A reduced height quarter sheet sander has a housing having first and second halves mated together. An upper portion of the housing provides a handle. A pair of brush boxes is disposed in the housing on opposite sides of a commutator of an electric motor disposed in the housing. In an aspect, a switch disposed in the handle of the housing and a terminal block (at which a cordset that enters the housing terminates) disposed in the handle of the housing have generally the same horizontal elevation as the brush boxes (when the sander is lying upright). In an aspect, the stator is disposed in the housing so that the field coils extend across the housing from one half to the other half and outside the lower screw bosses.