Festool Replacement for Quarter Sheet Sander

[Loren Hedahl]

My PC 340 quarter sheet sander bit the dust yesterday.  I never really liked it much (purchased it pre-Festool) but bought it because it could be hooked up to my shop-vac for dust control.

It never performed close to my old PC SpeedBlock, the armature sparked a lot and it was noisy.  But for indoor use, it was the one.

Now that I have been introduced to Festool having acquired a TS55, several guides, vac, etc. I am thinking one of the Festool sanders might be the perfect replacement for both my old Porter Cables.

Any suggestions?

Loren

 

[Dan Clark]

Loren,

Festool sanders are probably the best available.  However, with so so many Festool sanders available, you'll need to be a bit more specific about what you'll be using them for.  Cabinet making?  Furniture? 

Also, you might want out check out Jerry Work's Festool sander guide:http://www.festoolusa.com/Web_files/Getting_the_most_from_Festool_sanders.pdf.  Rather than being a technical manual, it discusses each sander and the best uses for each.  Great resource.

Regards,

Dan.

 

[Loren Hedahl]

Dan,

That is a "good question".

The most accurate answer I could give is "everything".

Seriously  --  right now I am remodeling a bathroom.  House construction is concrete block on a slab with a car-decking roof/ceiling.  Existing shower tile was installed with mastic (perhaps similar to liquid nails) over concrete block and concrete floor.  Presently all tile is off, old mastic removed as much as possible with heat gun and putty knife or chisel.

I was in the process of sanding off the remaining mastic residue with 50 grit paper, especially in the corners with my poor little old PC 340 when it died.  This needs to be done to give something for the new thin-set to grab on to.

Then I need to sand the car decking ceiling and refinish.

Then I will be building new cabinets for sink base (triangular) and shelving using maple plywood and solid ash for trim and doors.  Finally, when the rest of the house has been gone through I will make new trim from solid ash for the whole house.

I should add that I already have an RO 125 and it has worked perfectly for stripping the rosewood paneling in the living room and teak paneling in the dining room prior to refinishing.  But for ceiling work and work in small corners, e.g. shower, or for sanding trim it is a little bit too much sander.

Did I mention everything?

Loren

 

[Dave Rudy]

Loren,

Check out the ETS 150, or 125.  I have the 150.  It is PHENOMENAL for sanding over your head, holding at odd angles, etc.  The lack of vibration makes it easy on the hands and the weight balance makes it possible to do overhead sanding at length.  I find it exceptional for everything except getting tight into corners.  It is round, so it requires more attention to keep from rounding over edges, etc than a square pad would be.

The dust collection is almost 100%.  There's just nothing not to like about the sander.

HTH

Dave

 

[fcraven]

When Festo(ol) was introduced to the US, it surprised me that they did not offer a 1/4 sheet sander--Neither did/does Fein. They had a 1/2 sander but no 1/4 sheet. The 1/4 sheet sander is a staple of painters (wherein I once worked). I always thought that this would be a good product for Festool or Fein, but alas.

Perhaps such a product  has never been introduced because
1) The contractors who use these sanders the most won't spend the money unless the price is low enough to compete with all the domestic/Taiwanese products out there
2) It wouldn't use Festool Sandpaper. And Festool wants us to buy THEIR sandpaper.
3) Contractors won't/don't trust off brands and/or Festool knows that their sanders can't handle the abuse of contractors...hmmmmm 

Verily verily I say unto Festool. I would have bought a 1/4 sheet sander years ago, if one was offered. It would have been tested and put to heavy use and abuse, and if successful, it could have been a standard tool. One wasn't offered, and isn't offered, therefore no purchase. That painting crew (which now work "for" me) continues to use DeWalt 1/4 sanders.

Yes, other Festool options do exist, and maybe they would work better, but give me a 1/4 sheet sander where my guys can pick up sand paper at any paint store or borg.

Fred

FWIW. Years ago I introduced the Fein "detail sander" (now MultiMaster) and Vacuum to the work site and now those tools are used extensively. The MM is used less for sanding, and more for cutting/scraping.  And if the opportunity presents itself I may throw in a linear sander or deltex for testing purposes. I still wish there was a 1/4 sander 

 

[Dan Clark]

Dan,

That is a "good question".

The most accurate answer I could give is "everything".

Seriously  --  right now I am remodeling a bathroom.  House construction is concrete block on a slab with a car-decking roof/ceiling.  Existing shower tile was installed with mastic (perhaps similar to liquid nails) over concrete block and concrete floor.  Presently all tile is off, old mastic removed as much as possible with heat gun and putty knife or chisel.

I was in the process of sanding off the remaining mastic residue with 50 grit paper, especially in the corners with my poor little old PC 340 when it died.  This needs to be done to give something for the new thin-set to grab on to.

Then I need to sand the car decking ceiling and refinish.

Then I will be building new cabinets for sink base (triangular) and shelving using maple plywood and solid ash for trim and doors.  Finally, when the rest of the house has been gone through I will make new trim from solid ash for the whole house.

I should add that I already have an RO 125 and it has worked perfectly for stripping the rosewood paneling in the living room and teak paneling in the dining room prior to refinishing.  But for ceiling work and work in small corners, e.g. shower, or for sanding trim it is a little bit too much sander.

Did I mention everything?

