RAS 115 for paint removal, reclaiming pallet wood and polishing?

[yetihunter]

I understand that the RAS 115 is the sleeper hit with Festool junkies on the internet.
I've only seen it demonstrated as a tool for coping. 

Can it be used for paint removal, cleaning up nasty material and for polishing
finishes the same way the Rotex can?  (ie, not gouging into the surface). 

I'm planning on picking up a ets 150 for finish sanding at some point this winter, and pairing it up with a Bosch 1250devs (similar to RO150).  However, I notice a lot of Rotex users claiming they wished they had RAS and ETS combo, instead.  The RAS and Rotex come across as entirely different tools.  The rotex for resurfacing, and the RAS for shaping. 

Any input would be greatly appreciated! 

 

[Mort]

Paint removal is one of the things Festool sells it on. Half-Inch Shy has a video on YouTube I just watched yesterday that shows some of the things you can do with it.

 

[anthonyz]

The Ras is a very aggressive tool. It's a grinder with dust collection. I could not see using it for polishing. If you want to strip with it, you likely will add contour to your surface. It is a good tool for sculpting and shaping with. Coping and using to scribe filler pieces, it's great for. If you want a tool for sanding to polish, the Rotex will do that great. The Ras is best for shaping. I like having the Ras in my tool kit.

You can see Jory Brigham use the RAS to shape doors, dust collector removed.
https://vimeo.com/83534761

 

[Ajax]

I just bought a RAS and its a great tool to removing layers of paint.  It's also a great tool for shaping wood.  Bottom Line: It's a very aggressive tool that will work well for you if used in the right application.

 

[AlexThePalex]

The RAS was developped for fast paint removal. It is aggressive, but if you do it the right way you don't gouge the surface. The surface does always need more sanding with another sander to fully prepare it for painting.

 

[yetihunter]

Thanks for the contributions!

It appears methunk correctly. 

That Jory Brigham piece inevitably has me sold on
a ras, regardless.  [big grin]
Angle grinder discs for wood are quite scary and messy.
Various adzes, scorps and gouges are $$$$$$ and a pain in the butt.

 

[Scott B.]

I haven't found it to be a polishing tool yet, but it is one strong removal tool:

 

[chrisrosenb]

I haven't found it to be a polishing tool yet, but it is one strong removal tool:

It will polish concrete pretty well. [big grin]

 

[Scott B.]

I haven't found it to be a polishing tool yet, but it is one strong removal tool:

It will polish concrete pretty well. [big grin]

No Doubt!

 

[ear3]

I started shaping wood with an angle grinder, and then a few months ago got a RAS -- mainly for stripping but also for shaping.  Head to head the RAS works more slowly than the angle grinder, but there are two advantages it holds when it comes to shaping.  First, and most obviously, dust collection.  While you still end up generating a lot of dust with the RAS on shaping projects (all the repositioning of the angle of attack you have to do will inevitably spew dust out of reach of the adjustable shroud), there is far less fine, ambient dust thrown off by the tool as compared to the grinder.  But wear a dust mask anyway.  Second, the RAS doesn't burn the wood, and with finer grit paper (100, 120) you can sneak up to the final form you're going for, as opposed to the grinder, which in addition to burn marks, leaves prominent ridges and gouges that you have to spend a lot of time sanding down.

Incidentally, for shaping projects I have found the Rotex 90 mounted with an interface pad to be indispensable for producing the final form.  The small pad size allows you to preserve all the fine contours, but you still get quick results with the gear-driven Rotex mode.     

Thanks for the contributions!

It appears methunk correctly. 

That Jory Brigham piece inevitably has me sold on
a ras, regardless.  [big grin]
Angle grinder discs for wood are quite scary and messy.
Various adzes, scorps and gouges are $$$$$$ and a pain in the butt.

 

[Cheese]

Head to head the RAS works more slowly than the angle grinder, but there are two advantages it holds when it comes to shaping.

And that's because the RAS spins a smaller diameter pad than the average angle grinder (4.5" vs 5"), and it also rotates at a significantly slower speed (4000 rpm vs 8500 rpm). So the rim speed of the RAS is 54 mph (4712 sfpm) and the rim speed of the RA grinder is 126 mph (11,126 sfpm).

That 54 mph rim speed makes it a lot easier for the vac to collect dust & debris.

 

[yetihunter]

After starting this thread, I dug deep into the knowledge vaults of the car detailing community. 
I can say I have a much better understanding of rotary vs dual action.   
I wouldn't mind a Flex 3401 if it added dust extraction! :0

I also found this neato video that basically explains how the rotex works... except it's the makita.
Notice the "lovely" plastic gears.    [huh] 

Maybe we should stop declaring the aggressive mode as "rotary" mode.  Because that's rather misleading.
Unless I totally got this wrong:  Dual-Mode, one mode is random orbital, the other mode is dual action. 
Did I get that right?


I also realize that while I said "polishing", I definitely meant buffing.   

I put myself in a bad spot, because now I want, both, the ras and the rotex. 

 

[Holmz]

...
I put myself in a bad spot, because now I want, both, the ras and the rotex.

Do you?
If you use a RAS then more of a finish sander that may be better??

I finally get what a RAS is now, and I think I have a use for one.
I found an [member=7673]neeleman[/member] post in another thread.

For the RAS 115 there is only the following paper available:
1. Rubin P24+36+50+80+100+120+150+180
2. Saphir P24+36+50+80
3. Vlies A100+180

The first is meant for bare wood, the second for stripping paint and other heavy removal.
The third is not meant for your kind of work.

And this gave a RAS list...https://www.festoolusa.com/abrasives

 

[yetihunter]

I already have finish sanders.  So, good on that. 
Actually, recently acquired the ETS-EC 150. 

I'm not necessarily jumping at the opportunity to drop $600
on the Rotex since all I'm interested in is the semi-geared mode. 

I'll probably grab the ras first and see how that works out for me.