DTS400 problems

[teemacs]

Hi teemacs,

have you tried to use the DTS 400 with the filter bag instead of the vac? It would be one way to quickly determine if the problem is solely caused by the suction power of your vac as it has been suggested already.

From my two days of excessively using the DTS 400 with just the filter bag (sanding/roughening off wood protection from pine wood with 120 grit Brilliant 2 sandpaper) I can tell you that I needed to choose at least speed 4 to have it running smoothly over the surface. Slower than speed 4 had the DTS 400 behaving like in your description. But since I'm lacking experience with it's behavior on other materials/ with other grits I wouldn't dare drawing any conclusions from it.

I'd say you best bet is to give it a quick try without the vac and see if it's behavior improves, if it does the solution might be indeed the adapter shown by Cheese (or any self made variant).

Kind regards,
Oliver

PS: If someone needs help obtaining this adapter from Germany - let me know, I can buy and ship them if needed.

Thanks, Oliver, I'll certainly give that a try. I'll also check out the local dealer (just 10 minutes down the road) to see whether they have that adapter in stock. 25 Swissies won't break the bank.,

 

[rizzoa13]

Now I know this isn't going to be a well recieved comment because it's critical of festool but it's too logical for me not to say it so here goes. If the smaller sanders need the lower suction that the bleeder valve offers then shouldn't that bleeder valve be included in the purchase of the sander? I mean come on you offer vacuums that don't turn down enough to make the smaller sanders truly work just right but then SELL an adapter that does this?

 

[Cheese]

I mean come on you offer vacuums that don't turn down enough to make the smaller sanders truly work just right but then SELL an adapter that does this?

Better yet...Festool DOES NOT even sell the adapter in the US. [crying] [mad]

It's NAINA...

 

[grbmds]

Now I know this isn't going to be a well recie loved comment because it's critical of festool but it's too logical for me not to say it so here goes. If the smaller sanders need the lower suction that the bleeder valve offers then shouldn't that bleeder valve be included in the purchase of the sander? I mean come on you offer vacuums that don't turn down enough to make the smaller sanders truly work just right but then SELL an adapter that does this?

At the risk of getting shot down, I think the answer is that all the sanders work with a dialed down CT, Mini, or Midi. I own the DTS400, about like the ETS125 but it does work well at the lowest setting on my CT and with a 27mm hose (even better with the newer sheathed 27mm hose). It is more sensitive to how you hold it and tilt it, just as I have found that true with the ETS125. Both of these sanders weigh 2.4 lbs and, while we like light weight sanders, I think the heavier sanders work better on horizontal flat surfaces with less vibration. Based on my use, I believe the problems I experienced are due to me and how I use the sanders. I found that, after I used the ETS125 more, the problems I noticed at first were almost non-existent. It is possible that there is some internal problems or problems with the pad itself that is generating vibration and movement problems. Maybe it should be checked or just returned if it's within  the 30 days.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Just work with the DTS for a good 8 to 10 hours and you'll find it be a lot smoother. The break in period is very real for the smaller sanders like the DTS, RTS and ETS125. Perhaps not all of them need it but some do.

When I bought my DTS400 new it behaved like crap and just would not work as it should. It jumped around and below speed 3 I could stop it with my hand. I already had an RTS400 and a DS400 which I both bought used and both of these sanders were excellent and very controllable. I also noticed the sanders I already had had a lot more power than the new DTS. I was disappointed about the DTS, but I kept on using it and after two weeks it got full power and was smooth and fully functional.

[member=44099]Cheese[/member], any chance you could share a pic of that adapter in place on the DTS? Haven't seen one yet. Is the hose on tight?

 

[rizzoa13]

No worries grbmds I do completely agree with you. I use my dts400 for drywall primarily and it has gotten better with practice. It still is much more jumpy than the rts400 I used to have though.

All I was saying is if it's enough of an issue that they developed a blow off valve that can be hooked up to the smaller sanders then shouldn't it be an included item? Or at least available to all markets!

 

[Cheese]

[member=5277]Alex[/member]
The piece is aluminum and fits very tightly on the sander because the inside diameter has a slight taper to it. If you used too much force installing it you'd have to use a pliers to remove it. The connection to the hose is snug or slightly less than that. The hose has fallen off on me before.

The interesting part is that if your cord is bundled to the hose, the cord can become a little short.

Also, the adapter will not fit the RO 90/125 or ETS EC 125 because of the extended dust port connection.

 

[six-point socket]

Thanks for the detailed pictures [member=44099]Cheese[/member] !

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[AlexThePalex]

Yes, thanks for the pics Cheese, first time I see how this thing exactly fits in there.

 

[teemacs]

OK, I now have the bypass adaptor. I'll try it out at the weekend and report back. Many thanks for all of the useful advice and suggestions.

 

[HarveyWildes]

Hers'e the actual item that Edward & Mac are referring to. Note that on the cardboard backer, it specifies that it is for the smaller sanders. I picked this up from Germany.

