Michael Kellough
Member
“the results were nice.” You wouldn’t say that about a belt sander that doesn’t have a sanding frame.
Is there an after market replacement pad for the RS2e half sheet sander?
- Thread starter hsicontracting
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Cheese
Member
I'd imagine the results are very nice compared to the results of a common belt sander.
Unless it's a BS 75/105 or a Holz-Her derivative with a sanding frame, getting a nice finish is nearly impossible. I use mine for very crude tasks like leveling sub-flooring.Is there a reason you used the RS2 to remove the coating rather than a Rotex?
onocoffee
Member
i was going to say “because I wanted to maintain the flatness of the board” but the real reason is that I just wanted to use the RS2.I'd imagine the results are very nice compared to the results of a common belt sander.
Is there a reason you used the RS2 to remove the coating rather than a Rotex?
Turns out the board had some hollow and I did use the RO150 to get at it. And then after it was all done, I hated how it looked (boring) and put it aside for use later.
luvmytoolz
Member
Absolutely true Michael! The frame on the BS105 allows it to just glide over the surface beautifully!
I have used it without the frame, but usually only on really gnarly timber as a rough prep.
leakyroof
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To the OP, while this is a local score for the now NLA RS2e sanding pad, it IS how I reacted and got one after reading this thread yesterday. There's a local Tool Store group called Berlands House of Tools. I called one of their locations, and sure enough ,they had 1 pad left in the store. I'm picking it up Saturday. Can't pre-buy it over the phone with a Credit Card, as that's their store policy, so they pulled it and held it for me under my name. But that's what it's going to take, as noted by others in the thread. Start the HUNT, NOW, since that Sander has never been as popular as other Festool Sanders, which also means Paint Stores and Other tool stores may have been scarce on ever stocking the sander or its consumables in the first place due to weak sales on the whole model when they took on the Festool Line.
When a certain Paint Supply Company , with many stores in our area, picked up the Festool Line, it's always only stocked the most common sanders that Painters and Finishers would buy and use and the Vacuums/Dust extractors. The 5" and 6" ECs, the RTS and DTS, etc. I HAVE seen a couple of vacuum attachments in these stores that weren't common, so that was a bonus for finding and buying. Good Luck...
When a certain Paint Supply Company , with many stores in our area, picked up the Festool Line, it's always only stocked the most common sanders that Painters and Finishers would buy and use and the Vacuums/Dust extractors. The 5" and 6" ECs, the RTS and DTS, etc. I HAVE seen a couple of vacuum attachments in these stores that weren't common, so that was a bonus for finding and buying. Good Luck...
anthonymall
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@onocoffee i think the reason people were confused about your RS2 comment and “nice” is that the sander is a finish sander in almost every sense of the word. This is why @Cheese said he’s never used anything lower than 120 grit in his. I’m sure that you’ve watched every video of the rs2 there is, (hardly any exist, decent anyway) and most of the time it’s showing off how you barely have to even hold it at all. From the rear with a thumb and a finger and high grit it does literally float. I have 2 of them because I like the way that it works just like that, and I’m nervous I won’t be able to find a replacement that’s in decent quality. Those lower grit papers are meant for the other Rutscher 1/2 sanders that we didn’t get here, RS 100 Q, and 100 CQ, both which are geared orbitals with a 5mm stroke IIrc. That’s the same as an RO 150. They are meant to remove lots of stock at fast pace; there’s no finishing done with those 2. They will jump all over the place without 2 hands firmly on the handles, and can gouge the workpiece pretty easily if not controlled, I have 1 of each. You should REALLY try the high grit papers with the RS2, not just because you want to say you did it, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the result as long as you keep it moving. And the bonus is that the pads for them last a long time if used in the correct way, and after one is finished, make sure to save the metal backing plate to make your OWN pad with whatever you want. 1 pad can turn into multiples so you won’t have to keep shelling out $60 or whatever they go for.
Cheese
Member
Good point on the longer pad life if used with higher grit papers.
It sounds like you've made your own replacement pads...any tips, or instructions you'd like to share?
anthonymall
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@Cheese @onocoffee @luvmytoolz so my downstairs shop is a mess but this is what I’ve done so far. First you buy H&L sticky sheets that you cut them down to size. Those 10 holes must be punched in order fo dc work correctly, but that’s super easy, they’re all in a line. In another thread about floor mats, @Packard and @onocoffee mentioned the HF relief pads that are 2x2 interlocking squares about 11-12mm thick dense foam. These are perfect and super-cheap. Cut to size, punch holes, H&L on BOTH sides, one for plate, one for paper. I would say it’s medium comparatively to H FT pads. This works awesome, and you don’t have mess around with glues or epoxies or whatever, just make sure you buy the heavy duty hook and loop sheets. Having the H&L tacked to the metal base plate, then velcroed to the foam to the paper, gives you the DC like the oem pads that have the small slits/channels where the dust is pulled up through them. As for punching the holes, @Cheese I know you have leather punches that will go right through, but also if anyone has the kaizen “holer” I think it’s called, that puts perfect holes right through the HF foam tiles. By having that H&L on the metal baseplate to begin with, it leaves it open to basically whatever you can think of and attach it with the Velcro! I haven’t gotten any yet for some reason but mirka and Mafell both make interface paces in that size, although they call it 115x230. So that leaves it open if you can get abranet screens even. They do make it for Mafell’s uva115 sander, but it’s really $$$. I think that the pad that is used on the UVA 115, is almost like the harbor freight foam.Good point on the longer pad life if used with higher grit papers.
