Art of Sanding

[Lonsdale73]

I was so impressed with the Festool Domino I added a TS55 and now an RO150. When I last did woodwork with any regularity, sandpaper consisted of coarse, medium and fie grades and that was it. My question is what should I be attaching to my RO150 and how should I be using it to do things like remove pencil markings, machine cuts, smooth out joints and leave wood nice and smooth ready to receive a finish?

 

[tjbnwi]

For the pencil marks, if that is all that is need 180 should work.

Machine marks and joints, I go 100 or 120 to start, depends on the "marks". 150, finish with 180 in most cases.

If you're working with veneers, start with 150, the veneers are very thin.

I use the Rotex mode, it takes practice and getting used to.

Tom

 

[ear3]

And even though they specify Rubin as the abrasive for raw wood, I think the consensus is that Granat is the best all-around option.  Granat lasts longer and in my experience cuts faster.

If you are doing veneers, you might want to operate the sander in RO mode instead of gear driven, Rotex mode, which will burn through the veneer in the blink of an eye if you're not careful.  The RO150 is probably Festool's best all around sander, and can handle most sanding situations (except corners and maybe edges), but I no longer sand veneers with the RO150 since I got the finer stroke ETS 150/3.

There's several different approaches to sanding with the Rotex, each with its own adherents on the FOG.  Here's the method I followed when I first got started with the machine:


 

 

[Lou in DE]

Here's a pretty good rundown of the Festool papers:

Festool sandpapers

 

[Birdhunter]

One of my early experiences was to sand a piece I was making using the coarse, medium, fine grits. I then applied the finish only to see areas that needed more sanding. The finish made the rough areas pop out.

Now, I start with 100 and work down to 320 and then use abrasive pads that are equivalent to 400 and 600. After each grit, I closely eye the wood for areas that might need a little more work. It's laborious, but I seldom find rough areas after I apply finish. Another trick is to wipe down the sanded wood with mineral spirits before applying finish. The mineral spirits will make rough areas pop just like the finish will.

I use a RO125 for the coarser grits, but switch to an ETS for the finer grits. I find the ETS easier to control.

 

[Lonsdale73]

Thanks all; some 120/150/180 Granat ordered.

 

[DzordanoBruno]

I use this method:
80 • 100 • 120 • 150 • 180 • 220 • 320

And the finish is really smooth and crispy. This tip from Woodman.

Link:http://askwoodman.com/2010/06/12/important-sanding-tip-for-all-woodworkers/

Edit: All papers are Granat + RO150

 

[Bohdan]

My question is what should I be attaching to my RO150 and how should I be using it to do things like remove pencil markings,

The best way to remove pencil marks is to use an eraser. If you sand the mark the graphite dust tends to be rubbed into the fresh wood grain and you have to sand deeper to remove it completely.

I actually go up to 320 grit which is handy for cutting back sealer on the RO150 and I use old (as in well used) 600 by hand, on a cork block covered with felt, to take the nips off intermediate finish coats.

 

[Holmz]

... My question is what should I be attaching to my RO150 and how should I be using it to do things like remove pencil markings, machine cuts, smooth out joints and leave wood nice and smooth ready to receive a finish?

I would attach a vacuum to it.

I usually start at 180 if it looks bad, or just chuck on 240 with an orbital. Maybe a RO differs?

Bohdan mentioned 320, which is also a good stoping point, as well as an eraser (aka Rubber).

 

[Birdhunter]

Obviously, you should attach a vac and experiment with how much "suck" to use if your vac has variable power I usually set my vac at 50% for sanding.

If I have lots of very rough material to remove, I'll attach an 80 or 100 and set the sander to aggressive mode. After working down to 120, I switch to fine mode and work down to 230. If I'm just doing a touch up bit of sanding, I start in fine mode with 220.

I'd suggest working on scrap until you get the hang of sanding with an RO sander. Be careful sanding box corners. If you have glued the box together before you have thoroughly sanded the sides, you can really mess up the look of the corners with overly aggressive sanding.

 

[Holmz]

Has anyone used the Mirka Abradnet screens on their RO sanders?

 

[Lonsdale73]

Obviously, you should attach a vac and experiment with how much "suck" to use if your vac has variable power I usually set my vac at 50% for sanding.

Ah, glad you mentioned that. My previous ROS was a block of wood powered by elbow grease and lung-driven dust control so been wondering how best to use the RO190, guessing downward pressure is probably counter-productive? Should my hands be doing little more than guiding the tool, allowing a combination of it's weight and suction from the vac to determine the degree of force exerted?

 

[MrGinCT]

I love my Mirka Arrant sanding disks.  The cut great and last a long time.  Do yourself a big favor and buy an interface pad as it'll save your Festool pad from quickly wearing out.

 

[Peter_C]

The RO150 is a beast when needed and can shred material. It can also polish so a few polishing pads are good to have around too. In fact I gave my dedicated polisher to a friend, and now use the RO150 for polishing vehicles etc.

I have a lot of sand paper, but it is something like this, although I might be off a little. All of it is Granat, except the 24grit (36?).
24, 36, 60, 80, 120, 180, 220, 280, 320, 400, 500.

For someone not wanting to spend as much on sandpaper, as the too itself, I believe Lee Valley and at least one other store offer a "kit" of sandpaper that has a nice selection, without buying 50-100 packs of each. That would be my recommendation.

 

[Lonsdale73]

For someone not wanting to spend as much on sandpaper, as the too itself, I believe Lee Valley and at least one other store offer a "kit" of sandpaper that has a nice selection, without buying 50-100 packs of each. That would be my recommendation.

Yes, I suspect there are a lot of Brits eagerly hoping LV open a store over here, selling some hard to get over here goods at US prices

 

[TomE]

A battery powered electric eraser comes in real handy for pencil marks prior to starting a sanding regimen.
Need a pretty good supply of refills and bit of batteries however.
Most can be had for under $10 including a batch of refills.