5" sander question

[Toolpig]

I'm doing a lot of exterior paint prep.  Stripped all the wood trim bare with an infrared heat stripper and some coarse sandpaper.  Using the 5" DeWalt with 60-grit (on bare wood) just prior to painting, but it's going through paper every 5-10 minutes with less than stellar results.

How is the ETS 125 EQ for paint prep?  I probably won't bother hooking it up to the vacuum, as I'm up on staging, ladders, etc.  Just not practical.

Jason

 

[Hergy]

Might want to think again about using a vac. Removal of the dust and debris could be helpful in making your paper last longer and preventing clogging. I think I have heard that one of the reasons the Festool paper lasts longer is because of the superior dust removal. You could certainly test it out easily with and without a vac.

 

[Toolpig]

I'm fully aware of this.  I own several Festool sanders and use the vac regularly. 

However, as I mentioned, it's not practical in this case.  I'm up on a rooftop sanding facias, rake-boards, trim on dormers, etc.

JW

 

[Brice Burrell]

Jason, the ETS 125 is an aggressive sander, it has a 2 mm (5/64") stroke so it won't remove a lot of layers of old paint. It will do a good job to clean up the residue left behind from infrared heat stripping. I'd try the Cristal paper because it's for the toughest jobs and resist clogging pretty well. For sanding the paint without any heat or chemical stripping think about one of the Rotex sander. 

 

[nickao]

The new porter cable BLOWS the ETS 125 out of the water, period. I have both, to me there is no comparison the PC is much more aggressive and sands up identical items almost twice as fast. Actually, I believe the ETS is great if you want low vibration, but NOT nearly as aggressive as the Milwaukee or the Bosch,  the PC 390 is exactly what you need(unless you have very small hands).

Porter Cable 390

Check out October 2008 issue of WOOD magazine if you can. The Festool is great and smooth, but aggressiveness is not its forte'. Of course if you can hold up the RO 5" or 6" that is the best for stripping without question. Bosch version is great too, if you can go 6":

Bosch 6"

Nickao

 

[Toolpig]

Thanks Brice.

I did use the 6" ROTEX to get down to bare wood.  I would only be using the ETS 125 to sand bare wood and "feather" any areas where the paint is still adhering well.  I'd basically just be using it as a "finish" sander.

Jason

Jason, the ETS 125 is an aggressive sander, it has a 2 mm (5/64") stroke so it won't remove a lot of layers of old paint. It will do a good job to clean up the residue left behind from infrared heat stripping. I'd try the Cristal paper because it's for the toughest jobs and resist clogging pretty well. For sanding the paint without any heat or chemical stripping think about one of the Rotex sander. 

 

[Toolpig]

How is the new Porter Cable sander with dust collection?  Better than the Festool?

JW

The new porter cable BLOWS the ETS 125 out of the water, period. I have both, to me there is no comparison the PC is much more aggressive and sands up identical items almost twice as fast. Actually, I believe the ETS is great if you want low vibration, but NOT nearly as aggressive as the Milwaukee or the Bosch,  the PC 390 is exactly what you need(unless you have very small hands).

Porter Cable 390

Check out October 2008 issue of WOOD magazine if you can. The Festool is great and smooth, but aggressiveness is not its forte'. Of course if you can hold up the RO 5" or 6" that is the best for stripping without question. Bosch version is great too, if you can go 6":

Bosch 6"

Nickao

 

[nickao]

Well, I get almost 100% dust collection from all the festool sanders so I do not see any sander being better at dust collection than the Festools. The PC is equivalent in dust collection(ie no dust)to the Festool when hooked up to a vac or collector.

 

[Toolpig]

The Porter Cable appears to have the exact same vacuum hose/bag port as my older DeWalt.  I hate this type of connection.  The oblong/oval-shaped plastic coupling with the rubber o-ring loves to fall off the sander when I'm working with the vacuum hose attached.  Do you have that problem at all?  Also, are you able to use your Festool hose with it?

Jason

Well, I get almost 100% dust collection from all the festool sanders so I do not see any sander being better at dust collection than the Festools. The PC is equivalent in dust collection(ie no dust)to the Festool when hooked up to a vac or collector.

 

[nickao]

No its not an issue for me(I always sand at an MFT with boom arm)and I use the Festool hose. You do NOT connect the hose to the oval part of the sander, but the oval fitting stays on and the round hose connects to the adapter where the dust canister would connect. The hose hasn't come off yet, I'll continue to keep an eye on it.

I'll try to get some of my personal pictures posted.

Here is a picture off Amazon

Nickao

 

[ScooterX]

I do a lot of on-site work on ladders and scaffold. for light stuff I use my DTS 400 (very lightweight and doesn't leave my hands numb) and for heavy stuff the Rotex. I use BOTH with the dust extractor. I have the CT Mini and I either haul it up the scaffold (that's why I got the mini - less weight) or I use an extension hose. i don't do ladder work above 20' - that's what scaffolds are for - so the extra hose fits the bill.

in my line of work, i can't have dust on the surface when i paint.

 

[Toolpig]

So I got the sander.  It was an early birthday present.  ;D

It's much less aggressive than my older DeWalt, so it'll get used mostly as a fine finish sander.  Great little sander though.  A nice addition to my ever-growing collection of Festool sanders.

JW

I do a lot of on-site work on ladders and scaffold. for light stuff I use my DTS 400 (very lightweight and doesn't leave my hands numb) and for heavy stuff the Rotex. I use BOTH with the dust extractor. I have the CT Mini and I either haul it up the scaffold (that's why I got the mini - less weight) or I use an extension hose. i don't do ladder work above 20' - that's what scaffolds are for - so the extra hose fits the bill.

in my line of work, i can't have dust on the surface when i paint.

 

[Peterm]

So I got the sander....

Congratulations; which one did you go for?

 

[Toolpig]

ETS 125

So I got the sander....

Congratulations; which one did you go for?