Killed Another Sander

Vaughn McMillan

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ABQ NM
I'm having a devil of a time with sanders lately. A couple weekends ago, my 6" Ridgid (post-Metabo, Chinese made) ROS died in the middle of sanding a cutting board. I'd had this sander for maybe 6 months...long enough that I couldn't return it under the 90-day return policy. Since I was working under a time crunch and didn't have time to deal with sending it off the the factory for warranty service (it's got a 3-year warranty), I went to Depot de Casa (where the announcements are in Spanish) and picked up another one of the same sanders. I liked the sander and the way it worked. I figured the untimely death was a fluke.

Fast forward to this evening, and the new sander died in pretty much the same way -- midway through a sanding job. Bad words were said. :doh: Although this one will be going back to the Borg for an exchange tomorrow (since again, I need to replace it in a hurry), I'm starting to look at my other options for a 6" ROS.

I like the 6" ROS for fast stock removal; I have a little Ryobi 5" ROS that works like a champ for the finer stuff. A dust collection port that can be adapted to a shop vac hose is key. My first choice for a new 6" would be the Festool Rotex RO 150 FEQ dual-mode, but it's simply out of my price range. :( Next up is the Festool ETS 150/5 EQ with the 5 mm stroke. It's pushing the envelope budget-wise, but I get the impression from what I've read about the Festool sanders that I'd love it. Farther down the list, and about $100 easier on my wallet is the Metabo 6" ROS. I've heard good things about this one, but not a lot of folks seem to be using it. Now of course, the earlier Ridgid 6" ROS was a rebranded Metabo, but the only ones I've found at the stores are the newer Chinese-made clones. (Which, if you've been paying attention, have a thing about dying when you need them most.) :dunno: (The HD website is running a close-out sale on them right now, and although the pic on their website shows the Metabo version, I suspect they're shipping the Chinese version.)

Any suggestions? Should I just call Uncle Bob and get it over with? (I'd have to wait a bit for my wallet to recover from Christmas before I could make that call. :eek: Santa's already bringing me some cool stuff for my lathe, and I had to help him out a bit with the money.) I figure I'll be getting a full refund for one of my Ridgids, and getting the other one repaired, but I won't ever rely on the remaining one to do a job.
 
Don't get the green Bosch, I have one, and it is dying a slow death, I too need to pony up for a new one, and my choice will be Festool, if I can swing it as well.

I have had some luck with Makita, and some guys swear by the PC ROS, but we don't get them over here.

If all else fails, you could get one fo these...........

round-sanding-block-lg.jpg
Only $13 and think of how much your grip would improve with that work out! :D

sand_block.jpg

Then there is the old standby, easy on the wallet for sure! :thumb: :rofl:
 
That's bad news about the Ridgid switch away from Metabo for their 6 inch sander. :( Just last week, I recommneded the Ridgid sander to a friend who did not want to fork out the money for the Festool Rotex. Now, I will have to get in touch with him and warn him about your experience Vaughn.
 
Vaughn I have one for free .

I have my old 5" Dewalt. That you can have for free if you interested. Tried to sell it a while back when I bought my Festool sanders. Let me know.

Russ
 
I just tossed my P-C ROS (5" model 333). It had this irritating habit of ejecting the plastic dust cannister from time to time in the middle of sanding sessions. Last weekend I was sanding the new oak stair treads I had just installed, and guess what? Yep, it blasted out that cannister (nearly full), creating a huge dust cloud that settled onto every surface in my house. My LOML was not amused. Neither was I after we both spent a couple hours cleaning everything in sight.

I realize that ROS's, by their very nature, do not collect dust well on their own. Can anyone recommend a good one (under $100) that adapts well to a shop vacuum? Either 5" or 6" - it doesn't matter. Thanks.

Cheers,

Kevin
 
Kevin, I've had good luck using a shop vac with the PC ROS. Sears had a reducer that allowed a hook up to the PC and the normal vac hose.

Vaughn, with all those nice cutting boards you're selling you should be ready to pony up for a Festool. To quote (or mis-quote) someone's sig. line "Buy quality, cry once, buy poor quality, cry all the time."
 
My Bosch has served me well. Hooked to the shop vac and very pleased with it so far. 4 or 5 years old now.

Jeff
Off the hardware store trying to finish that last gift!
 
I realize that ROS's, by their very nature, do not collect dust well on their own. Can anyone recommend a good one (under $100) that adapts well to a shop vacuum? Either 5" or 6" - it doesn't matter. Thanks.

Cheers,

Kevin

kevin, i`m afraid for a "good" electric sander that has dust collection that actually works festool is the only answer........if air will work for you there are more options......dynabrade, dotco ect......tod
 
Thanks for all the feedback, guys.

You're on your own for this one, Vaughn! :rofl:
Man, some friend you are. :wave:

I have my old 5" Dewalt. That you can have for free if you interested. Tried to sell it a while back when I bought my Festool sanders. Let me know.

Russ
I appreciate the offer Russ, but I'm really looking to find a 6" instead.

...
I realize that ROS's, by their very nature, do not collect dust well on their own. Can anyone recommend a good one (under $100) that adapts well to a shop vacuum? Either 5" or 6" - it doesn't matter. Thanks.

