How to use a RO 125

[rjwz28]

I have a RO 125 to try and I'm having trouble keeping it smooth as I work across the piece of ply I'm practicing on.  It seems to want to grab on to the piece and go on its own.  I've tried using pressure in different places with no luck.  I'm using both hands and I've even disconnected the vacuum to see if it was from too much suction but that didn't help.  Is there a special technique I should be doing?

Added: I'm using the ROS mode.  Not the agressive one.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[JeromeM]

I have a RO 125 to try and I'm having trouble keeping it smooth as I work across the piece of ply I'm practicing on.  It seems to want to grab on to the piece and go on its own.  I've tried using pressure in different places with no luck.  I'm using both hands and I've even disconnected the vacuum to see if it was from too much suction but that didn't help.  Is there a special technique I should be doing?

Thanks,
Rob

Try with the Vac on 1 and holding it on the workpiece with almost NO pressure.

 

[semenza]

I find that a little more pressure to one side ( I know its  round) or the other helps greatly with control in Rotex mode.  If moving the sander side to side------ more pressure  on the left while moving to the right, and more pressure on the right  while moving to the left.  More pressure on the front when drawing it towards you.  More pressure on the back when pushing it away.  Another way to think of it is , dragging the edge of the pad that has  more pressure.

Seth

 

[rjwz28]

BTW, I'm using the ROS mode.  Not the agressive one even and I can't get it.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[mouppe]

One hand on the head, and one hand towards the plug-it cable. The rear hand is the pivot point, the front hand guides the sander. About as strong a grip as when shaking hands.

Try to keep the sander flat and guide it from left to right and back again over the workpiece. It's easier if you keep it moving. The 125 does have a learning curve, but it is not too steep. Once you get the hang of it, try Rotex mode, which is a little trickier.

Stick with it because it's worth it in the end.

 

[Jeramy]

(i)  Set vacuum to lowest suction
(ii)  Set sander to highest speed
(iii)  Hold sander with one hand at the end of the handle where the plug-it cord attaches.  You may even benefit from having the suction cord elevated (over the shoulder or hanging from boom arm)
(iv)  The other handles gently holds the head of the sander to guide its path, but don't push down.

Practice with finer grit first (higher number).  Once you get the initial technique down, you can vary it to find what's most comfortable for you.

 

[Mavrik]

I strangely find that my RO 125 is often more controlled in the aggressive mode.
Can then "float" over the work with me sometimes just holding the cable to guide it.
In orbital mode it can find part of the work that are "sticky" and can acquire a life of its own and want to go in its own direction.

 

[Claimdude]

I have a RO 125 to try and I'm having trouble keeping it smooth as I work across the piece of ply I'm practicing on.  It seems to want to grab on to the piece and go on its own.  I've tried using pressure in different places with no luck.  I'm using both hands and I've even disconnected the vacuum to see if it was from too much suction but that didn't help.  Is there a special technique I should be doing?

Added: I'm using the ROS mode.  Not the agressive one.

Thanks,
Rob

Rob,

I have one hand and use the RO125 successfully. Tricky to get the hang of it. The RO125 is heavy enough to effectively remove material so no pressure is needed. The trick is the vac speed (I use medium) and balancing the sander so it stays flat while sanding. I painted cars for years and used orbital sanders where applying pressure was effective so the RO125 is counter intuative for me. Applying pressure increases the difficulty of control in my opinion and probably doesn't speed up stock removal enough to justify he extra effort in my opinion.

Keep after it. Once you get it you will find you have a very nice all purpose sander indeed!

Jack

 

[barnowl]

I set the vacuum on 50%, and the sander speed on "4".

 

[Scott B.]

Here's an example using 60g with sander speed set at 6 and 1/2 extraction:

Festool RO125 in Rotex Mode: One Hand Operation