, with a housing that had been cut nearly in half by poorly tracking belts. This had been "fixed" at some point by drilling holes and attaching a mending plate; when that failed to work, someone tried welding the frame, which melted part of the tag. They then ran the sander out of oil, ruining the worm gear, but not before they managed to cook the armature and field. Oh, and they stripped the threads in the front handle.

I was able to borrow another B-5 from Paul to study, and I took the opportunity to have a new gear hobbed and another rear roller bracket cast. While I waited to get the motor back from rewinding, I ground out and rewelded the frame correctly, filling in the missing aluminum ( from the holes they drilled in it) and carving out the missing cast letters with a Dremel.
This version of the B-5 was painted from the factory.I was able to find a close match in terms of finish ( Rustoleum appliance epoxy paint in stainless steel), and my wife made up the graphics to replace the missing decals. I had to make a few modifications to the frame to accept the new ball bearings , as the old magneto bearings were beyond salvage.
The B-5 is historically important for being the first handheld belt sander ever made, a brilliant design that came from the fertile mind of Art Emmons, a twenty-something whiz kid who would also devise the first helical geared ( sidewinder) circular saw, among other inventions in the power tool field.
This example is unusual for a few reasons, one being that, while it has the maple rear handle ( the first sanders had an integral cast aluminum one, perfect for shocking people) that dates it to 1928 or so ( later ones would have a bakelite knob in place of the upright aluminum handle), it has the original style of tag, which was used in 1926 and has no model number due to there being no other model of handheld belt sander made anywhere in the world. In addition, there is a milled section at the front of the frame by the idler pulley support arm that doesn't exist on any other known example.
In all, it took quite a bit of effort ( and money) to get everything sorted out, but the B-5 went for a shakedown run less than two months after I received it. I use it only on my best work, and have come to love the feel of the sander as it cleans up a hardwood board.
Porter-Cable would go on to be the most successful lineup of handheld power tools for decades, but it all started with this machine.

Photo 1:

Comments: Before
Source: James Huston

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Photo 2:

Comments: Poor old thing
Source: James Huston

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Photo 3:

Comments: Back in business
Source: James Huston

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Photo 4:

Comments: Not bad for 92 years
Source: James Huston

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