Cheers,

Kevin
Kevin, my 5" ROS is this one, and despite all the things I've read about Ryobi being cheap stuff, that little sander has been a real workhorse for me (and for way under $100). I got one of the stepped cone-shaped shop vac adapters and duct taped it to the dust port, and rigged up like that, the DC is very acceptable.

...Vaughn, with all those nice cutting boards you're selling you should be ready to pony up for a Festool. To quote (or mis-quote) someone's sig. line "Buy quality, cry once, buy poor quality, cry all the time."
That's what I keep thinking about...how many boards (or other stuff) do I need to sell to afford the Festool? And I fully agree about the "cry once" sentiment. ;)

Thanks again guys -
 
Vaughn, I used to go through about 2 Sears sanders a year, just figured that it was a normal thing. Then I bought a PC Quicksand ROS and I’ve never needed another one…well actually I have two PC’s, one H&L and one PSA.
I’m not saying the PC is the best out there, but it’s in a different league from the Craftsman.
 
My Makitas worked really well for me, but both of them died close to the same time... in mid project (of course they don't die while sitting on the shelf between projects...how inconsiderate).

I bit the bullet and (kicking and screaming) called Uncle Bob. Even considered a refurbished unit. The 150-3 has a very fine stroke, so I had to start with coarser paper than I normally used on the Makitas, but it works very well. If you are going to do a fair amount of rougher sanding, I would go for the 150-5 or Rotex. But Bob is a good counselor.
 
When I was talking shop with Jason (Tuinstra) he said Bob recommend the 150/5 if you going to buy just one sander.

How bout' Vaughn " The Sander Slayer":rofl: :thumb:
 
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Fein makes some darn nice sanders, too, and are worth consideration in the electric arena, maybe the best (but dont say that too loudly around the festoolies). I have worked with them for years in production environments and they are excellent. I bought the festool to save money! cause the Feins were a bit more expensive. I also own two festools, original rotex and 150 es3, love them both for different reasons. 90% of the time I reach for the 150es3. If you plan to sand, stain and finish. The es3 is a must -- the 5mm orbit leaves more swirlies. If all you plan to do is clearcoat without use any pigment based colors, then the 5mm orbit will be fine and faster, but just barely. Though, I still covet the Fein 8" ROS. But how does a part timer justify that luxury.
 
I have a question. I think that Vaughn is doeing cutting boards and this is where he is wearing out the sanders. My question is is a ROS the correct tools for what he is doing. Maybe he nees soome sort of a drum or belt sander. Just a passing thought.
Yeah Don, 90% of my sanding has been cutting boards, but not full time...more in spurts. Not enough (IMHO) to burn up sanders at quite the rate I've seen with the Ridgids. I'd like a drum sander, but don't have the room or dust collection for one now. :( Plus, a benchtop drum sander isn't really cut out for rapid material removal, like flattening a cutting board glue-up.

And in response to Sam's comments...thanks for the info about the 5mm stroke leaving swirlies. I didn't think about that. So far I've not done any "fine" woodwork that was stained, and my cutting boards are sanded to 220 or 320, then oiled with mineral oil, so they're not a nice clear coat finish. I think for now my 5" ROS would work for the final sanding passes on projects where I'm using a critical finish. I'm looking for something that removes material quickly with 80 grit, but isn't quite as aggressive as a belt sander with 120 grit. (Dunno if that makes sense.) The belt sander is good for getting the big stuff knocked down, but the ROS is easier to run evenly and it typically has better dust collection.

Sander Slayer huh? I resemble that remark. :rolleyes: ;)
 
To go TOTALLY off on a tangent here..... :rolleyes:

The cutting boards that you make, they are pretty much the same sizes, are they not?

Well, why not set up a router sled to make them nearly perfectly flat, then do a final sand with the ROS........?

You could easily attach a sacrificial outside edge that is just thicker than the thickest part of the board, that way the boar would sit flat on the jig, and be square, then route one side flat, flip it over, and route the other side flat.

With the small size of these cutting boards, in relation to a table, for example, I'm sure you could just make a LARGE base that would span the cutting boards, then an edge that is wrapped around the cutting board, and route away.

With one of them dish carving bits.........
16j2616bh.jpg


One of them, you could surely do this MUCH faster, and neater than with a stinking ROS....?

But I could be missing something too...? :huh:

Cheers!
 
Stu, I've router sledded a few end grain boards with said dish carving bit, and the end result is no smoother (and often less smooth) than the belt sander leaves. Messier, too, even than the belt sander. Here are a couple shots showing the process...this was before I got a dish carving bit, but the routed surface is similar.

HPIM2619 800.jpg HPIM2623 800.jpg

It's good for taking off lots of material (1/8"+) or evening out a very uneven glue-up, but for the finer cuts, the sled would add time, not reduce it, IME. Most of my glue-ups are pretty even to begin with -- I use cauls to keep the pieces aligned horizontally -- but sometimes things get a bit out of whack and I need to remove a bit more material. My purpose for the 6" ROS is as a step after the belt sander, or if the belt sander's not needed, then the ROS is the first step as well as the finish sander.
 
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