It sounds like you've made your own replacement pads...any tips, or instructions you'd like to share?
Mafell Schleifplatte mit Kletthaftung 115 x 230 mm für UVA 115 E 202489 | eBay.de
Schleifplatte mit Kletthaftung 115 x 230 mm. 1x Schleifplatte mit Kletthaftung 115 x 230 mm. Modell : 202489. Mafell Zubehör. Wir weisen alle Besitzer von Elektro- und Elektronikaltgeräten darauf hin, dass Sie gesetzlich verpflichtet sind, diese Geräte einer vom unsortierten Siedlungsabfall...
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anthonymall
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These are the channels/slits I was referencing that are important. This is where the dust goes in. The 2 pieces of H&L together essentially create this space when using your own homemade pad on the RS2.. If you watch this video of mafell’s 1/2 sheet, at the 30 second mark, you’ll see the close up. RS 2 works exactly the same way.
anthonymall
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onocoffee
Member
I see what you mean Anthony. Makes me wonder if Festool made this for Mafell or the other way around. The form factor and the types of clips on the pads to hold half sheets are surprisingly similar, if not identical.
luvmytoolz
Member
That's a good write up thanks Anthony! The problem for me is I haven't been able to locate in OZ a replacement pad for the RS2E. Even an old damaged one I could fix.
I am absolutely kicking myself that when the pad disintegrated and I went to get the spare I'd bought around 10 years earlier, and found that also had disintegrated in the packet, I threw it out, not realising how difficult it would be to get a replacement.
The ones on Ebay have the right part number, but the screwholes are out by a fair bit.
I am absolutely kicking myself that when the pad disintegrated and I went to get the spare I'd bought around 10 years earlier, and found that also had disintegrated in the packet, I threw it out, not realising how difficult it would be to get a replacement.
The ones on Ebay have the right part number, but the screwholes are out by a fair bit.
Michael Kellough
Member
Should be easy for you to more the holes over with the equipment and skills you’ve acquired.
luvmytoolz
Member
I've been a bit wary (and more so lazy) with that as the holes overlap. Especially after replacing a pad on an RS300 it made a horrendous noise and vibrated badly, I found the back of the pad was very slightly bent and was causing massive resonance.
But yes, it does sound like a project for the holidays now! ;-)
leakyroof
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I have the metal punch that Festool sold for creating dust collection holes in aftermarket half sheet abrasives, to allow usage on the RS2 sander. Do you think it would be useful in creating new pads since you are matching the stock hole layout?
I wonder if the Punch plate is still sold since it probably didn’t fly off warehouse shelves…
rvieceli
Member
@leakyroof if you can’t find the Festool hole punch try the Makita offering. It’s an exact match for the Festool one.
On that subject the Makita BO4900V is a great sander on its own and pretty good clone of the RS2. Takes the Festool hook and loop paper perfectly but I don’t know if the pad mounting holes are the same
Ron
On that subject the Makita BO4900V is a great sander on its own and pretty good clone of the RS2. Takes the Festool hook and loop paper perfectly but I don’t know if the pad mounting holes are the same
Ron
leakyroof
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Sorry if I wasn’t clear, I own the Festool punch- was wondering out loud if it’s still available for others to buy. Otherwise it sounds like for anyone going this route, they have Makita as an option.
onocoffee
Member
No, it is not typically available for anyone to buy. You may, however, find old stock in the inventories of legacy dealers. That's kinda how I got mine.
anthonymall
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I too have the hole punch. It’s so sharp I hate grabbing it!! The hole punch is fine for the paper. I wouldn’t try to push it through whatever you’re trying to make a pad with unless you’re doing it very lightly just to mark the points to cut out. Literally you can make your own punch with a copper pipe or whatever of that size and sand/grind the end down to make it sharp.
anthonymall
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I’ll give my buddy Anthony a ring who owns Beyond Tools a holler. I’ve been buying stuff from him for years. I actually have some stuff in the mail right now. On eBay change your search parameters to categories : home worker or DIY, condition: pre-owned or used but new. Try the search keywords a bunch of different ways. You’ll find it. I missed a BF 1 E Set that sold for €25 last week because the trigger/switch only worked sometimes. Obv brushes. But the category was under FT defekt, or translated to spare parts. That was all it took for me to miss it. Only had 1 person watching it. I almost cried, seriously. That’s one of the 2 things that are on rhe top of my list for years. I cannot find it. The other one is LA-BS 75/105. Don’t bother with anything that has stock photos. You want the ones from individuals where they took the picture themselves. The other hard part with AUS is th RS 100 CQ was sometimes called the “AUS” version. It was heavily marketed there. That takes the pad you bought that is slightly different. eBay.de has a bunch but I don’t think they deliver to you. They hardly deliver anything to the US anymore either especially after tariffs went into effect. It forced them to look up every harmonization code for even a screw. Festool had/has a strange relationship with AUS, same as with S. Africa. It’s not the same network like it is in US, UK, EU. Some things that are readily available there are near impossible to find anywhere else and visa-versa, You guys get things that no where else gets. I believe it’s because of the focus on providing for trades there instead of regular consumers and small biz in the ROW. You will get it one way or another. Try slang words, misspellings, foreign words,etc…. If the Store you use has a rep, ask the owner or manager if he/she could personally ask the other stores they deal with that carry FT. I’ve gotten numerous items that way when Anthony doesn’t. have it. I always send him a picture and a part number bc I know he’s busy, so the easier I can make it for him I do.
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