First Sander

[zipdang]

Hi.  This is my first FOG post.  I would like to open with a thank you to all of the contributors here.  I have learned much from your experiences and appreciate the time and frustration I have saved through all of you.

On to the question.  I need a sander.  My wife and I are working on our 1928 Spanish Revival / Mission style home.  The original portion of the home has mahogany trim which we plan to duplicate in other newer areas of the house.  The bulk of this trim (baseboard / doors / windows) is simple square-edged 3/4" mahogany.  The widest pieces are 5 1/4" and the smallest are 3".  I made a pretty good CL score of 90+ BF of 4/4 mahogany.  Mostly 10'+ pieces 6"+ wide.  $150!  Anyway, it will need milling as it is currently S1S.  After milling it will need sanding.  As my wife will be doing much of the sanding and finishing, I need a sander she will be happy using and one that gets the job done right. 

I have done many searches here, and yet still seem to be unsure of which way to go.  ETS 125?  ETS 150/3?  RTS400?  or something else? ???  It is not a priority to have this sander be a jack of all trades or meet some unknown future need.  Getting the right tool for this job that is user friendly for my wife is all that matters.  Also, I have a CT36 so the dust collection is already here.

Thank you in advance! [big grin]

 

[duburban]

I have the luxury of owning the majority of Festool's sanding line. For what your describing, trimming out a house, the tool i have out the  most is the 150/3 with the hard (blue) pad. The large surface area makes good contact on edges also. Provides a fantastic finish and a pleasure to use.

DON'T BUY THE SANDER WITHOUT A VACUUM. the pairing is what takes it to the next level. I recommend the MIDI.

 

[sae]

DON'T BUY THE SANDER WITHOUT A VACUUM. the pairing is what takes it to the next level. I recommend the MIDI.

He already has the CT36... [poke]

I'd vote ETS125, the ETS150 is 66% heavier (2.4 vs 4 lbs respectively).

 

[duburban]

ok… maybe i skimmed it…

 

[SS Teach]

The RTS 400 would be handy if you had to get into corners, but thats not the case here. I have an ETS 125 and it is so easy to use. light, and will give you a glass smooth finish. From what I have read in FOG the 150 is the favorite sander of many who have multiple sanders. It is heavier than the 125, but it covers a lot more area making the job go faster. Either way you will need a systainer full of sandpaper, get in touch with Tom Bellemere at Tool Home. He will set you up with a great assortment of papers

 

[charley1968]

I'd go with the ETS 150/5. It covers a greater area than the ETS 125; weight wouldn't be an issue for me because you're moving the sander only laterally.
And,without being patronizing, mebbe get her a halfmask.
Good luck with you project!
And, btw.: Welcome!

 

[duburban]

I'd go with the ETS 150/5. It covers a greater area than the ETS 125; weight wouldn't be an issue for me because you're moving the sander only laterally.
And,without being patronizing, mebbe get her a halfmask.
Good luck with you project!
And, btw.: Welcome!

I'd appreciate more input on the 150/5 vs 150/3. My vote is for the 3 because he's going to be using nice hardwood vs paint grade. Less swirl marks with the 150/3 right? I have two RO150's but no 150/5. 

 

[charley1968]

To me the 150/3 is a finishing sander for furniture,so i threw in the 150/5 mainly for its 'faster' speed. Of course one could as well use the 150/3.

 

[duburban]

I've been really impressed with it but I wonder if trimming a house with a hardwood would make me consider the 150/5.

 

[Kev]

Personally I'd go DTS400 in combination with an ETS150/n. /n to avoid the argument [smile]

The /5 or /3 choice is really a degree of finish question and if you see a ROTEX in your future I'd lean towards the /3. I personally don't go below 80 on the /3, but that's just my thinking and having RO150 and ETS150/5 and /3 gives me the options.

The ETS125 is a beaut little sander, but not enough on it's own for your projects IMO.

Another handy little sander is the RO90 ... it becomes a goto for so many things, so versatile!

Despite having the CT36, I would still consider a mini or midi combo. For a home renno you can't beat their portability!

[welcome] to the FOG ... our goal here is to help you spend all your money [wink] [big grin]

 

[leakyroof]

I bought a 150/3 sander for some stain grade Mahogany Trim that I was installing  on my house this summer. Really nice sander and great finish too.

 

[Landmade]

Go with the ETS125.  It's the most economical and one of the lightest.  The other sanders are very nice but can be too much for your current needs.  You mentioned the trim ran between 5-1/4" and 3", which can get lost under a 6" pad like on the 150's.  Too large of a pad can cause accidental rounding over when sanding small pieces.  Seeing all the work may not be horizontal, weight is key when sanding installed door casing or window pieces.  Which would your wife rather hold out in front of her, 2.4 pounds or 4 pounds? Then add the weight of the hose intot he equation and it could be closer to 5 pounds.  That's like rubbing a bag of flour along the trim all day.  It might remove material a little faster but it will tire your wife out twice as fast and slow your project down.    The 125 is an ideal one handed sander and fits nicely in the palm.  The 150's style handle works great on flat surfaces that are on a work bench where two hands can be used to hold the sander but it's terrible in any other position.  I also prefer the round pad of the 125 over the rectangular 400.  When you run out of paper unexpectedly you can find 5" round hook and loop pads at any hardware store.  Unless your local place sells festool, you'd be hard pressed to find hook and loop rectangular pads on the fly.  Keep your wife happy and buy the ETS 125, then spend the money you saved on a domino 500 and make your trim joints that much more solid. 

 

[John Broomall]

I think we need to know a bit more before the best decision can be made. The stock is currently S1S so it still needs to be straight line ripped, ripped to width, thicknessed and back cut. What will the surface look look like when milling is done? Some of it is 5 1/4" and some of it is 3" but all of it is 3/4" and that edge will also need to be sanded. Will he be using a waterborne finish? If so, the stock needs to be wet down which will surely re-pop the planer marks.

My own assortment of sanders includes a Fein 6", Bosch 1250 DVS dual mode, RO90, 150/3, ETS 125 and a few PC 333 and belt sanders. For this job I think I would go with the RO90 because it would handle any planer marks, the 3/4" edge, the 3" faces, and involve just a little extra work on the 5" face. Use the ETS 125 after wetting for a super smooth final finish. Of course, all of this is predicated on the idea that the OP likes his wife; if that's not the case just give her the 6" Fein and after about five minutes she'll be begging for Festools.

 

[Landmade]

For some reason I awoke this morning thinking about sanders, doesn't everyone?  Then I remembered the RO 90 being different from the RO 125 and 150 with its feature of accepting a delta pad mount and the selector switch to a fixed position orbital. I had completely forgotten it had that extra bonus.    It has the benefits of fast material removal while still managing light finish work and the ability to get into small corners.  It still has the down side of requiring two hands to operate it and it's weight of 3.3 pounds may cause the operator to tire quickly but the benefits may outweigh it.  Another downside of the RO 90 is with the power of fast material removal comes the risk of really screwing up a project.  It takes only a fraction of a second to gouge out a nice corner or leave a big old mule track. (A mark left by an a##). 
    I still think the 125 is likely to be the best option for your wife's impending trim job but you may need to have the boards milled down first to see the degree of sanding required.  The EQ 125 will be the easiest to use but if the material requires a lot of sanding, the RO 90 might end up being the best tool for the job. 

 

[zipdang]

Thank you for the suggestions. [not worthy]  I will share my decision when I finally pull the trigger!