Oscillation rate

[charley1968]

Hi folks
I just bought my first multitool, the Vecturo.
What i wonder is: are there lists/ recommendations/rules of thumb for oscillation rates in regard to material? I work almost exclusively with pine, oak, birch-ply and MDF.
Thankee in advance: A.

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

This is a little subjective, and you'll likely get a different response from every person you ask.

For myself, I usually run my oscillating tools at roughly 80% speed, for the following reasons: Some blades explicitly state they should be run at a speed level "4" (Fein tools and the Vecturo usually have a range from 1-6), otherwise they overheat and you prematurely shorten the life of the blade. I've noticed several of the Vecturo blades have a marking laser etched into them with a "4" symbol, signifying you should not run them at a 5 or 6 speed setting. Since I regularly swap different blade styles, it's generally just easier for me to leave the tool at "4" and not have to sweat it.

Of course, there are times that I need to crank the speed all the way to 6 (it's too bad you can't make the tool go to "11", that'd be awesome!!  [tongue]), other times a "2" or "3" is more suitable. I'm sorry, but I can't describe very well, other than to say that it's generally more of a touch you develop, feel how the tool is behaving and listen to the sound it's making.

I hope this helps somewhat!

 

[charley1968]

Thanks for the reply, Tom. Your answer is a guideline, exactly what i was asking for. I know the sound of a circular saw when it's 'off' but have no experience with an OS. Being 'in the middle of the road' can therefore hardly be wrong.
Thanks again.

 

[jmarkflesher]

Does the new Vecturo take only Festool cutters or can Fein or Imperial blades be used. Thanks, MARK

 

[AlexThePalex]

Generally, the softer the material, the faster you can set your speed. With my MultiMaster I always cut pine, MDF or particle board on it's highest speed (20.000). But today for the first time I cut palissander hardwood with it and it started to smoke like crazy so I had to tune it all the way down to 2 (~14.000 rpm).

As Tom said, you got to develop the touch for it and find out which speed is best suited for which material. 

Does the new Vecturo take only Festool cutters or can Fein or Imperial blades be used. Thanks, MARK

It takes the same blades as the Fein SuperCut, so all blades that fit the SuperCut, with or without adapter, should work on the Vecturo.

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

Charley, you're very welcome!!

Does the new Vecturo take only Festool cutters or can Fein or Imperial blades be used. Thanks, MARK

Hi Mark! I've used both the supplied Festool blades, as well as Imperial blades on the Vecturo. The Festool are rebranded Fein, which most of us know to be of very high quality. Therefore, any Supercut blade should work fine in the Vecturo. Imperial is the only other brand I'm familiar with that makes blades with an appropriate Supercut arbor. I'm particularly fond of their diamond grit blade, it's a great complement to the Vecturo for making plug cuts into cementitious materials like stucco, plaster, etc....

Fein makes an adapter for using "regular" blades on a Supercut or Vecturo, but I've found it to be a bit of a PITA to use, and only keep it for those emergency situations when I need to use a "standard" arbored blade.