Festool Belt sanders

[IG_Woods]

Hello,

I played with Festool Belt sanders in London, UK. I love them. Especially I loved sanding frames. Is there any particular reason  why Festool doesn't sell them in the USA? UL approval is not the case.  Does it mean that Festool will abandon its belt sander line or there are replacement models will come? When can we expect arrival of these sanders?

Thank you

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Currently, there are no plans to offer our belt sanders in the US market. I don't have any knowledge regarding any planned obsolescence or new models of the belt sanders. Beyond that, I don't have anything else to share on the topic.

If you're looking for fast material removal, have a look at our Rotex and RAS sanders.

Thanks,
Shane

 

[nickao]

I don't see the need for a belt sander anymore. Since the Rotex or RAS, the Bosch and Feins have come out I have not had a situation where I needed to pull out a belt sander. These other sanders have taken over the job for the belt sander for me. I have used my Porter cable mini belt sander, that has come in handy a few times. My belt sanders just sit looking pretty.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I played with Festool Belt sanders in London, UK. I love them. Especially I loved sanding frames. Is there any particular reason  why Festool doesn't sell them in the USA? UL approval is not the case.  Does it mean that Festool will abandon its belt sander line or there are replacement models will come? When can we expect arrival of these sanders?

I think one reason they aren't offered in the USA is that because there's no 120v version of them, not even in the UK. Festool sells most of their tools in the UK in both a 240 and a 120 volt version, but not with the belt sanders, so I suspect that there's either a problem with putting a 120v motor in or Festool expects too low a volume of sales to justify the costs of redesigning them.

As for this type of belt sander being replaced, don't count on it. The current designs of the BS75 and BS105 are already 25 or 30 years old, they stem from a company called Holz-her which Festool bought a long time ago. Only change Festool made at that time was to put a stronger motor in. But over all these years these belt sanders proved they were still in the game and didn't need to be replaced. 
 

 

[justinmcf]

The high price might have something to do with it also.
In Australia, I can buy a Makita 100mm belt sander for approx $400.
The Festool 100mm belt sander costs $1500.

 

[oldie]

Hi Dovetail 65.  Just curious - want to learn something.
When do you find your little belt sander useful?
In fact, I'd like to know when people find belt sanders useful generally.
An example of my thinking is, that a mate reckons can't beat belt sanders for zipping quickly up (painted) architraves, when prepping around doors for example.
What brought the conversation about was, that when I sand such things, paint chips can fly off the edges - meaning more work to smooth edges down , if you get my drift.  He swears by a belt sander, but never seen his work!!  Fully appreciate issues regarding abrasive grit size.  I guess this partly wanting to be able to 'crack on.'
Thanks very much.
Richard

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Richard,

I haven't used a belt sander in quite some time.  That Porter Cable model that "Dovetail" was referring to I went through a number of them.  Cheap, poorly designed crap is the nicest way to put it.  Plenty of belt sanders out there that are great.  The size of the PC is excellent for scribing things (when it works).  The larger belt sanders I used mostly for stripping old finishes including paint that you mentioned.  Also removing a lot of wood quickly, making doors fit openings better, hogging out a lot of wood to fit around something and once in a great while I used it very carefully to fine tune stuff.

Fortunately tools have advanced and we have better solutions in stuff like what Festool offers, for instance the RAS 115 and the Rotex sanders.  Vacuum pickup compared to dust bag collection on belt sanders is night and day.  Plus, not having to deal with belt tracking issues on most belt sanders removes a great deal of hassle.

[2cents]

 

[monte]

Hi Dovetail 65.  Just curious - want to learn something.
When do you find your little belt sander useful?
In fact, I'd like to know when people find belt sanders useful generally.
An example of my thinking is, that a mate reckons can't beat belt sanders for zipping quickly up (painted) architraves, when prepping around doors for example.
What brought the conversation about was, that when I sand such things, paint chips can fly off the edges - meaning more work to smooth edges down , if you get my drift.  He swears by a belt sander, but never seen his work!!  Fully appreciate issues regarding abrasive grit size.  I guess this partly wanting to be able to 'crack on.'
Thanks very much.
Richard

