ETS 125 Issue

[jfletch721]

I purchased the ETS 125 Orbital Sander along with the CT Mini last weekend. I started to sand on my current project, which I'm using Cherry and I noticed that the 125 has somewhat a mind of it's own. It is very difficult to hold the sand with one hand due to wondering about on the wood. I started sanding with 100 grit sand paper, working my way up to 180 grit. The ETS 125 setting is on 6 (which is the highest setting) and the CT Mini vacuum is set as low as it will go. I also noticed a lot of swirl marks on my cherry wood when using the 100 and 120 grit but not as much with the 180 but they are there.

I make a lot of furniture for around the house and for my family. I'm trying to build on my hand tools and thought Festool equipment would be a good choice to add to my collection of tools in the shop.

My question is, did I make a good choice on sanders? Or do I need to up the sander to the 150? Or do I need to return the equipment (30 day refund no questions asked policy)?  I was using a Dewalt variable speed orbital sander coupled to an Oneida mini cyclone to a shop vac that has a HEPA Filter. I like this setup minus the noise.

I like the features that Festool has with the CT connected to the hand held units, I'm just curious to know if I chose the proper tool for the proper job.

Thank you

Jim

 

[fidelfs]

There is a break in period on festoo lsanders.  It is almost 10 hours or so.  You could let it run by itself and then it will become smooth.

Search for break in and you will find more information

 

[waho6o9]

Welcome to Festools, they rock.  Adjust the sander and dust extraction and find what works best with the different grits.  And welcome to the learning curve.  It takes a while and it's kinda fun.  You'll get the hang of it. [smile]

 

[jfletch721]

Thanks gentlemen. I didn't know if there was a break in period or not. And Yes it is becoming fun to sand for a change.

 

[Alan m]

[welcome] to the fog

try letting it break in for 10 hours or so . if it is really unstable you could ring festool and they will diognose if it is your style or if the mechine is wrong.  from what i read the ets should be stable campared to the rotexs

 

[Brice Burrell]

Jim, welcome to the FOG!

As Fidel mentioned this is likely a "break-in" issue.  Festool's small sanders might not produce the best results or run smoothly until they've been broken in with about 8-10 hours of use.  During the break in period several things are happening, brushes are seating, bearings and the sanding brake are breaking in.  Until then the sander might not reach it's full power/speed and this makes it jumpy.  Here's how another member described why the sander might be jumpy at lower speeds.

.....it's about overcomming the force of friction. When you run the sander at speed 1 and you press a bit the sander will come to a full stop because the force of the motor isn't strong enough to overcome the friction between the sandpaper and the wood.When you run the sander at full speed the power of the motor is large enough to make it slide over the wood without problem.

It's when you use settings in the middle when strange things happen because at one point the force of the motor is strong enough to overcome the force of friction and the pressure of your hand, and at another point it is not. Whenever the sander jumps it means that the friction was too high to overcome for a split-second, and in that split-second the pad of the sander comes to a full stop. But the next moment the friction is overcome, so the pad suddenly spins up again, and this force will cause the jump. Action = Reaction.

This seems like as good an explanation as any.

Again, as Fidel said, try letting the sander run (suspended so the pad doesn't contact anything) for a few hours and see if that helps.  Also, Festool has application specialist available to help you with issue like this.  Give them a call, you can find the phone number right on your sander.  

 

[Timtool]

My question is, did I make a good choice on sanders? Or do I need to up the sander to the 150? Or do I need to return the equipment (30 day refund no questions asked policy)?  I was using a Dewalt variable speed orbital sander coupled to an Oneida mini cyclone to a shop vac that has a HEPA Filter. I like this setup minus the noise.

if it's supposed to be your go-to sander for general use, then i think you would be much better off with the 150/3 or 150/5.
i have both the ETS 125 and 150/5, purchased together. i now think i made a mistake by buying the 125, it is slow and not nearly as comfortable to hold compared to the 150. even though i would like to use it, i find there are no instances where it offers any benefit over the 150. the finish quality is supposed to be better.
instead of the round pad ETS i should have gotten the delta pad for the same price. much more handy for sanding in between coats on assembled furniture parts.

and from the few times i used mine, i think it has a tendency to jump when you press too hard on it, it's really a finish sander not designed for stock removal but for smoothing out. the biggest grit i would use on it is 180 and upward

 

[jfletch721]

Thank you again Gentlemen for your reply and comments, I really appreciate your feed back. This morning I contacted Festool and explained the situation that I'm experiencing. After talking with Lester for a short period of time, he did state that yes there is a break-in period but should not greatly effect the performance of the sander. I would notice a little change in sanding speed but it shouldn't effect the quality of sanding. I did state that I was not able to control the sander with one hand, Lester stated that there is something wrong, the sander should perform properly straight from the box.

With all of this being said, I'm thinking that maybe I chose the improper tool for my selection - Thank you Timtool for your comment. I believe that I will exchange the 125 for a 150, the sad part is I have 200 pads of sandpaper (various grits) that I won't be able to exchange   (I've opened up the boxes).

Thank you again.
Jim

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Thank you again Gentlemen for your reply and comments, I really appreciate your feed back. This morning I contacted Festool and explained the situation that I'm experiencing. After talking with Lester for a short period of time, he did state that yes there is a break-in period but should not greatly effect the performance of the sander. I would notice a little change in sanding speed but it shouldn't effect the quality of sanding. I did state that I was not able to control the sander with one hand, Lester stated that there is something wrong, the sander should perform properly straight from the box.

With all of this being said, I'm thinking that maybe I chose the improper tool for my selection - Thank you Timtool for your comment. I believe that I will exchange the 125 for a 150, the sad part is I have 200 pads of sandpaper (various grits) that I won't be able to exchange   (I've opened up the boxes).

Thank you again.
Jim

Sell them on here in the classified section.  I'm sure you'll find a buyer quickly who needs 5" paper.