ETS 125 doesn't sand

[trickard]

Hello,

I have a ETS 125 EQ orbital sander. I just tried to use it on a project to restore the grain pattern on the top of a cedar table. It runs, but it doesn’t sand at all. Even a modest amount of downward pressure severely slows its motion or stops it all together, even at the highest setting.

Do you guys know what the problem might be and whether it’s fixable? It’s long out of warranty.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[Steve1]

"doesn't sand" is pretty open ended.

Pretty sure that has a 2mm eccentric stroke --- so it's a fine finish sander --- not intended to be removing significant amount of material.
Don't push down -- let the sander do the work, just keep it balanced.
What sandpaper are you using ? New paper ?
Are you using it with a dust extractor, or just the bag ?

 

[trickard]

Thanks Steve. I hadn't realized it was specialized for fine sanding. I used new course paper to try and get some results. Another factor may be that it's attached to a Festool HEPA shop vac, so minimal visible dust. I'll try new fine paper later today with no vac and repost.

 

[onocoffee]

Yes, if this is your first foray into Festool and you came from "regular" sanders then it's going to be a bit of an adjustment - especially with the lack of dust everywhere. Let us know how the new paper works for you. Better to use Festool Granat, 3M Cubitron Xtract or MirkaNet (though get the protection pad for the latter two).

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Thanks Steve. I hadn't realized it was specialized for fine sanding. I used new course paper to try and get some results. Another factor may be that it's attached to a Festool HEPA shop vac, so minimal visible dust. I'll try new fine paper later today with no vac and repost.

Don't eliminate the vac, just turn down the suction. When the vacuum pressure is too high, it can make the sander stick to the surface that you are trying to sand. This can cause swirl marks, even if things seem fine otherwise.

 

[Steve1]

Use the vacuum, not the bag. You won't see dust on the workpiece because it is effectively removed.
The way you check if you are making progress is you run a pencil LIGHTLY across the workpiece, like Stumpy does around 5:35 in THIS video.

What grit is the "coarse" that you used ?
You need to go through the grits from coarse to fine.

2mm stroke won't remove significant material like a belt sander (don't use a belt sander), but is fully capable. I have a 3mm stroke sander. 3mm is still a "fine" sander, and sometimes I wish I had a 5mm stroke sander, but it still gets the job done.

 

[trickard]

Hello. Thanks all for the feedback! Yes, it removed the pencil mark using 180 grit and it did stick when the pressure was too high just as you said crazyraceguy. Seems to be working just as it should. I have another sander for the rough removal but the 125 will be great for the final sanding and light sanding between coats of oil finish. Cheers, Tim

 

[SoonerFan]

Glad the sander is now working as it should and welcome to FOG.