DTS 400 EQ vibration issue

[Rustys]

I just bought a DTS 400 and tried it out on s piece of Cherry. The vibration was horrible and it was hopping around. I had a CT26 connected and set on low. Tried different speeds but still bad. It was better without CT26 but that defeats the purpose. I read how great this sander is and low vibration but it's not usable as is. Does anyone have input on why this may be happening? I read an old post from 2010 but didn't see an outcome. May be heading back to Woodcraft.

Russ

 

[AlexThePalex]

Just use it for 8-10 hours and it will be as advertised.

 

[Rustys]

Thanks Alex, I will give it a try.

 

[Holmz]

Just use it for 8-10 hours and it will be as advertised.

How is that ? What happens? Does the sander get magical, or does the hand lose all nerve feeling?

One would think that after that amount of time, that the RSI would perminent?

 

[grbmds]

You may already be doing this, but make sure the piece you're sanding is secured so the piece itself doesn't vibrate. All random orbit sanders I've used act differently with wood that isn't tightly secured versus a piece which is, in some way clamped securely.

I own the the Festool VacSys and found that, since I now secure most of the wood I sand with it, I don't have much of a vibration issue with any of the Festool sanders I own. The ETS125 and DTS 400 were the sanders I noticed the most vibration with. Even now, when I sand a larger piece held by the VacSys there is more vibration with these sanders.

There may be a "break-in" period, but I haven't noticed any difference in how the sanders operate with longer use. For me, how tightly the wood is secured makes the difference.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Just use it for 8-10 hours and it will be as advertised.

How is that ? What happens? Does the sander get magical, or does the hand lose all nerve feeling?

One would think that after that amount of time, that the RSI would perminent?

Use search on the forum and you'll find this has come up a gazillion times.

 

[TomE]

Don't recall my DTS 400 to be particularly 'unstable' at any stage of it's life.

Personally I think all of this 'break in' stuff is close to BS, one should be able to use the tool out of the box.

Now I will say that the longer my Rotex units are used the smoother they seem to be, of course using a rotary floor buffer gets easier to use with experience too.

The DTS 400 is a simple orbital sander, should be pretty smooth out of the box, if it ain't send it back.

 

[grbmds]

And, Festool doesn't indicate a break-in period is necessary. I've asked.

 

[live4ever]

My DTS400 hopped and skipped around initially.  I tried playing with the suction and sander speed settings but that didn't do anything.  I'd keep bringing it out on various projects, getting frustrated with it, and then would use a different sander. 

Finally I used it for a longer period on a longer project (it was drywall) where the hops and skips didn't matter as much.  Now it runs as smooth as silk, as if the hops and skips never existed.  Nothing else changed - same vac, same hose, same user preferences for suction and speed. 

So yeah, I know there is "no break-in period" but that was my experience, take it for what it is.

 

[AlexThePalex]

So yeah, I know there is "no break-in period" but that was my experience, take it for what it is.

live4ever, I have the exact same experience with a DTS400. I already owned a DS400 and an RTS400 so I knew exactly how these sanders were supposed to work.

But my new DTS was stubborn, weak and uncontrollable. After reading about the break-in here on the FOG, advised by Festool themselves, I kept on using it for the next two weeks for short periods of time, and after that it was just fine. It got full power and behaved like it should.

So maybe not all DTS sanders have this problem, but some definitely have.

one should be able to use the tool out of the box.

I agree completely.

 

[Rustys]

Thanks for all the replies. Here is an update:

My first test was on a piece not secured. Then I tried on a table top piece I had built, both cases a lot of vibration. Compared to my PC sander, very bad. I have read about low vibration, not the case with this sander.

Without CT26 attached, better but still vibrating quite a bit.

New test with piece secured, only able to use at speed 5 with CT26 attached. The first piece worked at lower speed but wood was from pallet and warped. If piece is flat, sander will only work on 5 and above with CT26 attached. This keeps it from jumping around, does nothing about vibration.

Not sure if the bottom looks right but two holes don't seem clear. That may be normal though. Also a picture of sand paper I was using.

I can try to "break it in" this week but may end up taking back. Just bought it Friday. Thanks again for your input.

 

[McNally Family]

I don't remember which thread I read this in, and I couldn't find it just now, but I seem to remember one fellow saying he just hung his sander in the air, turned it on, and walked away for 4-6 hours.  When he came back, his sander was much more stable and the skipping around was over. 

I have no idea if this is the remedy for you, but it worked for him...

