boat building - sanders

[tedzap]

Collecting tools for an upcoming boat build.    23' boat with cuddy cabin and pilot house.    It will be plywood construction covered in epoxy and fiberglass.    Lots of sanding in my future, and I am very interested in minimizing the dust.    Looking for the best sander(s) and dust collection system.

In general, the boat has large flat fiberglass surfaces, but there will also be a good amount of tight work.    Prep work is critical to the end result (you guys already know that) and the right setup will help me to stick with it and not quit early (sacrificing quality).

First glance makes me think that the RO150 would be a good workhorse for the big stuff, but it seems many people prefer some of the lighter 6" models for day to day use.    Thoughts?    A lot of the work will be done in situ, and be at odd angles.  What would be the recommended sander for the corner and tight work?   

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Ted 

 

[Theshipstore]

Ted    I have used the RO 150 for a while now sanding boat hulls and decks for my fiberglass repairs and bottom preps for paint, for the tighter work I move to the RO 90 and I have had little issues to date. I get thru the job on a fairly decent time period which in turn makes more money for me.
I use my midi for dust collection and have no issues with that either
Sal

 

[RONWEN]

The Festool engineers hit a home run with the RO90 sander -- With rotex action round disks and the triangular pads for tight corners, etc.  Marketing is always careful about introducing products that cut into the sales of their other products however the RO90 must do just that with the DX93 and RO125 sanders.

 

[Kev]

If money isn't an object ...

RAS 115, RO 150, RO 90, ETS 150/3 and LS130 for the fine shapes.

That's my choice of kit and I'm only focused on a small a dinghy, with larger boats to come.

 

[nickao]

I like Kev's list a lot.

For me everything except the LS130 is essential. I used my LS130 twice, that's why I sold it. For some I could see the 130 being a regularly used tool.

 

[tedzap]

Thanks for the input.    I think I will get the two RO sanders for now (90 and 150).     Which vacuum would you recommend?    

 

[Stone Message]

I do not know what hazards the dust from fibreglass produces but I have the CT26 - it is brilliant. I have spent the day sanding everything from old paint, old varnish, uneven plaster and MDF and all of this has been done in Mrs Miggens lovely house with no dust sheets at all. She made me cups of tea all day and you could not see any dust in the air even on the sunny side of the house.

Peter

 

[tedzap]

that is sorta where I was...    RO90, RO150, and CT26.  Good starting place, will probably opt for the boom.  Looks to practical to pass up.

 

[nickao]

Any of the Ct's ae very nice.

I chose the largest I could get at the time the 33, now I would go even larger. I never take the CT's out of the shop and use them with boom arms. On the rare occasion I venture out and need something off site I take the Feins.

 

[bruegf]

I'd go with an RO150 and an RO90 with a CT vac for dust collection.  Gives you lots of power and flexibility w/ top notch dust collection.

What boat are you planning to build.  Sounds a bit like the Redwing 23 I've been considering.

Fred

 

[tedzap]

Fred,

I am looking at a stretched Tolman Widebody...    My fishing grounds are 30-70 miles away.    That Redwind would be a fun cruiser though.

 

[bruegf]

I've looked at those as well.  Definitely better suited to your purpose than the Redwing.  I've been looking more for a boat than can get me there cheaply rather than quickly.  You might want to take a look at the Bluejacket boats by Tom Lathrop.  Can plane at a reasonable speed and are still very economical, although the Tolman would be better for rough water.

http://www.bluejacketboats.com/

You need to use Internet Explorer rather than Firefox to view his site (w/ Firefox you need to click and drag to highlight the entire page to read the text).

Fred

 

[stevep]

I do not know what hazards the dust from fibreglass produces but ?.....

Epoxy can be nasty stuff, both before and after it's cured. The main risk is contact dermatitis. It is possible to work with epoxy with no apparent ill-effects, but then suddenly become sensitised to it such that the merest exposure (just a touch of sanding dust or a whiff of an open can) will trigger quite severe reactions. I'd make fairly sure you use all the PPE you can, ie disposable hooded overalls, nitrile rubber gloves, the right grade of dust mask, barrier cream etc, as well as making sure your extractor is always 100% effective.

 

[Stone Message]

I think Steve has identified some important points - I hope that someone will confirm whether the normal CT range is good or if one of the special ones should be used. I have had another day sanding all sorts, including MDF, in Mrs Miggens house and my CTL26 has been the hero of the day.