I have the same little Porter Cable "the rat" (it looks like one) that Dovetail has,
some uses for it,
- scribing a trim piece to a wall after cutting it with a jigsaw and needing to fine tune the scribe line.
- sanding a fiberglass edge to a part taken from a mold. (any rotary motion would tear it up, due to the thinness of the material & the LS-130 is not aggressive enough with a finer grit)
- cleaning up a steel edge profile after it's been cut.
- taking down the edge of a "hardy panel" again where the rotary motion would not be beneficial.
- when installing stamp copper or tin ceiling panels I've used it on site to radius a corner.
- with a fine grit I've used it to give a brush look to aluminum trim with a different effect then with the LS-130. (keep in mind one needs to feather it gently)

 

[oldie]

Thanks Ken, and, Roger.  Your responses helpful. 
P'raps I should have opened a new thread?

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Thanks Ken, and, Roger.  Your responses helpful.  
P'raps I should have opened a new thread?

No problem talking about it in this thread.  I'm sure the moderators would have done that if they thought it was necessary.  Glad to be of some help to you, Richard.

 

[Nick C]

I use a big belt sander on pressure-treated decking. I use a small belt sander to sharpen lawn mower blades. A bit crude for Festool.

 

[woodwreck]

Thanks Ken, and, Roger.  Your responses helpful. 
P'raps I should have opened a new thread?

No, not al all, IMHO, it made me think about it... similar to most of the others, the P-C mini belt sander was great - before I discovered and bought my multiple Green & Olive sanders, and I occasionally use it to touch up face frames, but this just reminded me to change.

As to the other P-C big sander (4" x 24" I think), its massive weight was always a problem regardless of any results. I tried to donate it, in a steel P-C carrying case, to the local high school wood shop and to Habitat, and both declined.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I played with Festool Belt sanders in London, UK. I love them. Especially I loved sanding frames. Is there any particular reason  why Festool doesn't sell them in the USA? UL approval is not the case.  Does it mean that Festool will abandon its belt sander line or there are replacement models will come? When can we expect arrival of these sanders?

I think one reason they aren't offered in the USA is that because there's no 120v version of them, not even in the UK. Festool sells most of their tools in the UK in both a 240 and a 120 volt version, but not with the belt sanders, so I suspect that there's either a problem with putting a 120v motor in or Festool expects too low a volume of sales to justify the costs of redesigning them.

As for this type of belt sander being replaced, don't count on it. The current designs of the BS75 and BS105 are already 25 or 30 years old, they stem from a company called Holz-her which Festool bought a long time ago. Only change Festool made at that time was to put a stronger motor in. But over all these years these belt sanders proved they were still in the game and didn't need to be replaced.  
 

It is a great design and with the sanding frame it's a great tool, especially for flattening broad surfaces without the risk of over cutting soft spots or making shallow depressions.

Holz-her made versions of the sanders for several other companies and Festool seems to have continued. The (pre-Festool) AEG version was available with a 120 volt motor in North America. I've owned one for over 25 years. When I first heard of Festool and learned that they had bought the Holz-her factory it helped motivate me to buy Festools thinking that I'd be able to replace my aging AEG with a new version.

I was very disappointed to learn wouldn't so I began scouring ebay for AEG belt sanders and I managed to buy 2 more, one never used (but I still just have the one sanding frame).

The well designed belt sander with sanding frame is really a very valuable tool. Until recently we could also get sanding frames for Bosh machines. Now the only option in NA is the Dewalt belt sander and it uses a solid platen frame instead of the better stiff brush platen.

 

[stairman]

I've been dying to get my hands on a BS105E Set.
I use the daylights out of belt sanders
flattening panels,  doors...  actually, before I got my first widebelt sander (43" double head SCMI Sandya) I used belt sanders exclusively for flattening doors, panels, stair treads and any pretty much any glue-ups...

I still rely heavily on my 4x24 PC's and a 4x24 Ma-skee-ta, for fairing our radius work and really large assemblies (anything over 37" width, as I now have a smaller 37" Timesaver single head WB sander)

I can't think of any shop I've ever been around where there wasn't a proficient belt sander pilot.

Festool should really rethink their Introduction of the Belt Sander line.
at normal US market conversion rates, the price would be well within the affordability of MANY Festoolians,  not to mention the new business it would attract.

