First Impressions on RO 90 and questions

F

fifo28

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Joined
Nov 29, 2010
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119
I FINALLY had a chance to use the RO 90 I picked up a few weeks ago.  I am sure everyone is familiar with it so I will cut to the chase.  This sander is reasonable small but is ridiculously powerful.  Its actually insane!  I started out using it in rotex mode at the 5th speed and it was uncontrollable.  Once I lowered it down to 2 it was much more manageable, but still a handful.  After some quick stock removal, I moved it to the orbital setting for some regular sanding.  Much easier to control, but again still powerful and I did not move it past the 2nd speed.  I have the ETS/3 and it is a pleasure to use and not as wild. The RO 90 is great but I feel like I am driving a Ferrari in a traffic jam and the car just wants to go.  Just curious if anyone else had a similar experience.  It was not bad and did a great job (dc was incredible and stock removal and sanding was quick), I was just not expecting so much power.  I also noticed that the back of the sander by the DC port heated up.  Never noticed any of my Festools heating up much, but this one did.

Has anyone else had these experience?
 
There's another thread about the RO-90's hot backside.  From that thread, the brushes will need 10 hours to break in, although I'm pretty sure I'm past that and it still gets hot, but then I was using it to sculpt a panel for over an hour.  It's power in that scenario was fantastic.

I think like most sanders, you have to get the air flow and 'pressure' down on the sander in balance to keep it from skating.  I don't find I get much skating with it.
 
Fifo   To begin with welcome to the RO90 world. Yes it has power and after a couple of uses you will come to learn running speed is the answer every time.
        The higher speed are less controlable but even they after some machine time and usage are really manageable to use.
        I found the same issues with the first couple of times but now I use it quite often in both modes and most times it is not followed up with any of my other sanders.
        I can't say I have had any problem with the sander heating up, it gets warm yes but nothing I an worried about based on the size of the machine and like you say it aggressive nature

Sal
 
Until you're more used to it, try using this technique for holding the RO 90. It makes it easier to control in Rotex mode.

wood-nerd-technique.jpg


http://blog.festoolusa.com/post/2011/02/18/Why-Technique-Matters.aspx

Thanks to WoodNerd for the images and content in the article.
 
Shane Holland said:
Until you're more used to it, try using this technique for holding the RO 90. It makes it easier to control in Rotex mode.

wood-nerd-technique.jpg


http://blog.festoolusa.com/post/2011/02/18/Why-Technique-Matters.aspx

Thanks to WoodNerd for the images and content in the article.
Click to expand...

That's almost exactly how I was handling it, except my hand was on the back of the sander not the hose.  That's how I noticed it was getting hot.
 
FIFO, I also just got the chance to run my RO90 I picked up a couple weeks ago.  Noticed the heating in the back also. I kinda figured it was like the RAS heating I've experienced before...  Just normal for the aggressive work and size of the machine I guess.  Man, what a powerful sander!  I used it on a section of 4" red oak flooring 20 inches wide by 14 feet long.  Leveled the wood in rotex mode, then smoothed in random mode.  Awesome fast!  I think it was due to the smaller surface area of this sander.  Control was a bit awkward for first couple minutes, then I got the hang of it and all was well!  Followed up with RO150 before staining with Granat 180. My new favorite sandpaper!  That stuff goes really far between changes!  I actually sanded a 15 square foot floor with one sheet of 60 grit and the RO150. It was my only sheet, so I was pretty careful... :). Hey, it worked!  I really hate stopping in the middle of something to go after more supplies... ;D. Now, if I could just figure out how to post pics for the required proof...  I'll figure it out later, after dinner!:)
 
If I'm in Rotex mode I'm usually trying to remove a lot of stock quickly.  I don't use the pad flat, instead I use the RO90 tilted so that only one side of the pad is in contact.  I don't know if that's the officially "proper" way to use it, but it sure works for me and it's very controllable.
 
i often find myself doing this with my ro150. i dont know will it damage it but it does make it easier to control
 
woodnerd said:
If I'm in Rotex mode I'm usually trying to remove a lot of stock quickly.  I don't use the pad flat, instead I use the RO90 tilted so that only one side of the pad is in contact.  I don't know if that's the officially "proper" way to use it, but it sure works for me and it's very controllable.
Click to expand...