Gosh, I must have been busy - I am nearly out of sanding disks!

Peter

 

[Scott B.]

Ted

The RO150 for sure.

As to the tight corner work, this is one of those rare occasions where I will vote for the DX93. It is runs the same delta abrasive as the RO90. While I grab the RO90 for 90% of the delta sanding I do these days, you fall into that 10% task realm where I think the delta specialist could be justified. While I appreciate the many, many functions of the RO90 (and use it constantly), if I am going to be doing hours upon hours of aggressive delta sanding, I will use the DX93. Keep in mind that the extraction with either one (90or 93) in delta is very poor compared to the typical festool extraction experience. The dx93 is a dirty little dog, but it is aggressive and can be used with surgical precision in a ergonomically friendly way because it is more barrel style than the ro90. The DX93 however, I do not find to be a brilliant finish stage sander, so on that end of the spectrum I would supplement the RO150 with a DTS400 for detailed in between coat sanding. I assume you will be using some badass coating like epifanes or captains.

If you are not familiar with the DX93, here is a picture. We used it for all the crevace sanding on a log cabin full strip last year and it was exceptional in that capacity - sanding failed Sikkens off logs in tight spaces. Its a workhorse, but a total specialist.

[attachimg=#]

 

[tedzap]

Good advice all.

Scott, is the DTS400 better at extraction than the 90 and 93?    That is one of my primary issues.    I am not currently sensitized to the epoxy dust, and would rather stay that way.

I think that many of you folks strive for a finish that is above and beyond what I looking for, as my final finish will be covered with a high build primer followed by paint.

The RO150 sounds like the basic starting place.

 

[AlexThePalex]

is the DTS400 better at extraction than the 90 and 93?  

The DTS 400 is the best at extraction of all of them (so are the RTS 400 and ETS 125, same family).

The built in fan of this type of sander is so effective you hardly need active dust extraction at all. But add that in the form of a CT vac and you get near perfect extraction.

I find the extraction of the small delta sanders like the 90 and 93 a bit disappointing, but I suspect it has something to do with the small footprint of the pad and thus inherent to the design.

 

[BJM9818]

I'm in the middle of a full gut of a 1972 Formula 233 center console.  I have the RO150, RO 90, LS130, RS/2 and RAS115.  I also have a Midi,CT36 and a UDD.

Doing glass work the one tool I would purchase first would be the RAS115 with a vacuum. Compared to using a grinder with the tyvek suite 3M 6900 full face mask and spray sock I can get away with jeans long sleeve shirt and a regular $4 dust mask. Buying that tool has changed the way I have been working.  while it takes a little longer than the grinder, the vac removes 90% of the dust generated when grinding glass. Makes for an almost enjoyable experience.

The RO150 is ok but if you want to cut down on the long boarding get the 1/2 sheet RS/2. It's a huge flat sander and is awesome. PM me if you have any more questions.

 

[Scott B.]

Good advice all.

Scott, is the DTS400 better at extraction than the 90 and 93?    That is one of my primary issues.    I am not currently sensitized to the epoxy dust, and would rather stay that way.

I think that many of you folks strive for a finish that is above and beyond what I looking for, as my final finish will be covered with a high build primer followed by paint.

The RO150 sounds like the basic starting place.

Yes, the DTS400 is off the charts better than the 90 and 93 in extraction. However, it is not as aggressive, so the work will be slower. It is also larger.

 

[RONWEN]

Good advice all.

Scott, is the DTS400 better at extraction than the 90 and 93?    That is one of my primary issues.    I am not currently sensitized to the epoxy dust, and would rather stay that way.

I think that many of you folks strive for a finish that is above and beyond what I looking for, as my final finish will be covered with a high build primer followed by paint.

The RO150 sounds like the basic starting place.

Yes, the DTS400 is off the charts better than the 90 and 93 in extraction. However, it is not as aggressive, so the work will be slower. It is also larger.

I may add the DTS400 to my tools simply because of it's size and it uses the same abrasives as the RO90 delta pads.  It is typical to invest greater than the price of the sander in the abrasives for it, sharing abrasives between machines eases that pain a bit.
The other plus for the DTS400 is it's short 2mm orbital stroke for very fine finishing.