ETS 125 EQ Bounces

[ylimehajile]

Does anyone have issues with this sander bouncing?  It seems no matter what combination of speeds I use with the sander and the CT33 I get almost constant bounce from this tool.  Can anyone suggest a fix for this?  The sander is about 1-year old but only has about 1-hour of total run time on it (because of the bounce).

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

Try backing of on the CT33 suction as I have been told this can make some of the smaller sanders stick to the wood because of too much suction through the dust collection holes.  If that doesn't cure it maybe you have a problem with the sander, so take it to a dealer and try it and one f their demo units on the same vacuum.

Best,
Todd

 

[Holzhacker]

I don't have a CT yet, but soon I'm thinking. I still use my Fein turbo II with the ets. My older Fein doesn't have power control just full on off. It took some experimenting to get it to work fairly well. Have you tried adjusting the speed on the ets? My ets used to bounce, and still would I guess, if I had it set lower than full speed. To simplify at 6 no bounce, at 3-4 it bounces. Mine is less than a year old but a few more hours than yours.
Since we are on the ets, has anyone had trouble getting a nice feathered edge on plaster or rock up against trim? I have found that if I adjust my hand pressure to put slightly more pressure on the trim side of the sander and slightly less on the outside I can get a really nice feathered edge against the trim. It takes a little practice to get the pressure right. Don't lift the outside edge off the wall to achieve this though. If you do you'll see dust dropping down instead of being sucked up. Hope that helps.
Someone mentioned on my other post I should remember to take care of myself. Sort of forgot about that so Thanks and here I am. This is de-stressing for me.

 

[Brice Burrell]

I've found Festool's smaller sanders to run better at full speed as Holzhacker mentioned. I also turn the vacuum's suction down to about 25% or so. Also the small sanders run better after the break in period of 6-8 hours of use. Some members have let the sanders run for a few hours while hanging or turned upside down to break them in. If the sander doesn't work a little better after the break in period you could call Festool's service dept.

 

[ForumMFG]

To set the suction right on your CT while using a sander use this method:

1.) Turn the suction all the way up
2.) Get a piece of scrap wood
3.) Start the sander and CT
4.) At this point you can tell the CT is sucking the sander down to the work piece which is what you don't want.
5.) While moving the sander reach down and turn the suction knob slowly until you feel the sander break and it starts to float and move as it should on your work piece.
6.) Once it starts to float, don't turn it down anymore because when you change grits you are going to have to do it again but instead of adjusting it from the point of full suction, you will be adjusting it from your current setting.

Hope this helps.

-Dave

 

[ylimehajile]

Thanks for the replies.  I have tried all settings on both tools to no avail.  ForumMFG - this is the approach I took as well.  The best for me is full speed on the sander and about 25% on the CT.  I still get about 50% bounce though.  The sander will be floating along on the board and then for no reason it just starts bouncing.  It doesn't seem to bounce as much at the edges so this leads me to believe it is a suction issue.  However, I've turned the suction all the way down and it still bounces.  I haven't tried it without the CT yet but what's the point.

 

[ForumMFG]

What material are you sanding, what type of pad and what type of paper are you using?

Remember to let the sander to the work and don't apply any pressure to it.

 

[Holzhacker]

Another thought, where are you holding the sander? Palming on the top or wrapping your hand around the side? I had some trouble when I was holding the ets around the side. That's how I was used to holding my PC sanders. I mostly palm the ets from the top now and it seems to work better.

 

[ylimehajile]

Materials:  African Mahogany (at the moment).  Previously-Walnut, Cherry, etc.
Pad & Paper - The pad that it came with.  Various grit Festool papers (mostly 180, 220).
Grip:  Not sure.  My guess is I cradle it on the sides.  I will try the top when I get home.
Pressure:  I've tried everything from a single finger to leaning on the thing (out of frustration).

I tell you what - if this thing is that finicky I will have to try another sander  .  My rotex 150 doesn't have this problem at all (of course it weighs significantly more so it probably couldn't bounce if it wanted to).  I actually sold a very cheap Ridgid sander to buy this thing and the Ridgid performed a whole lot better than this one.

 

[ForumMFG]

Thats funny your don't have problems with the RO150.  The RO150 is the hardest sander to use and the ETS125 is the easiest.  You might just have something wrong with it.  Call Festool or post a question in the "Ask Festool" area.

 

[danrush]

I have to agree with Dave,  must be something with the sander.  When I switched over to Festools  (RO150, ETS 125, et al)
from the PC's, the 125 was the easiest for me to master with almost no learning curve.  The RO took a bit more time. 