I agree it will remove material but there are a few points to consider using this method.  First, you're more likely to dish the surface some.  That's not a big deal for rough work but for fine finish work you might do more harm than good.  Second this to think about it the increased likelihood of burning up the sanding pad.  With a smaller surface area in contact with the material all the heat is concentrated on the edge of the pad, and that can shorten the life of the sanding pad.   
 
A month or so ago there was a thread over at JLC about the RO90.  There were a few guys who's opinions I respect that were having trouble controlling the RO90.  I believe a couple of people mentioned returning the sander because of this issue. 

One person was trying to use it on a ladder.  Not long after that thread I was on a job where I Bondo'ed a fair amount of Azek and I used the RO90 to sand the joints and the screw holes.  Most of this work was off of a ladder.  The thing is I didn't have trouble controlling the RO90 in either mode, on the ground or on the ladder.  My point is after you get some hands on time you start to "get the feel" for controlling the sander.  So expect some learning time if you aren't familiar with Rotex sanders.  If you already have one of the bigger Rotex sanders you will probably be able to pick up the RO90 and get right to work without control issues. 

Remember, you've got 30 days to figure out the learning curve.  So anyone reading this, wait until you plan on using the tool before you buy it so you'll have the full 30 days to get it or bag it....
 
I realize that you said that you found it easier to control at a speed setting of 2, but... The slower the speed, the harder it is for the sander to overcome the friction between the abrasive and the material. Particularly with coarse grits.

It is a little beast. I can put my full weight, bearing down on the RO 90 and not stall it nor really even make it break a sweat.

Maybe the members can offer more advice and insight if you tell us what type of abrasive you're using and what type of material, including dimensions and condition (rough sawn, etc.).

I'd be happy to shoot a quick video if you think it would help to watch someone else using it in aggressive mode.
 
Shane Holland said:
I realize that you said that you found it easier to control at a speed setting of 2, but... The slower the speed, the harder it is for the sander to overcome the friction between the abrasive and the material. Particularly with coarse grits.

It is a little beast. I can put my full weight, bearing down on the RO 90 and not stall it nor really even make it break a sweat.

Maybe the members can offer more advice and insight if you tell us what type of abrasive you're using and what type of material, including dimensions and condition (rough sawn, etc.).

I'd be happy to shoot a quick video if you think it would help to watch someone else using it in aggressive mode.
Click to expand...

That may be helpful for someone that is "on the fence" about getting one.

Has anyone (dealer) put together an abrasives assortment systainer to go along with the RO90?
 
I have some raw footage of sculpting the panel for my vanity.  I switch between the RAS-115 and RO-90 for the work.  Watching it realtime will bore you to tears so I'm rendering it now at 8x speed; you should be able to see a little of how it's used that way.  I'll post back once it is rendered and uploaded (which will take awhile!)
 
Control of the Rotex sanders is definitely a finesse thing.

I liken it to my first few tries using a floor polisher when I was in the Army (it really is the same, just different scale).
The first few times that sucker bucked and fought me like a beast, with terrible results and a lot of effort.  Then I learned that it is all a matter of balance and keeping the rotary motion 'balanced' (for lack of a better term), so that it isn't trying to throw itself around.

With the Rotex, especially the RO90, the end tends to want to tilt down, which causes one-side contact, which makes the rotational head want to skip around in the direction of its rotation.  If you over compensate then the front end has one-sided contact and it wants to skip the other way.  Same with side-to-side tilts.  The result of this "fight" is that it goes all over the place.

If you stay very cognizant of keeping the back up and the pad very parallel with the sanding surface in all directions, it just hums along happily.  Tiny adjustments are the key.  You can use it (somewhat easily) one-handed by holding it just back from the head.

