Milwaukee 5" ROS (recon)

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Location
Central (upstate) NY
Just a pic right now to prove that it got here. I'll add some user comments later.

Milwaukee.JPG

I'm one of those folks who likes plastic molded cases for most tools, so this is a plus for me. The dust bag attaches to a plastic fixture capable of accepting either 1.25 or 2.5 inch shop vac hose.

I'm glad that the sander is, in fact, an 8 hole sander as I've purchased a bunch of 5" 8 hole disks in anticipation of the arrival. :D
 
Congrats, Mark. I suspect you're gonna really like having that in the arsenal. In my experience, I'd suggest you don't even bother with the little dust collection bag. Just go with a shop vac to extract the dust, and you'll be much happier. ;)
 
Well, as it turns out the item shipped with two PSA pads and no hook and loops pads. Guess what kind of sandpaper I had bought anticipating the arrival of the sander? Yep, hook and loop. I called the vendor behind Tooliday, Toolking, and they are shipping me out a hook and loop pad tomorrow.

I'll definitely be using the shop vac with the sander not the silly bag dealie. Those bag things I'm always tempted to just toss out when I get a new tool.

Anyways, it'll be another week most likely before I can sand my tabletop down to 320. Maybe I'll order some 400 and 800 grit disks from some guy on EBay while I wait - I think he's in Ontario, so I'll be supporting Rob's provincial economy. :rofl:
 
I don't think I could live without an ROS. Mine burned out about two weeks ago and I bought another the next day. Great scoop Mark.
 
Very nice tool Mark. I go to 320 with the ROS. Beyond that is by hand. I think there may be diminishing returns as you go to higher grits. I'd be interested to see if others have gone beyond and what results they get.

Great score there my friend.
 
The dust bag attaches to a plastic fixture capable of accepting either 1.25 or 2.5 inch shop vac hose.

I was wrong. The dust bag attaches to a plastic fixture that looks like it should hook right up to a 1.25 or 2.5 inch shop vac hose. The plastic dealie is compatible with a 1.25" male shop vac but it does not look like it is possible to hook it up to a 2.5" system without some finagling. Guess which size shop vac system I use? :eek: :doh:

Thankfully I have one of those universal adapter dealies, so I was able to plug my shop vac into the vacuum port.

The only other ROS I've used is the 6" Ridgid (the model put out before the one currently sold, I believe it was made by Metabo). Compared to that unit, this one feels very small - not just the size of the disk, but the whole unit - I'm kind of glad that my universal adapter is prone to popping off, as holding it in place is about the only way to have two hands on the unit.

The power switch is on the front of the unit, and not where any part of my hand would naturally be holding the thing for sanding. My Ridgid uses a squeeze lever trigger on the handle. I wish the switch was located closer to where my hand would be.

On the other hand, this Milwaukee 5" unit is much less tippy than the Ridgid.

For large panels, I will likely use the 6" to 220 grit and then hit the piece with the 5" for 320 grit before sanding to 400 grit by hand.

Milwaukee has made a very stable unit to use, though the power switch isn't located in a very natural place. The incompatibility with 2.5" vacuum hose is a bit irritating, but the unit is compatible with 1.25" hose out of the box. An added feature is that pads for hook and loop or PSA backed paper are included with the sander.
 
Mary, my 5" ROS also only has the 1 1/4" hose connection, and I have the 2 1/2" hose on my shop vac. And like you, my adaptor doesn't want to stay in place, so I duct taped it in place. That way I can use it one-handed, which is especially handy when sanding edges of boards.
 
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