New Random Orbit Sander....variable speed or not?

[Eric Thumb]

Just curious if I am missing out on anything by having a fixed speed ROS or not. My old one, a 4 1/2" fixed speed Sears model has served me well, but I think that it is time for an upgrade.

I can't recall ever wishing that I had variable speed but that may be because I have never had the option.

What purpose does the slower speed serve?

Thanks

[Jeff Monson]

My festool sanders have variable speed, I change the speed occasionally. I don't consider it a "must have" in a ROS. Just my .02

[Mike Henderson]

I use the slower speed when sanding a veneered surface, just to give me more control. I don't want to sand through the veneer.

Mike

[Dan Hulbert]

+1 on variable speed for better control. I've found it useful when using the ROS to shape curves on soft wood.

[Larry Browning]

I have never used the VS on my ROS. I guess mainly because I never think about it and also I have never actually known the actual purpose of that particular feature. Maybe I should start using it. (He says after recently sanding through the veneer on my latest project:eek:)

[Jamie Lynch]

I use the slower speed when sanding a veneered surface, just to give me more control. I don't want to sand through the veneer.

Mike


I've never used VS on my Dewalt ROS. Actually I've never even given it any thought! Maybe I should try :rolleyes:

[Prashun Patel]

Wow, I'm surprised so few people like the variable speed. I love mine. I get better results sanding at lower speeds on coarser grits and very high grits.

Also, if you use your ROS on contoured surfaces, or with interface pads, the high speeds don't work well.

[Paul McGaha]

I have a 6" Porter Cable that has variable speed. I don't think I've ever once changed the speed of it. I think I use it on it's high speed setting.

[Peter Aeschliman]

I only use my ROS for flat surfaces. I don't see a reason to slow the thing down. The idea of the ROS is to get a very uniform and random scratch pattern. Slowing down the sander means you have to slow down your "feed" rate in order to get scratches that are close together. I haven't come across a situation where I'm sanding a flat surface and I want to go more slowly. I guess I can understand the veneer use case, but when I sand veneer, I just keep the sander moving.

There may be a valid case for VS when sanding with a thick pad on curves- I have no experience with that.

[glenn bradley]

I don't power sand much so, when I do I want it to be right. Variable speed is a must for my use. YMMV.

[Larry Browning]

Well, I tried the VS feature on mine this weekend. Maybe I'm not doing it right, but whenever I slowed it down, the darn thing would just bogg down and almost stop with even the slightest downward pressure. I think I would rather just hand sand.

[Bill Geibe]

I have a couple of variable speed 5" Bosch ROS's. Like Dan and Prashun, I cut the speed down when sanding irregular surfaces, especially outside curves where it's very easy to remove too much material without meaning to. DAMHIKT On flat, un-veneered surfaces, it's full speed ahead!

Bill

[Mike Schuch]

I have a couple VS Porter Cable 6" right angle ROS's and a VS FEG 6" right angle ROS. In comparison, the craftsman ROS I used was one speed - slow!

The FEG is considerably more aggressive (faster rpm?, larger orbits? I don't know?) than the Porter Cable right angle ROS's (And the PC's are definitely no slouches). I use the variable speed more on the FEG than the PC's.

For smaller less powerful palm ROS's I would think that the variable speed would not be as advantageous as with a bigger more powerful ROS.

[Mike Henderson]

I slow down my sander for certain jobs. The one problem I have is remembering to speed it back up. I'll be sanding something and finally notice that for the past half hour, I've been sanding at less than full speed:).

Mike