The RO150, since it's meaty enough to hold up its own rear-end, can be controlled one handed (not ideal however) by holding it back by the vacuum port and just fine-tuning the balanced hold.
 
Wood_Junkie said:
Control of the Rotex sanders is definitely a finesse thing.

I liken it to my first few tries using a floor polisher when I was in the Army (it really is the same, just different scale).
The first few times that sucker bucked and fought me like a beast, with terrible results and a lot of effort.  Then I learned that it is all a matter of balance and keeping the rotary motion 'balanced' (for lack of a better term), so that it isn't trying to throw itself around.

With the Rotex, especially the RO90, the end tends to want to tilt down, which causes one-side contact, which makes the rotational head want to skip around in the direction of its rotation.  If you over compensate then the front end has one-sided contact and it wants to skip the other way.  Same with side-to-side tilts.  The result of this "fight" is that it goes all over the place.

If you stay very cognizant of keeping the back up and the pad very parallel with the sanding surface in all directions, it just hums along happily.  Tiny adjustments are the key.  You can use it (somewhat easily) one-handed by holding it just back from the head.

The RO150, since it's meaty enough to hold up its own rear-end, can be controlled one handed (not ideal however) by holding it back by the vacuum port and just fine-tuning the balanced hold.
Click to expand...

Very good explanation WJ.

I can't understand why people use sanders like they're using a grinder.  It puts a lot of added stress on the paper, pads, bearings inside and your body and all it's really doing is focusing your efforts in a smaller area than what the full pad covers, but like previously stated, it's scooping the material out instead of evenly removing it.

I know old habits die hard and I'm not convincing anyone that it's better to leave a sander flat and not use it like a grinder, buuuttt, I've gotta try.  My feeling is that if you need to knock down a small area faster than how it's progressing, you need to change pad size or abrasive selection or sander type.
 
Wood_Junkie said:
Control of the Rotex sanders is definitely a finesse thing.

I liken it to my first few tries using a floor polisher when I was in the Army (it really is the same, just different scale).
The first few times that sucker bucked and fought me like a beast, with terrible results and a lot of effort.  Then I learned that it is all a matter of balance and keeping the rotary motion 'balanced' (for lack of a better term), so that it isn't trying to throw itself around.

With the Rotex, especially the RO90, the end tends to want to tilt down, which causes one-side contact, which makes the rotational head want to skip around in the direction of its rotation.  If you over compensate then the front end has one-sided contact and it wants to skip the other way.  Same with side-to-side tilts.  The result of this "fight" is that it goes all over the place.

If you stay very cognizant of keeping the back up and the pad very parallel with the sanding surface in all directions, it just hums along happily.  Tiny adjustments are the key.  You can use it (somewhat easily) one-handed by holding it just back from the head.

The RO150, since it's meaty enough to hold up its own rear-end, can be controlled one handed (not ideal however) by holding it back by the vacuum port and just fine-tuning the balanced hold.
Click to expand...

Hey, does that ever bring back memories!?!  Once we mastered operating the buffer the finishing trick was to set the buffer on a towel folded in half and have a guy sit balanced on the motor (added weight) while Guy#2 operated the buffer -- it really made the floor shine!
 
Hopefully this video of the RO-90 in aggressive mode for some shaping is useful.  Not a lot of editing; just removed the parts with the RAS-115.

So in my case, I am trying to dish edges so I do press on one side of the pad.  You never want to do that if flat is your goal.  To make the edges of the flat-to-embossed areas rounded and shaped, I press the pad down hard and push it into the edge so the pad rides up on the edge and forms the round.  You can accomplish that by pressing down on the front of the sander.  In both cases, you want a lot of pressure to force the pad to conform.  If you use an interface pad, it's too soft and bridges the edges.

Again, may not be useful; might only verify your Internet connection :)

Sculpting edges with the RO-90
 
Paul-Marcel,

How many bottles of Jolt to get that effect?  [tongue]

I like how you show an atypical use for the RO90.  While it's not meant to be a Dremel replacement, it does lend itself to a variety of tasks.

Nice work Speedy Gonzalez.  [big grin]
 
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