Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 49

Thread: Considering purchase of a new RO sander

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Bel Air, Maryland
    Posts
    535

    Considering purchase of a new RO sander

    Right now, I've only got one hand sander and I use it for almost everything. It's a Dewalt D26453 variable speed RO with 3/32" stroke. http://www.dewalt.com/tools/woodwork...s-d26453k.aspx

    It's OK. Of course, I have very little to compare it with although I've heard wonderful things about the Mirka Ceros but that's a pneumatic and I'm not sure my compressor has the breath for that. Anyhow, I battle swirl marks all the time. Normally, after stripping a piece of furniture, I sand with 180g - some with my RO and other spots by hand. Lots of times, I've got to drop down to 120 to clean up the surface before the 180. I've been reading opinions on swirl marks they are all over the place. I suppose they are caused by a multitude of problems - technique, the stroke of the sander, improper grit selection... It just seems like once I've got swirls, they stay. gradually increasing grit has little effect. So, I feel like they just need to be avoided period.

    Anyhow, I've been considering buying a new "main" sander(electric) and I thought I'd stop in and get some opinions. The Festool 150/3 seems to be overwhelmingly popular. I found another thread on here about the Festool ls130 being great for taking out swirl marks however that one is a linear, not RO.

    I think I mentioned once before about my skin being thick. If your opinion is that my sander is fine and the problem is the operator - fair enough. I was just hoping to hear "yeah that sander is junk, get a real sander and check back in".

    Anyone care to weigh in?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    10,304
    Swirl marks are a technique problem. Each successively finer abrasive grit is supposed to remove sanding marks left by coarser grit, leaving behind finer scratches. As you work through the grits, those last scratches get finer and finer until they disappear. If you leave scratches from a coarse grit, the really fine abrasive near the end of the process may not be able to take them out. The fix is to go back to coarser grit, sand out the problem, and go back through the succession of grits.

    Yeah, the Festool 6" is my main sander. It does a good job.

  3. #3
    Mike,
    Ceros is not a pneumatic. It's an electric. The difference is the motor is in a separate unit. The Ceros performs like a pneumatic, but there's no air.

    FWIW, I find the Ceros worth every penny I paid. The things that make it worth the 4x price vs its counterparts are these IMHO:

    - Dust collection (hooked to a shopvac with the right threaded hose, it stays put and gets almost all dust. So much, that I can sand comfortably in my house. This is the big win for me).
    - Lighter (less fatigue)
    - Smaller (easier to manipulate in tighter spots)
    - Memory-less cord (long and robust and stays conveniently in place)
    - Quieter, less vibration than the other ROS's I've used.
    - Palm activated pressure switch. (I find it ergonomic to use).
    - Low profile (I find it easier to keep it flat and in control).

  4. #4
    My understanding is the Ceros isn't pneumatic. It uses a 12 volt brushless motor. The transformer (120 volt to 12 volt) is a heavy duty box with a skinny cord to the sander body. That's why the Ceros is smaller and shaped like a pneumatic sander.

    I have the festool 150 and love it. Mainly due it's lack of vibration (my 5" Porter-Cable would leave my hands numb after a sanding session).

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    3,063
    Hi Prashun,

    How much electric cord does Mirka give you from the converter to the sander? I'm wondering if I can land the converter on the bottom of my workbench and be able to reach where I need to without having to move it. I didn't find that info on the Mirka site.

    Thanks, Brian
    Brian

    "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger or more complicated...it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." - E.F. Schumacher

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    3,063
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Tymchak View Post
    Hi Prashun,

    How much electric cord does Mirka give you from the converter to the sander? I'm wondering if I can land the converter on the bottom of my workbench and be able to reach where I need to without having to move it. I didn't find that info on the Mirka site.

    Thanks, Brian
    I just found a 12' extension cord on the mirka online site, so cord length should not be an issue.

