Bosch ROS65VC spinning fast

[Kerry Brown]

I bought a Bosch ROS65VC to reduce some wear and tear on my hands. Random orbit sanders tend to give me carpal tunnel numbness if I use them intensively and it takes months for it to completely go away. The Bosch vibration control helps a bit with this, though I still have to be careful how long I use it and the heavier weight means I need two hands sometimes.

But I did run into a problem with the machine right away. I had only used about seven sanding discs with the machine when the sanding pad started spinning furiously every time I lifted it from the workpiece. It spun so fast, the bottom bolt that holds the pad started coming out and the pad started wobbling around. The bolt couldn't quite force its way through the hook and loop sanding disc, so the pad stayed on, but this was still unexpected in a new machine. I tightened the bolt, but it did it again.

I sent the sander in for repairs under warranty. They called me up and the technician who talked to me didn't seem to understand that a random orbit sander is supposed to slow down a bit when you lift it from the workpiece. After a couple of weeks, they sent the sander back to me, supposedly with a new pad (don't believe that) and a new brake. The sander isn't running wild now, but it is still spinning faster than any ROS I've owned or used before, and I've worked with four different makes before this Bosch.

Is this particular sander supposed to spin fairly quickly off the workpiece? Or is this particular example still fubared?

[Lee Schierer]

My ROS spins faster when I lift it off the wood, even when it was new.

[glenn bradley]

My ROS also speeds up when lifted from the surface. What kind did you have before?

[Kerry Brown]

I own a Milwaukee 6021-21 and a DeWalt 26451. The Milwaukee is made for them by Ryobi I believe, and has a particularly poor pad brake that wears out very quickly. When it starts spinning quickly when lifted off the wood, you know the blasted cheap piece of plastic that they use for a brake is worn out again. When new, it rotates fairly slowly when lifted off the workpiece. I've replaced the pad brake three times and the sanding pad once, but I'm done putting money into that tool. Edit: Also replaced the bearings. I don't recommend this sander to anyone.

The DeWalt has an excellent brake system. It hardly spins at all when you take it off the wood. But it is also extremely uncomfortable for me to use, and makes my hands go numb faster than any other ROS I've used.

I've also used a Makita and Porter Cable in the past, though I don't remember model numbers.

[Mikail Khan]

All my sanders slow down when removed from the workpiece. If the pad spins too fast it could damage the workpiece when it is reengaged.

MK