 

[Holmz]

I don't remember which thread I read this in, and I couldn't find it just now, but I seem to remember one fellow saying he just hung his sander in the air, turned it on, and walked away for 4-6 hours.  When he came back, his sander was much more stable and the skipping around was over. 

I have no idea if this is the remedy for you, but it worked for him...

This...

...Personally I think all of this 'break in' stuff is close to BS...

I cannot see easily making a claim that these sander are good when there is a magic chicken dance of hanging the tools, breaking it in, etc.
The clamping makes sense and a the problem, bUt if it vibrates send it back.

 

[TomE]

All in all, give the sander a workout to see if that's what it takes to calm it down or get used to.

Our opinions are just that but they are mostly based our own experiences (or internet gossip) with the same model of tool.

If it does not perform the way you expect of an orbital detail finishing sander, you do have the option to return it.

 

[grbmds]

I have found that both the DTS400 and ETS125 seem to be much more sensitive to how you hold the sander and whether you are putting inadvertent slight pressure on the front or back of the pad while sanding. They both work best when I am consciously making sure that I don't let the back of the sander "droop" slightly. This "droop" results in the sander's pad not being exactly flat on the surface of the wood and much more vibration. I don't have the same issue with my ETS150. I have always believed that this is because the ETS150 is heavier and has a lower center of gravity, while the ETS125 and DTS400 are much lighter sanders and have always seemed just a tiny bit top heavy or at least more likely to tip while sanding.

Based on questions I have asked Festool and experience using the sanders, there is no "break-in" required but, using the sander as much as possible before your 30 day return date to determine if performance improves should resolve this question for you personally.

Finally, I've found that the more I use all my Festool sanders, the more I like them because I get used to using them. There does not appear to be an all-around Festool sander and each (at least each type) has little differences that require me to pay attention to how I use them, how I hold them, and the results I get from each.

If you aren't satisfied then or now, I would absolutely return it. That's what the 30-day return policy is for.

 

[McNally Family]

I don't remember which thread I read this in, and I couldn't find it just now, but I seem to remember one fellow saying he just hung his sander in the air, turned it on, and walked away for 4-6 hours.  When he came back, his sander was much more stable and the skipping around was over. 

I have no idea if this is the remedy for you, but it worked for him...

I took another crack at finding that thread discussing the idea of hanging your sander to help with the break in.  Here is the link:
http://festoolownersgroup.com/festo...ew-rotex-users-a-public-service-announcement/

I think it was from 2013, and it led to a series of point-counter point posts, some friendlier than others.  In the end, some liked the idea of helping break in their sander, and others did not.  I suspect that will still be the case today. 

 

[live4ever]

For the record, I'll add to my experience that I was beyond the 30 day return period (and annoyed that I hadn't worked the sander out before then), so was just dragging my heels on calling Festool and/or sending the sander in for warranty service, seeing if it was something I was doing wrong, etc.  So I'm not at all advocating for breaking the sander in before deeming it  unsatisfactory.  With Festool's stance on the issue, neither are they.  It just seems like it helps in a few anecdotal cases.

I wholeheartedly agree that if the sander does not meet expectations out of the box, it should go back.  That's what the return policy is for.  If you want to try to break it in, or if you are in a situation where you've got nothing to lose by doing so, it may help.  Good luck - let us know how it turns out.  [smile]

 

[Rustys]

Another update:

I received some Rubin 2 P120 in mail today and gave it another try. I clamped a table top I'm working on to MFT. It started to hop but CT was up to high. Turned down and it was better but I still can't use it below 5 but maybe that is normal.

I set the sander down on table after about 10 minutes of running to work on something else. Went to move sander and it seemed extremely hot. I took a temp reading and middle of sander was 120f/49c while top of handle was 107f/42c , bottom of sander was also 107f/42c. Ambient was 88f/31c. Again, this may be normal but not sure.

 

[peter halle]

Well you have seen that the vacuum pressure is not helping you out.  5 is still pretty high for a relatively small pad sander.  I personally use my DTS at 3 or below.  As a user I might offer based on my initial learning curve that I found the sander easier to control and use once I started to pay attention to the how I personally was holding the sander on the workpiece both with and without the hose attached.  That hose can change the dynamics.

Just a couple thoughts for you.  Not saying that you are doing anything wrong.

Peter

 

[Cheese]

I love it...measuring ambient air temperatures with a Thermapen.  [cool]  [cool]