Dan

 

[EcoFurniture]

Ok, have to jump in here... Had the same problem with a brand new ETS... Was really frustrating! But after I let it run without load for about 8 hours, it was fine and is now running just perfect! Clamp it underneath your work bench and let it run for a day or two, you will see it helps. Ok, I have to admit that the sound of the running sander will get on your nerves after a while... ;D

 

[dave tinley]

I have a es 125 that is just a shade over 3 years old and I have had that bouncing problem ever since I had the sander. I thought it was just me not knowing how to use it. I seemed to reduce the bouncing by 75 percent by turning up the speed to full and lowering the vacuum to 1/2 suction.
But today I was sanding some primer with 220 grit on cabinet face frames when I noticed a very bad wobble. After turning off the sander and inspecting it, i found the rubber velcro pad that is screwed to the sander had split apart.
So, to the OP, I would inspect that rubber pad very closely. It may or may not be the problem.

Dave

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I've experienced a bouncing [jumping] problem at times with my ETS 125, but not frequently.  As others have stated, usually a change in sander speed and/or vacuum setting will mitigate the problem.  Sometimes it has been due to the particular sandpaper being used and changing the paper or changing the settings after changing the paper has resolved my problem.  Look at the paper to determine if the swarf is building up discrete deposits that are adhering in various spots on the paper; these can cause erratic function, although I have experienced this problem mostly when using my RO 125 in Rotex mode when removing an old finish or sanding a contaminated surface, e.g. old shellac or degraded varnish that gums up from the heat generated by sanding.  My experience corresponds to those who stated that the RO sander in Rotex mode is much harder to control, especially if there are deposits or areas on the workpiece or the abrasive paper which create non-uniform frictional levels as the disk moves and rotates, which in turn create non-uniform reaction forces which cause the sander to bounce or jump around.

Dave R.

 

[ylimehajile]

Wow guys - thanks for all the replies.  I even received a personal email from Festool!  This is a great forum.  I will try running my sander for a day non-stop to see if that fixes it.  That is the only thing I haven't tried.  If that doesn't do it I'll send it to Festool to check it out.  Thanks again for all the feedback and recommendations.

 

[ylimehajile]

UPDATE:  Thanks to EcoFurniture!  Holy smokes what a difference.  I hung the sander and let it run for about 8 hours on high (overnight).  The next day I tried some sanding and wow!  The bounce is gone.  Even the power seems a lot better than it was.  I don't understand the reason behind this.  All I know is it works!  Thanks to Festool for reaching out to me and offering to fix it.  That won't be needed.

 

[Brice Burrell]

UPDATE:  Thanks to EcoFurniture!  Holy smokes what a difference.  I hung the sander and let it run for about 8 hours on high (overnight).  The next day I tried some sanding and wow!  The bounce is gone.  Even the power seems a lot better than it was.  I don't understand the reason behind this.  All I know is it works!  Thanks to Festool for reaching out to me and offering to fix it.  That won't be needed.

Hmmm, seems a guy in reply #3 offered the same advice (and before Eco did) and yet he received no thanks.  ;D The universal motor has carbon brushes that need to seat (take the shape of the armature). Then the motor is capable of producing its full power and this really helps smooth out its performance.

 

[ylimehajile]

Ouch!  You are correct - Thanks Brice!  I do wonder why this wouldn't be handled in the Festool shop before going out.  I won't complain though.  Mine is working great now!

 

[Brice Burrell]

Ouch!  You are correct - Thanks Brice!  I do wonder why this wouldn't be handled in the Festool shop before going out.  I won't complain though.  Mine is working great now!

Well, imagine how much more the tools would cost in Festool had to run each one for 8 hours before shipping them out. BTW, I was the guy that told Eco about the break in period when he had his problem with ETS125. And to be fair it was David McGibbon at Festool USA that told me so he really should get the thanks.

 

[EcoFurniture]

Ouch!  You are correct - Thanks Brice!  I do wonder why this wouldn't be handled in the Festool shop before going out.  I won't complain though.  Mine is working great now!

Well, imagine how much more the tools would cost in Festool had to run each one for 8 hours before shipping them out. BTW, I was the guy that told Eco about the break in period when he had his problem with ETS125. And to be fair it was David McGibbon at Festool USA that told me so he really should get the thanks.

No worries guys, I'm gladly taking the credit for it  ;D  Just kidding. I'm glad it worked out for you. I also talked to David and he gave me that advice.
Cheers,