Is this a job for an RO-90?

[dreyer]

Hello eveyone,

I have a big job ahead of me and am leaning towards buying an RO - 90 with an assortment of abrasives and pads to help me get the job done easier. 

I would love some advice on whether I am choosing the right tool for the job and which of the festool abrasives you would recommend.

The job is stripping the inside of a wooden sailboat that I am restoring.  Its Mahogany and Sapele planking on White oak frames - some of the planking is original and has 60 year old varnish on it while the "new" planking and frames are dirty and weathered as its such a slow restoration project due to the fact I live overseas and rarely get time to work on her.  I have two weeks coming up during which I would like to get the whole inside of the hull stripped out and carrying a few build coats of varnish.

The new planks have grinding swirls on them as they have all been hollowed out with a 4" P36 roloc disc for a precise fit to the frames.

I would like to strip everything back to fresh wood and re-varnish.  It does not have to be a perfect job, but I would like to get rid of most of the grinding marks and weathered timber.

Everything so far has been by hand (about 15% complete) as I did not have any power tools suitable.  I tried a Fein Multimaster and delta sanding pad but that was like putting out a Forest fire with a screwdriver.

I have been stripping the old varnish with a heat gun and scrapers as it clogs up sand paper terribly.  The newer planks and frames I have been prepping with cabinet scrapers and sandpaper (From 60 through to P180) to remove weathered wood and the grinding swirls, followed by bleaching to remove stains and even out the colour.  It is slow and difficult work due to the convex shape of the hull and frames spaced every 6" as well as the fact it is a fairly confined space.  I have not used chemical strippers on the old varnish due to the confined work space and pollution regulations the yard has here in california.

I have attached photos of the inside of the boat and work I have done so far as an example.
New planking and frames bottom half of photo, original planking top half:

To the left is the starting condition, to the right, ready for finishing.  My a selection of my current tools for the job on the right also.

I was thinking RO 90 with a few hard/soft delta and HT round pads, interface pads and a whole lot of Rubin 2 ranging from P60 to P180.  Followed by my trusty cabinet scrapers for the hard to reach spots and then some wood bleach to even it all out.

Whats the consensus? Is the little RO90 up to the job given all the tight corners and convex surfaces?

If so, i'm looking forward to my first Festool purchase!

Regards,

James

 

[VictorL]

James,

Welcome to the FOG! Rotex will do the job. Rubin is designed mostly for bare wood. Granat and Saphir are  more suitable for stripping varnishes. You can buy assorted pack from some dealers. They can offer you some assorted sandpaper for RO-90.

VictorL

 

[rmwarren]

I use the RO 90 and have never failed to be impressed with it, the 90mm discs can get into tight areas and when used in gear-driven mode it will hog thru some tough stuff. I played with wooden boats a number of years ago (pre RO 90) and looking back it would have been a very handy tool to have.

I find that I use the hard pad mostly when fairing curves, etc, and then the soft pad to clean up and even out the surface.

Good luck, can't say I envy you the project but it sure looks like the final result will be worth it.

RMW

 

[pugilato]

I like my RO90 a lot, and this looks like a good fit for it.

 

[nanook]

sounds like it may be just the tools to use.    Chem strippers I think might be the best way, the varnish is going to eat up a lot of sandpaper. 
If I was stripping that boat with a sander, I would seriously look at the Fein or Festool vacs for their extraction.  Should also help to extend sandpaper life (your going to go through a lot of it, I expect). 
You could try the Mirka abrasives, but trying the RO90 might be a good call.  If you feel it was the right tool at the end of your two weeks, keep it, if not just return it. 
That said - I would go with chemical strippers if that was at all an option!

 

[Kev]

[welcome]

Nothing will make that job "easy" ... just easier. A RO90 with the right abrasives will certainly help. All of the corners and crevices are the real killer and would need something that can sand into corners ... but the curves make this even harder ... a linear sander with the right shaped pad could help, but you would go through a lot of abrasives.

I'd also be interested in knowing whether there's a "safe" stripper to use for this purpose.

Good luck - please keep us updated.

Kev.

 

[tbellemare]

I would use the RO 90 with Granat and a couple of Interface Pads. Be sure to use the Edge Guard so you can go right up against the adjacent surfaces and not worry about the pad slamming.

