ETS EC 150/5 EQ Sander Wobble

[mino]

What you describe can probably be called a "jumping", not wobble. Wobble would imply there is something loose inside the sander. *)

Jumping can be indeed caused by a wobbly sander internals, but so by technique. The interface pads do not help either - they limit the effect of the balancing weights inside the sander.

It would be interesting to see all of this in person. And to compare your sander to a EC 125/3, with its smaller orbit, to see how you felt about that sander.  Can't say either of my EC sanders have ever disappointed me, but if you're not happy with the tool, you can certainly sell it off. I would also say that with higher grits, I tend to lower the CT extraction level to below 50% as needed. The smaller the sander, the lower I'll set it..
Let us know how your meet up with the other person works out,

This.

I have the WTS 150/7 and its 7mm stroke just is felt. No way around it, the power applied by the sander just needs to be transferred somewhere ...

I would advise you try using it for some time without any interface pads and get some feel for it. You say you want to "save" the pad. But that pad is a consumable, plus it will last you a long time when used with traditional paper.

*) Yes a sander can have real wobble ... One of my WTS 105/7 is jumping around because the angle gearing in it is worn out and this introduces inconsistency in the forces balancing it.
I found out this was by the cause for it jumping around when sanding wood only by having two of them - the one with non-worn gearing is absolutely smooth - as much as a 7mm stroke one can be - while the one with worn gears is useful only for drywall sanding by now. Unfortunately the new gearing cannot be got anymore, these sanders are 15 years out of production.

 

[Gord Cameron]

I have just come from the shop to see if there is some advice on the marked wobble I noticed in the first use of my brand new ETS EC 150/5 EQ, and found this thread.

I have 3M Extract (my regular sanding discs) on it, so I am using the Festool protection pad. From the previous posts, this seems to be the combination for a fatal wobble. It is very unpleasant to use.

Unless I get this figured out, the tool is going back on the 30 day return. (I have not had this issue with my 150/3).

It is hard to believe such poor performance from a Festool tool, not something I have experienced before.

 

[Cheese]

seems like a poor design, I am having the same issue when using pad savers. the Mirka allows you to add weights so that the sander is properly balanced when adding pad savers and thick interface pads. I guess festool didn't think of that? does anyone know if there's an option to add weights to the festool ?

Having to add weights seems like the worst of all worlds.  [eek]  That seems like a hit or miss situation that would be the equivalent to poking yourself in the eye with a sharp stick...many times until you find the sweet spot.  [smile]

I think it may be more like the pad saver has been attached off center which is very easy to do.

Put the pad saver on...start the sander...evaluate the out of balance condition...reposition the pad. Rinse & repeat.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Keep in mind that the regular pads will last a very long time if...you don't put a lot of pressure on the sander which raises the heat level from friction. Let the sander do what the sander does and the replacement need will not be frequent. While I'm a hobbyist user, for the 150/3 that I bought in the mid-2000s, I've purchased only two replacement pads in all that time. I now use the 150/5 (which is a huge uplift in comfortable operation) and treat it the same way: minimal pressure when sanding and let the abrasive do the work.

 

[leakyroof]

I have just come from the shop to see if there is some advice on the marked wobble I noticed in the first use of my brand new ETS EC 150/5 EQ, and found this thread.

I have 3M Extract (my regular sanding discs) on it, so I am using the Festool protection pad. From the previous posts, this seems to be the combination for a fatal wobble. It is very unpleasant to use.

Unless I get this figured out, the tool is going back on the 30 day return. (I have not had this issue with my 150/3).

It is hard to believe such poor performance from a Festool tool, not something I have experienced before.

