Porter Cable 342K 1/4 Sheet Palm Sander Kit :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Really cuts through wood!

2008-08-08
I bought this sander for smoothing out drywall during a renovation project. Boy does it make quick work of any surface you want sanded! The size is pretty comfortable in my hand and it isn't too heavy. Of course, holding it over my head while sanding the ceiling was pretty tiring after about five minutes, but most other sanders would probably wear me out after two minutes. I really liked the fact that I could just go to the hardware store and buy standard sheets of sandpaper and cut them into four equal pieces for use with this unit. You can lock the paper onto the machine quite easily, then use the plastic square to punch holes in the paper to allow the dust to be sucked away. Very quick. The only beef is that it isn't very effective at pulling the dust into its included dust-collection-cup. When doing drywall sanding, after about fifteen minutes of sanding, I ended up with about two tablespoons of dust in the cup and about two gallons of dust all over the house (slight exaggeration). All in all, I'd say it's only collecting about 15% of the dust produced. Not good. You really have to hook a vacuum cleaner up to it for effective dust collection. Of course, having a vacuum hose attached to the back really weighs it down when working above your head.

Porter-Cable Sander

2008-07-27
Great palm sander that was exactly what I needed to finish a kitchen overhaul I started. Does the job well with little or no mess. Highly recommend.

Porter Cable Palm Sanders

2008-06-02
There are many palm sanders on the market today. As a company we have tried almost all of them. We had purchased many of the higher end units and for the price these porter cable 1/4 sheet sanders hold up the best to the abuse that we put them through. These are used to sand epoxy and fiberglass for about 7 straight hours a day and they last about a month. Most of the less expensive models do not even last a week. The only thing that I would recommend to the manufacturers of this type of unit is to either come up with another way to secure the pad to the orbitor or change the material of the feet. That is predominately the failure point. For the homeowner this could be a sander that would last a lifetime.

Excellent sander at a fabulous price.

2008-06-01
No complaints here at all. It did a superb job on finishing a large hardwood dining room table. Easy to load & use. Highly recommended!

Compact Finishing Sander

2008-05-05
Although I primarily use a variety of random orbit & belt sanders as a weekend woodworker, I've found that 1/4 and 1/2 sheet sanders have an important place in every serious woodworker's shop. The pre-stain wood preparation from these sanders is flawless. I also use the sheet sanders with 220 or 320 grit sandpaper between polyurethane coats.

I own the Porter-Cable 303 Speed-Bloc and the 505 sanders. Recently, my 20-year old 303 1/4 sheet sander stopped working. Rather that purchase a replacement 303, I opted for a sheet sander with variable speed, a dust control vacuum port, and an easy way to attach and remove sandpaper. The sander I chose, after evaluating the Bosch, DeWalt, and other name brands was the P-C 342K.

Since purchasing the 342 a couple of months ago I've used it on a large table I'm refinishing. The sander fits well in my hand and the vibration is not excessive. I can use the 342 for hours without tiring. It's especially effective when doing horizontal or overhead sanding. Dust collection with the attached cannister is OK but I almost always connect to a shop vacuum. Sandpaper attaches easily and the pad clamps work well.

This is a high quality and very capable sander. I own several Porter Cable sanders and the overall quality of these tools is excellent. I'm very pleased that I purchased the P-C 342 and would recommend the 342 to anyone considering a compact and efficient 1/4 sheet palm sander.

Solid & Well Built

2007-08-28
1/4 Sheet Finish Sander, 2.4A For Power & Durability In The Shop, Porex Dust Cannister Exceeds Durability Of Cloth Dust Bags, Improved Ergonomics With Rubber Top Grip For Comfort, Top Cap Design Allows Users To Service Or Clean Out The Unit Quickly, Dual Dust Ports Accept 1" & 1-1/2" Vacuum Hoses, Includes: Sandpaper & Kit Box, 1 Year Warranty.