Can my Festool sanders replace an oscillating spindle sander?

[bwehman]

I'm taking a hard look at pre-Festool tools and evaluating their place in my shop. The OSS came under the microscope yesterday and I'm wondering if you guys can think of any reason that I shouldn't get rid of it. It's the Ridgid OSS you can get at Home Depot. It's been awesome in the past, but I rarely find any use for it lately and it's footprint is rather large, not to mention it's lackluster dust extraction, which is especially bad for sanding tasks.

I have and RO 150 and 90, as well as an ETS 125 and RTS.

Thoughts? Am I not thinking of some obvious use for it?

 

[live4ever]

I don't use mine THAT often but I don't have a tool to replace it with so it stays, and when it is needed no other tool I have can do the job.  I use it mainly for sneaking up on curves while maintaining perpendicularity, something that is harder to do with a handheld sander like a Rotex.  I never use the belt.  If you don't use curves that often in your work or prefer to fair curves in some other way (spokeshave?) then I can see it being relatively useless. 

MLCS makes a handheld oscillating spindle sander that is not very expensive.  Something to think about if space is an issue but you still want an OSS. 

 

[semenza]

I don't see how a Festool sander could replace an OSS.  If sanding a curved edge , etc.  Just no way. I don't have that need often and usually us a DP drum, hand held drill drum, or by hand. But there is no Festool sander that can do that job. Every time I have the need I wish that I had an OSS.

Seth

 

[bnaboatbuilder]

Echoing the same, I have a tabletop OSS, and use it rarely, but when it's needed there is no other sander that will do the function. Festool sanders do not accomplish the same task. Keep it. Make extra storage somewhere for it.

Only alternative is buying a set of sanding spindles that fit a drill press. But even then you need a table modification for the spindle to fit just below the a table surface and have some decent dust collection.

 

[semenza]

Echoing the same, I have a tabletop OSS, and use it rarely, but when it's needed there is no other sander that will do the function. Festool sanders do not accomplish the same task. Keep it. Make extra storage somewhere for it.

Only alternative is buying a set of sanding spindles that fit a drill press. But even then you need a table modification for the spindle to fit just below the a table surface and have some decent dust collection.

Yeah, just store it until you need it.

On the DP dust collection. On my 16" Delta (whatever that really common one is) I found that a cone shape , regular shop vac nozzle will wedge in the hole under the table center. Couple that with a through hole top table for the drum to fit into and the DC is truly excellent. All the dust gets pulled straight down at the source.

Nothing in the way above the table either.

[attachimg=1][attachimg=2]

Seth

 

[Jim_in_PA]

As has already been mentioned, OSS is designed for a specific need and that's sanding curves perpendicular to the face of the material. That's not something you're going to do (well) with a hand-held ROS, etc. I don't use my OSS a lot either, but when I do, it's the right tool for the job. I store it under a workbench on a wheeled dolly so it's easy to pull out, lift and fire up.

 

[AlexThePalex]

As said, there's nothing in Festool's line up of sanders that rotates paper on a drum. But if you hardly use your OSS and it just stands there taking space you should just get rid of it. On the few occasions you mighty need the functionality you can fit a sanding drum in a drill.

 

[bnaboatbuilder]

Something to be aware of w.r.t. drill press sanding spindles. Standard drill press bearings are designed for downward force, not lateral force. Too much lateral force over time will wear out those bearings and cause slop in the drill's own spindle. No different than when using a standard drill press for lateral milling. Those functions are doable but can lead to wear out earlier than expected. For most casual users, not an issue, but for power users, purpose built machines are the better route.

 

[Peter_C]

I do the drill press with sanding drums, and don't really fell it is nearly as destructive as fish mouthing 1 3/4" DOM in a jig (I like Seth's dust collection idea! Usually just put the vac hose clamped off to the side). Been dreaming of owning an OSS for a long time...so if it were me I would find a way to store the spindle sander and keep it.

 

[Corwin]

Maybe you need a flip-top stand so you can have two tools using the same floor space.

A hand-held OSS might get you by, if you want to sell your bench-top unit. Yet, they tend to be rather noisy -- at least my PC121 is noisier than I would like. But I feel the biggest disadvantage to the hand-held OSS is the inability to see what you are doing. With a bench-top or floor standing model you can see where the drum is in relation to your mark. However, a hand-held model's base covers the area where the sander meets the wood. Then again, the hand-held OSS can be taken to the workpiece...

On Edit: Shortly after posting this I realized that it is the noise that is the hand-held's biggest disadvantage, rather than not being able to see the line. The noise is what keeps me from wanting to use the sander. Taking light passes to work to the line is far better than trying to hog out too much material, so this issue takes a backseat to the noise as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Tinker]

For the amount of work that i do, I maybe use my OSS no more than once a year, maybe even once every two years.  When I need it, there is no other tool that can take its place. I have used my drill press with a sanding drum more often, but that is dreadfully slow.  For one application to a single curve, it is almost faster to use a dowel wrapped with a piece of  sand paper than to use the drill press. I have very little space in my shop, but I have not  been tempted to ever discard the OSS.

Tinker