More than a century has passed since Art Emmons, a visionary young engineer at the 15-year-old Porter Cable Company, launched a technology race in the field of portable sanders. When he was just 26, Emmons, then Porter Cable’s chief engineer, came up with his “Take About Sander,” which resembled a modern portable belt-sander. It cost the equivalent of $5,000 today, but the value of the powerful handheld sander was obvious to trades people of that era. The pace of innovation in portable tools has hardly slowed since, although most of the improvements involve cordless tools.
To continue reading this article or issue you must be a paid subscriber. Sign in
Subscribe to Practical Sailor
Get the next year of Practical Sailor for just $34. And access all of our online content - over 4,000 articles - free of charge.
Subscribe today and save 42%. It's like getting 5 months FREE!