I checked at the roadshow yesterday and apparently this part is not available in the US at this time.

 

[teemacs]

So, today I tried all the permutations - high vacuum/low vacuum/no vacuum, with/without bypass adapter - and none of them worked. The thing still juddered like mad. So, back came the old Bosch and the Festool was put to one side [sad] I guess even Festool has to produce a lemon every now and then. I'll take it down to the local Festool centre next week (they have a demonstration area) and see what they make of it. 

 

[teemacs]

So, I took it to my local friendly Festool dealer (he really is) - he tried it out on his MFT and of course it behaved perfectly! He told me to try it again on a  low vacuum setting, and if it still misbehaved, to bring it back and he'd look at it. So I did today, and it still misbehaved. But am I expecting too much? Is this normal behaviour from a high-quality power sander? (None of my other sanders behave like this - for example, my blue Bosch rectangular sander on full vacuum is completely smooth in operation, no juddering at all). I'm not sure whether to accept this behaviour as a characteristic of this machine, or take it back.

 

[six-point socket]

Maybe a stupid question but: did you try it yourself with his setup or was your dealer working with it the whole time?

I think in this situation, and if I was you, I'd be willing to try another, new, DTS 400 in one last attempt to get acquainted with this tool. And if that doesn't work out, maybe the simple answer is that you and the DTS 400 do not fit together? After all, you say you get the desired results and workflow with other manufacturer's machines. An who needs a DTS 400 as paperweight? Which it would become I guess once you got another, "better", sander. So take it back while you still can

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[teemacs]

Maybe a stupid question but: did you try it yourself with his setup or was your dealer working with it the whole time?

I think in this situation, and if I was you, I'd be willing to try another, new, DTS 400 in one last attempt to get acquainted with this tool. And if that doesn't work out, maybe the simple answer is that you and the DTS 400 do not fit together? After all, you say you get the desired results and workflow with other manufacturer's machines. An who needs a DTS 400 as paperweight? Which it would become I guess once you got another, "better", sander. So take it back while you still can

Kind regards,
Oliver

I did try it briefly, Oliver, and it did seem OK. Can a surface make that much difference (an MFT top in one case, raw pine in another)? I'm baffled - I'm not usually this useless with tools, but it seems to me that this dancing across the work surface shouldn't be happening.

 

[ear3]

Did you note what he had the vacuum set to?

So, I took it to my local friendly Festool dealer (he really is) - he tried it out on his MFT and of course it behaved perfectly! He told me to try it again on a  low vacuum setting, and if it still misbehaved, to bring it back and he'd look at it. So I did today, and it still misbehaved. But am I expecting too much? Is this normal behaviour from a high-quality power sander? (None of my other sanders behave like this - for example, my blue Bosch rectangular sander on full vacuum is completely smooth in operation, no juddering at all). I'm not sure whether to accept this behaviour as a characteristic of this machine, or take it back.

 

[teemacs]

Did you note what he had the vacuum set to?

Very low, which is what I tried today. Of course, there are vacuums and there are vacuums - perhaps my CTL Mini isn't as capable as his big exotic whatever-it-was (one of the latest Festool vacs with fancy hose/power lead combined).

 

[ear3]

Hmmm. I would think you would have less of an issue with the Mini, since the CFMs are lower.

Sounds like one of those car or computer problems that only manifests when you're alone, and disappears as soon as you try to demonstrate it to any professional.

Did you note what he had the vacuum set to?

Very low, which is what I tried today. Of course, there are vacuums and there are vacuums - perhaps my CTL Mini isn't as capable as his big exotic whatever-it-was (one of the latest Festool vacs with fancy hose/power lead combined).

 

[six-point socket]

Maybe a stupid question but: did you try it yourself with his setup or was your dealer working with it the whole time?

I think in this situation, and if I was you, I'd be willing to try another, new, DTS 400 in one last attempt to get acquainted with this tool. And if that doesn't work out, maybe the simple answer is that you and the DTS 400 do not fit together? After all, you say you get the desired results and workflow with other manufacturer's machines. An who needs a DTS 400 as paperweight? Which it would become I guess once you got another, "better", sander. So take it back while you still can

Kind regards,
Oliver

I did try it briefly, Oliver, and it did seem OK. Can a surface make that much difference (an MFT top in one case, raw pine in another)? I'm baffled - I'm not usually this useless with tools, but it seems to me that this dancing across the work surface shouldn't be happening.

I can't imagine that the surface/material of your workbench has anything to do with it.

And I really have absolutely zero ideas left about what the problem might be. Like I said, definitely try another DTS before you give up completely. If you can, take your workpiece to the dealer and try once more with your and another DTS.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[semenza]

Was the material that was being sanded at the dealer the actual surface of the MFT or something placed on the MFT?

Were you sanding pine or something else placed on the pine surface?

Seth