Bosch sander

[Michael Hammers]

In a bind this Saturday I forced myself to go to a Borg and get a palm sander.
So I picked up a Bosch ROS20VSK kit. They were out of Porter Cable which is normally what I get for these types of tools (biscuit joiner, sanders, routers) Anyway I get this thing to the shop and start using it and it does NOT perform well at all. It seems woefully underpowered and even though it is multi speed just bogs down and nearly stops spinning when I "lean" a little on it. Has anyone else had this issue? It may be just me but it would take a month of Sundays to do anything requiring even a small ammount of material. Perhaps I have a lemon?

[John Thompson]

I have one and find no reason to lean on it. If you want more stock taken off go to a smaller grit paper. With that said if I had the opportunity to sell the Bosch I would as I find it a "rocker" and not as stable. I have a 6" Rigid that was made by Metabo and it is a dream. I find myself using it in any case where the stock is wide enough to accomodate the 6".

Just my own personal thoughts based on using quite a few brands as others will probably swear by it.. That's the way these things usually work out with these type questions. :)

Sarge..

[Tom Esh]

...bogs down and nearly stops spinning when I "lean" a little on it.

Don't do that! :eek: The weight of the tool is usually sufficient downforce. Applying more can cause scoring and accelerate wear on the tool, especially the hook/loop pad. (Note if you hook it to a vac, too much suction can do the same thing.) Much better to switch to a coarser grit for faster material removal. Sounds like you may have used one of these before, but if not take care - with the dust being collected it's not always obvious how much material is being removed. I ended up with a dished workpiece the first time I used one.:D

[Michael Hammers]

Ok let me put this in a different way...when I say lean I mean put resistance against the machine, not stand on it, not force to the point of straining, just putting a little more weight for friction, this is common. At times I have to (again trying to find the right words) angle or lean the machine when working certain spots.
Normally in the big shop we use either pneumatic jitterbugs or my other PC orbital and its not an issue.
This Bosch just seems weak.
Oh and as for the dust collection, i think with the right pads it would be fantastic, however the Borg (of course) does not carry Bosch brand so I got some nameless brand that the holes only allow for one and a half holes to be exposed... double rats...and do not even get me started on the grit and quantity selection...grrrrrrrr

[Peter Pedisich]

Michael,

I have a Makita 5" ROS that does the same thing. And I know it's not much pressure I'm putting on it.
I've used P-C and DW sanders that did not do this nearly as readily.

Maybe the 6" ROS are better in this respect?

Pete

[Michael Hammers]

Maybe the 6" ROS are better in this respect?

Yup I think you are right..

Thanks!

[jason lambert]

Can't help much I know I had a 6" Bosh and I use to stand on it sanding floors and couldn't stop the thing. I would return the 5" and get a 6". Portacable has a new low profile brushless sander out that is suppose to be quite nice you may want to try that it has the newest technology and of course there is festool if you can justify the $$$.

[Steve Mellott]

There is a Shop Test of random orbital sanders in the October, 2008 issue of WOOD magazine. In this test, the Bosch ROS20VK sander is rated as the least aggressive sander which means you will need to spend more time sanding. The article also noted problems with vibration and rocking. The Top Value tool was the Milwaukee 6021-21 ($70) and the Top Tool was the Porter-Cable 390K ($130). In the article, they also warn against applying too much pressure: "far from making the sander more aggressive, excess pressure actually causes the tool to remove less material, while leaving deeper, more ragged scratches."

Steve