Belt sander vs Rotex

[Crazyraceguy]

No I have not used a sanding frame and never plan too... Im more of a plane it kind of guy.  Nothing against those who like a belt sander with or without a frame but I would rather have the control and shavings instead of using an old dust generator.  I still have a old 4x24 PC belt sander the good ol' kind when it was still made in America up in the attic. Similar to birdhunter untouched for 20 years.

The only belt sander I have ever used consistently was the tiny Porter Cable 2.5"x 14", but they discontinued it a few years ago. I don't really know why. Everyone I know loved them, but maybe that's because I know cabinet people and installers? Just not enough volume of sales to hobby/DIY guys?
We have several of the full sized ones around the shop, some guys like them, but not for me.
When my little PC was destroyed I essentially replaced it with an RO90. It does the same tasks that I used that little belt sander for, mostly. I would still buy one, if they were available, but I have adapted and moved on.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

OK, but isnt that MFS a little limited on size?

Not really, there are ad-on extrusions for it up to 2m in one piece. They are silly expensive though.
The smallest set is something like $400? That gets you 200mm x 400mm, which might be great in certain circumstances, but seems small for most?

 

[Cheese]

OK, but isnt that MFS a little limited on size?

Not at all...the rails are 200, 400, 700, 1000 & 2000mm long. You hook them up in any configuration you want. And if you're space constrained, you just disassemble them and now you're storing flat extrusions.

If you need something longer than 2000mm the rails connect together with aluminum connectors.

[attachimg=1]

 

[GoingMyWay]

Sedge recently covered the MFS on his sedgetool channel:

 

[mino]

This is one bad thread.

I am gonna have to buy that broken BS105 a friend is selling and get the frame for it while parts are around.

 

[Svar]

Have you thought about building a sled for a router and a surfacing bit to get it close?

Easier yet is an MFS and a router.

Nah. You still need two more rails to use MFS as a gantry. Doable, but will not be my first choice. If you want to go aluminum, getting 4 pieces of 80/20 extrusions will be better.

 

[afish]

and way cheaper... but this is FOG

 

[waho6o9]

MFS rocks just level out some plywood edges and level away.

View attachment 1

 

[Cheese]

Nah. You still need two more rails to use MFS as a gantry. Doable, but will not be my first choice. If you want to go aluminum, getting 4 pieces of 80/20 extrusions will be better.

C'mon Svar...you're smarter than that. Sometimes I think you just enjoy trolling people.

I'm sure the OP's joints don't need to have 1"-2" of material height removed, it's probably just that little bit that stands a bit proud. Belt sander, RA grinder, Rotex, RAS, bastard file, steak knife, cheese grater...MFS with a router, they all work. There's probably no need for a 4" Z axis adjustment. 

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I wouldn't have thought of the MFS as the gantry part, at least initially, more like the MFS as the rails with a longer shop-built plate to span the rails.
In this instance, that would be fairly long extrusions for the MFS.
I really would like to have one, but I just can't see the value versus the cost

 

[Cheese]

I wouldn't have thought of the MFS as the gantry part, at least initially, more like the MFS as the rails with a longer shop-built plate to span the rails.
In this instance, that would be fairly long extrusions for the MFS.
I really would like to have one, but I just can't see the value versus the cost

Well the strange thing is they still offer the MFS routing slide in the US, but not the rails.
https://www.festoolusa.com/accessory/495648---mfs-fs#Overview

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I wouldn't have thought of the MFS as the gantry part, at least initially, more like the MFS as the rails with a longer shop-built plate to span the rails.
In this instance, that would be fairly long extrusions for the MFS.
I really would like to have one, but I just can't see the value versus the cost

Well the strange thing is they still offer the MFS routing slide in the US, but not the rails.
https://www.festoolusa.com/accessory/495648---mfs-fs#Overview

Someone has one to sell through Amazon, but they want $459 for it plus $160 for shipping.

 

[afish]

Its really very simple to make.  You dont even need a big bed like some people make.  You could easily make the rails so they clamp to the legs after everything is assembled.  This video has some good tips and shows how simple it can be. 

 

[mino]

I wouldn't have thought of the MFS as the gantry part, at least initially, more like the MFS as the rails with a longer shop-built plate to span the rails.
In this instance, that would be fairly long extrusions for the MFS.
I really would like to have one, but I just can't see the value versus the cost

IMO the biggest value points of the MFS are:
1) it is pre-designed by someone for you
2) it is compact and flexible to both use and store

Both make lots of sense for a hobby user or a one-man-shop in the centre of a city where shop space is an absolute premium. Think NYC or London etc. Not much value for a proper shop with space for multiple one-task jigs and the skill to make them.

 

[Bertotti]

RO90 RO150 and a 3" Craftsman belt sander. All have their place and all take care using because they remove material quickly. I also found that the belt sander connected to the ct26 collected a lot more sanding dust when the ct was set back between half and three-quarters vacuum. Like we do for the Rotex. I also made a router sled. The sled works great and is simple to build and made it even easier to clean up with the Ro150. For ruff sanding large areas, I still use the belt sander then after getting mostly level switch to the RO. I can be much more level using the router jig, but it makes a mess!

 

[Michael Kellough]

Get really fancy and make a sled for the belt sander and keep the cutting/abrasion parallel to the grain.

 

[Coen]

Or just buy the beltsander in set with the sled.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Or just buy the beltsander in set with the sled.

That's not exactly easy in the US. In fact I had never even heard of such a thing until I became a member here.

 

[simnick]

OP here

Note I was talking about sanding plywood edge grain, not the face. I'm using baltic birch as an aesthetic.

Yeah, I don't get why sanding frames / shoes aren't a thing in the US, but apparently belt sanders aren't really a thing anymore, given that Bosch discontinued all models in the US, and most brands have less and less models available, and none with frames.

The top of the plywood was tolerable, as I glued it up independently and then planed it, but if it had been worse, a router sled would have been in order. The harder part was the sides, and that's where I wanted a better tool.

It seems like the RO150 might work well for smaller areas like those sides, where a jig might be hard, or to clean up post-jig.
Still sad about lack of sanding frames.

 

[rst]

Actually there is an available sanding frame for the 9404 4 x 24 sander...Makita 193072-3 Sanding Shoe Set 9404 from Amazon