Loren

Loren,

Hmmm... That sounds a bit similar to my situation, although a bit ahead of me in some respects.  (I'm remodeling my master bathroom and many other projects.)  I've been wrestling with the decision about the next sander to buy. 

For corners, maybe Deltex 93 or DTS400 (2mm orbit).  Jerry Work likes the RS2E (1/2 sheet) for cabinet work.  I'm looking at the LS130 linear sander (4mm stroke) for edges and profiles, and fine sanding. 

BTW, for remodeling bathrooms and tile work in general, the BEST forum available is the John Bridge forum:http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php?  This is my project thread there:http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=37797.

Regards,

Dan.

 

[Programmergeek]

We need more info what are you using it for and what other sanders you have? If I where to own one sander it would be a ro125 or ro150 it is the most versatile and can be used all over.  But if you are doing small work like building furniture the round disk does not do corners.  I have almost every fest sander now and I still keep my 1/4 sheet dewalt sander around.  I can use standard paper and just to grab to do little things works fine and it is light.  If you like the 1/4 sheet just get a cheap dewalt or pc for like $40.  I also have the festool ½ sheet sander but that is to heavy for small jobs.

 

[tenbears]

Being new to Festool, I don't want to step in anyones' cowpie but after burning out a sander everyother year doing annual boat work I decided to splurge and give Festool sanders a try. We'll give the Rotex 150 a spin next week when we haul out and do our bottom painting. But the LS130 has been put through it's paces doing cabin teak the last couple of weeks. There are other options for flat surface sanding but looking at the overall picture for our annual boat maintenance I think we made a good first set of choices.

As far as paper goes, a sheet of average sandpaper from your local hardware store lasts not more than about 1/2 the time that a sheet of Festool Paper lasts on Teak. Cost wise the Festool paper wins out because I end up using a lot less paper. I used to use two sheets/grit, four pieces per sheet. About $0.15 per 1/4 sheet. Festool sheets for the LS130 - $0.60 ea. I've yet to load up/ wear out my first sheet/grit of LS130 paper. You definitely get what you pay for

Now with that said Klingspor 9 hole discs are the same price as Festool. (6" H&L) They don't have or at least I haven't found LS130 sized paper.

Furthermore, I'd rather have the nearly dust free environment that a CT22/ and sander combination offer up and look at any additional costs as a health benefit. Next round will be a DX93 and maybe the RAS115 for re-surfaceing gel-coat.

Teak doors, moldings, Ironbark guards and rubrails. A true testing ground here since boatyards, and harbors in coastal Alaska while far less dusty that a cabinet and millworks shop are full of salt air and lots of moisture, hard woods, and hard finishes.

 

[Loren Hedahl]

Thanks for the answers and advice.

What I did was take the old Porter Cable apart.  'Lo and behold' the bottom bearing was seized.  I was able to pry off the rubber shields, clean the dried out black gunk with penetrating oil and repack it with new moly grease.  So it's back to working now, same as before with sparking brushes etc., but working.  Now I have time to decide if or when I want to upgrade to a better sander.

Dave, I have the RO 125 and have looked at and lusted somewhat for the ETS 125, since it uses the same sandpaper discs.  However, I like a 1/4 sheet sander because of the square sides that allow sanding to an inside corner and for it's use of generic sandpaper.  Seems like I run out just before the end of a project.  Murphy's law applies.  Then I have to drive 100 to 120 miles (round trip) to my nearest Festool stocking dealer or wait for several days for home delivery, where I have a Home Depot within 2 miles and a Lowes within 6 miles.

Fcraven, my use of a 1/4 sheet sander is for sanding when I really don't want to risk dropping or otherwise messing up a $200 to $300 unit.  Fifty bucks is enough to risk for this type of work.  Perhaps if Festool brought out a 1/4 sheet sander, the price would be enough of a premium that I may reject it anyway.

Dan, thanks for the reminder to check out the John Bridge site for general bathroom construction info and advice.  Yes, I seem to get into more than my share of "interesting" projects.  I am independently wealthy, but only as a result of being an avid do-it-myselfer.  If I had to hire everything done, my meager pension and savings would soon dry up and I'd have to go back to work for pay.  Been there and done that.

Loren

 

[minimal]

Forgive my ignorance on this matter, but why not the RS 400? That appears to be pretty close to a run-of-the-mill 1/4 sheet sander...

 

[Loren Hedahl]

Forgive my ignorance on this matter, but why not the RS 400? That appears to be pretty close to a run-of-the-mill 1/4 sheet sander...

That's the one I'd choose as the closest Festool equivalent, also in my ignorance on this matter. 

The price is about 4 times what a run-of-the-mill DeWalt, Ridgid, Bosch, ect. quarter-sheeter would be.

The Festool stroke is a bit larger at 2mm VS 1.5mm for the others (as close as I can tell).

Festool uses a pad size more rectangular at 3 5/32" x 5 1/4" VS 4 1/4" x 4 1/2".

My old Porter Cable developed a gummed up escentric bearing in about 2 years use.  The gumming appeared to be from the original bearing lubricant and not from dust getting past the seal.  It has a sealed bearing of a standard size with a made-in-China marking.  Hopefully a Festool would have a better quality German made bearing.

For me the cost of stocking and inconvenience of procuring non-standard consumables is the greatest impediment in choosing a Festool sander.

Since I got the old PC running, at least for awhile, there is more time available to make a decision.  The jury is still out on this one. 

Loren