    Thanks, Brian
    Brian

    "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger or more complicated...it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." - E.F. Schumacher

  7. #7
    I do the same. I keep the converter well away from my workbench while I'm sanding. The limiting factor will likely more be your hose to your shopvac. I'd recommend the Porter Cable or Festool hoses with appropriate adapters. Using a 2" hose is unwieldy.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Bel Air, Maryland
    Posts
    535
    This is great input! Thank you all!

    I use a 2" hose and it's horrible!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    1,356
    I will check into the Ceros; Until the wife his Lotto, though, going to stick with Festool 5"

    A lot is technique.
    David
    Confidence: That feeling you get before fully understanding a situation (Anonymous)

  10. #10
    You might want to wait for the new Festool ETS EC sander, check the review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zphGmjTlUo4

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    5,582
    If you go with the Dewalt, keep in mind the on off switch is kinda unreliable. See recent thread discussing the Dewalt's turning on by themselves

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,648
    I have the Bosch ROS65VC-6" sander and like it - a LOT. It's a lot cheaper than the Festool, has very low vibration, better on board DC, can be hooked up to an external vacuum though I never have, and leaves no swirl marks, or at least none that I can see. You also can buy it in kit form with both the 5" and 6" pads and nice case. Give it a close look before drinking the green Kool-Aide.

    John

  13. #13
    The Ceros is easily the best electric sander I've ever used...hands down, even compared to Festool. That said, before the Ceros I used basic Porter Cable sanders...nothing special. Just their run of the mill ROS, and a Speed Bloc (which I still use). It's the same as with any sander. If you want swirl marks to go away, slow down....WAY down. Go as slowly as you can without being bored to tears, and then go half as slow as that. Seriously. I'm typing this on my laptop, and I'm looking at the screen. I would estimate it would take me about 20 to 30 seconds to sand the entire screen with a 5" ROS.

    The temptation is to go over everything quickly, and to do it multiple times. That's what I see...back and forth, back and forth. That will guarantee swirl marks with any sander. If what you're doing resembles this, give my way a try once and see if that doesn't fix your problem for free

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton View Post
    Swirl marks are a technique problem. Each successively finer abrasive grit is supposed to remove sanding marks left by coarser grit, leaving behind finer scratches. As you work through the grits, those last scratches get finer and finer until they disappear. If you leave scratches from a coarse grit, the really fine abrasive near the end of the process may not be able to take them out. The fix is to go back to coarser grit, sand out the problem, and go back through the succession of grits.

    Yeah, the Festool 6" is my main sander. It does a good job.
    Well, to be technical about it, the scratches never actually disappear, they just get finer and finer until you can no longer see them. There will always be scratches, that's the nature of abrasives. The trick, as you say, is to make sure that you sand out the scratches with each successive grit before moving on.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Columbus, Ohio, USA
    Posts
    3,441
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Dowell View Post
    Right now, I've only got one hand sander and I use it for almost everything. It's a Dewalt D26453 variable speed RO with 3/32" stroke. http://www.dewalt.com/tools/woodwork...s-d26453k.aspx

    <snip>
    I think I mentioned once before about my skin being thick. If your opinion is that my sander is fine and the problem is the operator - fair enough. I was just hoping to hear "yeah that sander is junk, get a real sander and check back in".

    Anyone care to weigh in?
    I have no problems with that sander. I own that sander and I own the Festool. I have no particular preference most of the time. For certain, if I am using something to collect dust (vacuum), I prefer the Festool because it all integrates so nicely. Not so much on the Dewalt (at least I have not found a nice way to connect things to the dust port apart from the included bag).

    When you say that you have scratches, the first thing that comes to mind is related to how much downward pressure is used against the wood. Typically, this means that I am using dust collection (vacuum) with too much suction. Do you have the swirls without the vacuum and only using the bag?

    For me, that is the usual culprit anyway. If not, I hope that you are not pushing down on the sander, that will also cause problems.

    If you use a variable suction vacuum, I expect you to adjust the suction until it just holds the sander down. Also, what sand paper do you use? Is it a decent paper? I use primarily norton and mirka with my Dewalt and of course Festool on my Festool.

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •