Best Sander(s) for Cabinetry

[TheWarrior]

Very interested in utilizing Festool dust extraction to sand down cabinets pre-stain, and even between finish coats if feasible. I'm trying to start up a garage based cabinet shop and will benefit from any sander that can be hooked up to a vacuum. So which of the many Festool options would be best for sanding down sheets of plywood, yet can be gentle enough to give the light scuff needed between clear coats? Would there be one agile enough to also handle doing 1x2 face frame's interior sides?

Of relevance, I just ordered the Planex and CT36 AC, and am curious if it might be useful for at least doing coarse sanding on a 4x8 sheet just for sheer speed?

Thank you!

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

If you were only doing sheets of plywood, I would recommend the RS 2. But, for more versatility, consider the ETS 150/3. If you wanted to get by with only one sander, you could get the optional hard pad to swap for doing your thinner stock. The hard pad would help keep the pad from "giving" to make sure the corners stay crisp instead of rounding them over.

If you wanted to add a second sander, the DTS 400 would be a great companion. It gets into corners well and also would be perfect for those 1x2s.

Using a high grit for your scuff and any of those sanders would do the job.

Since you have the CT 36 AC, note that you will need a hose adapter or a 27mm hose to work with these other sanders.

The Planex is designed for walls, not plywood. I don't think you would be satisfied with the results if you tried it.

Shane

 

[Sparky]

I have both the ets 150-3 and the Dts 400 and build cabinets/ furniture in my spair time and they are fantastic sanders. Nect will be the rotex 150 I never would have believed I could actually kinda enjoy sanding tell using there wandering with dust extraction.

 

[TheWarrior]

Thanks guys. The ETS 150/3 and DTS 400 seem like they would make it a breeze. If I could have the sheets of plywood finish sanded before they're even cut, that would definitely stream line the process! Tho, I'd have to wear gloves to keep my own oils off the wood!

Oh, and Shane, thanks for pointing out the hose difference! I won't be ordering sanders just yet, and may have overlooked it once I get settled with the extractor as is.