  Are you using Dust Extraction with the Sander?  Have you tried no Vacuum, to see if it changes the feel /operation of the Sander.  I rarely run a protection pad coupled with a Mesh type abrasive like a Mirka disc, but could see where a stack up of tolerances would matter, esp as you increase the Orbit of the Sander.
Worst case, you return the sander as you noted.  [sad]

 

[Gord Cameron]

I spoke with Festool Support today and it turns out that this is problem is well-known to them. In an nutshell, the ETS EC 150/5 cannot be used with net abrasive discs (Granat Net, 3M Extract, Abranet etc.) without this severe wobble (or "oscillation"). The wobble is caused by the protection pad upsetting the balance of the ROS mechanism.

I was told that because the protection pad is needed when using net discs (to avoid damage to the platen), there is no solution other than not using net discs. The tech suggested that using the "ultra soft" sanding pad might lessen the wobble, with the caveat that this would degrade the sander's ability to maintain a flat surface.

So, as with the OP, I can just toss the protection pad and relegate this tool to solid discs, but I find it wholly unacceptable that Festool does not warn customers that the ETS EC 150/5 cannot be used with net abrasive discs without this intolerable wobble.

I wonder what solutions other users have come up with, because net abrasives are a big part of our shop's sanding processes.

 

[smorgasbord]

I spoke with Festool Support today and it turns out that this is problem is well-known to them. In an nutshell, the ETS EC 150/5 cannot be used with net abrasive discs (Granat Net, 3M Extract, Abranet etc.) without this severe wobble (or "oscillation"). The wobble is caused by the protection pad upsetting the balance of the ROS mechanism.

So, I got lucky with my ETS EC 150/5, which I use almost exclusively with the protection pad and Abranet3M Extract net discs? Certainly not severe wobble, at most I occasionally have a slower start when powered through my auto-start vacuum.

 

[mino]

I spoke with Festool Support today and it turns out that this is problem is well-known to them. In an nutshell, the ETS EC 150/5 cannot be used with net abrasive discs (Granat Net, 3M Extract, Abranet etc.) without this severe wobble (or "oscillation"). The wobble is caused by the protection pad upsetting the balance of the ROS mechanism.

I was told that because the protection pad is needed when using net discs (to avoid damage to the platen), there is no solution other than not using net discs. The tech suggested that using the "ultra soft" sanding pad might lessen the wobble, with the caveat that this would degrade the sander's ability to maintain a flat surface.
...

That makes all kinds of sense.

The only true solution would be for Festool to release a custom (lighter) pad designed to be used specifically with interface pads. Not sure the market is big-enough, but that seems the only technical solution that would actually work without affecting other users.

Anyone knows how Mirka handles this ?

Do they make their counter-weights a bit heavier, shifting the balance more to the net abrasives use at the cost of more vibration with standard paper?

That is the only other way I can imagine addressing this without a specific pad for net abrasives.

So, I got lucky with my ETS EC 150/5, which I use almost exclusively with the protection pad and Abranet3M Extract net discs? Certainly not severe wobble, at most I occasionally have a slower start when powered through my auto-start vacuum.

IMO, is more likely our definition of "wobble" is very much relative.

That WTS 150/7 with worn out gearing, I mentioned earlier as "vibrating" and "jumping", was actually more stable than the old 5 mm no-name ROS it replaced ..

I did not realize the gearing was too worn out until getting a second almost-new 150/7 in a great deal that is smooth as butter. As much as a 7 mm ROS monster can be. Heh.

 

[woodferret]

Anyone knows how Mirka handles this ?

Do they make their counter-weights a bit heavier, shifting the balance more to the net abrasives use at the cost of more vibration with standard paper?

Literally pop the pad, and add/subtract hex nuts and screws to the mounting assembly.  At least according to their manual for "Reducing vibration when sanding with pad saver or interface"

 

[ReneS]

Maybe I am missing something, but my sander is incredibly smooth and comfortable. It is the ETS EC 150/5 EQ-Plus MJ2. I don't know if the "Plus MJ2" designation means it is different.

I have used it with the interface pad and had no issues. Currently I have the hard pad and an interface pad on it. It is very smooth and does a great job of sanding.