I can name 6 different tradesmen I know who would buy a Festool BS Set immediately upon seeing it's capabilities, features and quality,  and every one of us knows what happens after you buy your first Festool, don't we  ;D

By the way, I have owned and tried several small and "baby" size belt sanders,  and I haven't picked up another since I discovered scribing with an angle grinder.  -now that I own  "THE Termite" (RAS 115)  it's a certainty I will never consider using another,  but like everything, there are personal preferences,  and I'm sure those of you who use them have your reasons. 

as for the power issues (US  -vs-  non US electrical requirements) 

 

[Kevin Stricker]

The PC Armadillo (little rat) belt sander fits a specific need for me as I install many Craftsman style window and door units. I pre-assemble them to get perfect joints and often have to knock down drywall seams that are proud of the door frame.  Bending the trim to fit is not an option with a 6 quarter header.  Where I used to use a scraper and hammer or multimaster(both of which are super messy), I can use the Armadillo where no other belt sander can go.  The RAS and RO 125 are both too big and any orbital sander sometimes gets squirrelly and can wreck adjacent surfaces.  I also use it to quickly flush mitered returns.n The Armadillo can get right up against an edge and has almost perfect dust collection (better than the RAS and Rotex).  It also does a great job scribing filler strips and jamb extensions.  Even with 6 Festool sanders my Armadillo gets used on every trim or cabinet job.  Belt sanders fit a specific need and no orbital or RO sander can match their functionality with specific jobs.

 

[VictorL]

I heard that Festool USA made a survey back in 2000 - 2004. Some woodworkers responded that "they will NEVER buy Festool's belt sander", "belt sander CANNOT be used in fine woodworking" and etc. It looks like belt sander's idea was banned in the USA. But it was long before FOG and booming USA sales. I'm still waiting when BS-75 and/or BS-105 will come here. I suspect that they are UL approved already. 
 

 

[Michael Kellough]

I've been using an AEG HBSE 75S belt sander with sanding frame for over 25 years.
I've long thought no other portable tool comes close to flattening large surfaces.
If you've never used a belt sander with well adjusted sanding frame you don't know what you're missing.

I have to re-finish a large bench similar to this one except it's over eight feet long and double ended.
It is also made of pine like the one in the picture.

The first stage of refinishing this piece is to disassemble and run the parts through a wide belt sander at 100 grit.
This removes the old finish, scratches, and gouges. After raising the grain compressed by the big belt I need to start at 80 grit with portable sanders.

When my nine year old ES 125 died ($110 to replace 3 bearings) I decide to upgrade to a 6" MIRKA Ceros.
I thought from all the good I'd heard about the Ceros I might be able to skip the very noisy belt sander.

Not gonna work. First, 80 grit Abranet is much slower than the belt sander. Second, the relatively soft surface of the abrasive using the pad protector overcut the early growth and undercut the late growth resulting in an undulating surface. Some people may like that for some projects but it isn't appropriate here.

I had to go back and re-sand the panel with the belt sander to get it flat again. Nothing else will do.
(Rotex is faster than Ceros and there is less undulation but it still lacks the control of flattening the sanding frame provides.)

Why am I writing? Because my belt sander is very old. The brushes need replacing again and don't seem
to be available anymore but the commutator is scored too so even if I find new brushes they'll go fast.

"So?"

Well, Festool bought the factory that made my belt sander and now makes virtually identical sanders with the Festool badge. A large part of why I committed to Festool nine years ago is that fact. I thought I'd be able to replace my AEG sander with a Festool sander by now but I can't even get the brushes because Festool won't sell them here.

I'd gladly give Festool hundreds of dollars for a 220 volt sander if they'd let me.

Since this is under the Ask Festool section I'll ask this, can I at least get some replacement brushes?

 

[sgryd]

I have the Festool with the sanding frame. When I need it there is no alternative for me. There is no way I can get as flat a surface with the Rotex as with the belt sander. I recently built a couple of sliding doors which I dressed with 6mm MDF. I screwed the MDF to the frame and filled the screw heads with "spackel" (I don't know the English word, so I used Swedish =). After sanding the large surface with the belt sander it was dead flat. I sent the doors for owen laquere. Any dent  would have shown for sure.

I'm sure there are people out there who can produce a dead flat surface with the Rotex, but that's not me..

 

[RC]

That would be filler I think.

 

[PaulMarcel]

Like Michael, I'd take a 220V version of the belt sander; been wanting one for awhile.  I need to plan a vacation where I can get one and pack lightly cuz it's huge