Tom

EDIT:
To remove the varnish, start with the gear-driven orbital mode (big dots). If the Granat clogs (and I doubt it will), wipe it with a rag soaked in denatured alcohol and keep going until the backing gives up. It lasts a REALLY long time.

 

[semenza]

Hi James,

Welcome to the forum  [smile]

What Tom posted is what I was thinking to suggest as I read through the thread.  [thumbs up]

Seth

 

[ScotF]

Welcome, James.  Good advice and I second getting a CT with it and lots of Granat at paper.  Also, you can turn the speed down if you are finding that the paper clogs too quickly.

Scot

 

[Stone Message]

I agree with everyone above and would like to emphasise the need for a CT extractor - if you do not have one then get one on day one of your project break (I have the CT26 and it is worth its weight in gold).

I love my RO90 (my first Festool sander) and Granat is great for the rough stuff and Rubin II for the finish.

Peter

 

[dreyer]

Hi all,
Thanks for the quick responses and warm welcome.

I will be using a borrowed CT36 for the job.  As I primarily live in New Zealand (220 Volts), I will be likely sell the RO 90 here after the restoration and buy another when I return to NZ.  Everyone I have talked to feels I will get great re-sale of the sander.  And I have LOTS of varnish to do so no doubt it will earn its keep.

Would I get away with using Granat for both old varnish AND weathered wood removal and would P80, P120, P150, P180 have me covered or should I go for a few grades in between?

As I read it, Granat is great for removing old finish and the Rubin is primarily a bare wood abrasive.  If I have to buy both product lines in both round and delta, in the various grades its going to be more expensive that the RO-90!  [smile] 

Standing by for advice - if thats what I need and it will save me a few hours work changing out clogged up paper, then so be it.

Regards,

James

 

[Kev]

I'd be tempted to go another grade lower - assuming you've got some nasty stuff to remove - certainly sticking with Granat at that point. Get you lower grits at least first as you won't be needing the higher grits in the early phases!

Personally I wouldn't be switching to Rubin until you're dealing with bare timber and even then I'd stay with Granat. Be away the backing in Granat is very thin and can deteriorate, but you will want at least one interface pad on the RO90 for the curve of the hull and thinner backings will conform better.

Final sanding is up to you - you can alway go finer, but trial an area with finish to see when you're happy.

 

[Birdhunter]

My first reaction was "I am thankful I am not doing this job". My second reaction was "He better have great dust extraction AND wear a dust mask". My third reaction was "I'd use my RO90 for the job".

 

[JoggleStick]

Oh Dear....

I've done a few of these in my time and whilst I don't disagree with what the other guys have said and I've gotta say, I fully get where you're coming from....

However, you simply couldn't pay me enough money to do this by any of those methods, nope no way...

I would really encourage you to look into low pressure wet bead blasting, especially given your two-week time window.

It is fast, it is efficient, it is dustless, no coating is too tough or too soft, no corner or crevice too hard to reach, they can come to you, it will probably be finished in a day,
And I could keep going....

Toooo Eeeeaaassssy....

 

[Paul G]

A method I learned from another thread here, use some solvent to unclog a piece of paper. Also remember if the RO90 isn't doing the job you can return it. I like the blasting suggestion though, sounds like a much more effecient way to go.

 

[semenza]

I'd  be looking at going down to 60 gr for the stripping.

But that bead blasting service sounds even better  [cool]

Seth

 

[tbellemare]

I tend to solve things with what I have, which is why I went with the RO 90 here. I retract, blast it...

Tom

 

[johninthecamper]

I have the habit of trying to solve things with what I have. I found the best way to break that habit is buy more tools.

added:right tool for the job is one of the first safety rules on anyones list

 

[tbellemare]

In this particular case, blasting it does indeed seem to be, "Faster, Easier, Smarter".

Tom

EDIT:
I still think the RO 90 would be the tool to clean up the bare wood after getting rid of the finish.

 

[Brice Burrell]

In this particular case, blasting it does indeed seem to be, "Faster, Easier, Smarter".

Tom

EDIT:
I still think the RO 90 would be the tool to clean up the bare wood after getting rid of the finish.

You're probably right Tom.  I doubt it is ready to apply finish after being blasted.