RAS 115E speeds corresponding to dial numbers HELP

[Foghat]

Hi I'm in Canada and didn't know there was a recall on the RAS, years back, but I'm still using mine.
I see on the pads like the soft one, it says "speeds below 1100rpm", but nowhere in the instructions does it say what the rpms are for the various numbers on the dial?!
Can anyone help with this please. The edges of my soft stickfix are melted a bit so the hooks for velcro are gone.
I have the chart which says what dial numbers to use for various things, but nothing about what the rpm is. I wish Festool had checked that.

I find that for removing paint from some shelves it did a good job. I think I started with too high a grit first: 60, and it gummed up and jumped all over. When I tried a 40 and slowed it down it was better. Like the R90 Rotex, it's hard to keep them both flat. when I get it flat, it suddenly kicks off to one side and then the other. Frustrating as heck. Still working out the best way to use these.
Are we meant to keep them flat on the surface of slightly tipped so the edge gets more bite? But then you get swirl marks at thicker grits.
Tips would help.
This is great for really getting at it, and faster than the R90, at least for bigger surfaces.

 

[Cheese]

Well, according to the owners manual, the range of speeds is from 1500 to 4000 rpm. So if you're limited to 1100 rpm, then the lowest speed setting is in order.

 

[Laminator]

Trying to hold it flat on the surface is not going to work very well and the lower the grit the harder to control it will be.  I find that holding it as close to flat as possible but canted just a little works best.  To much angel and it will gouge the material.  The lowest speed possible helps with the heat which is usually what causes the paint to gum up the paper

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I see the RAS as much more of a grinder than a sander and use it accordingly. Since it is truly rotary, rather than orbital, it is aggressive. It doesn't deal with sitting flat on a surface very well, since that is a delicate balance. Flat would be ok, but even the slightest pressure in any direction, it wants to steer that way. I have even bought an adaptor to use flap-discs with it too.

 

[Kev]

To me the RAS (Really Angry Sander) is the thing I resort to at the point of where you'd say .. "So you think you've beaten me?"

These days I'm more inclined to pick up a cordless angle grinder with a flap disk and leave the RAS asleep in its systainer. I really don't like waking that thing up :O

 

[Crazyraceguy]

To me the RAS (Really Angry Sander) is the thing I resort to at the point of where you'd say .. "So you think you've beaten me?"

These days I'm more inclined to pick up a cordless angle grinder with a flap disk and leave the RAS asleep in its systainer. I really don't like waking that thing up :O

That's funny, I would use mine more, if it had a Plug-It cable. For me, the angry part is winding the cord back up every time.

 

[morts10n]

I use my RAS 115 almost more than any other tool. Mostly for scribing panel edges to floor, wall, and ceiling. A slight tilt is what works best in that application. I had installed a short Plug-it pigtail but hated it after 2 weeks and put the regular cord back on. I plug it in once a day, and unplug it once a day.

 

[Cheese]

These days I'm more inclined to pick up a cordless angle grinder with a flap disk and leave the RAS asleep in its systainer. I really don't like waking that thing up :O

Ya, I also gravitate towards a cordless RA grinder if dust collection isn't a priority. For me, the convenience of cordless tools is just so important, I hate cords & hoses. However, if dust collection is important then the RAS is pulled out of its Systainer.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I don't even own an angle grinder anymore. Maybe I should look into Makita?

 

[Kev]

I don't even own an angle grinder anymore. Maybe I should look into Makita?

I have a few of the 40V Makita's and I think they're brilliant. I also have a couple of 18V Metabo's and they're not bad either.

Some of the new types of discs you can get for angle grinders make them a far cry from the old days of just cut and grind.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I don't even own an angle grinder anymore. Maybe I should look into Makita?

I have a few of the 40V Makita's and I think they're brilliant. I also have a couple of 18V Metabo's and they're not bad either.

Some of the new types of discs you can get for angle grinders make them a far cry from the old days of just cut and grind.

Examples of new disks?

 

[Kev]

Examples of new disks?

https://sydneytools.com.au/category/accessories-pta/abrasives/poly-clean-strip-discs

(Local Oz seller) I love the poly discs ... very much an outdoor with a cordless AG and a mask but boy do they do a great job.

 

[six-point socket II]

The 3M ones are fantastic.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[six-point socket II]

To the OP/ [member=3617]Foghat[/member] , are you sure about the max. RPM on those pads?

1100 struck me as an odd number, sure it is not 11000?

Like in this example Festool #484173 StickFix Soft Sanding Pad:https://www.rockler.com/stickfix-sanding-pad-for-festool-ras-115-soft-484173

Large picture of the pad:

I think by putting a little less pressure on the machine while sanding, and by using the original pads (if you’re not already doing that anyway), you should be good to go.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Cheese]

To the OP/ [member=3617]Foghat[/member] , are you sure about the max. RPM on those pads?

1100 struck me as an odd number, sure it is not 11000?

Like in this example Festool #484173 StickFix Soft Sanding Pad:https://www.rockler.com/stickfix-sanding-pad-for-festool-ras-115-soft-484173

Large picture of the pad:

I think by putting a little less pressure on the machine while sanding, and by using the original pads (if you’re not already doing that anyway), you should be good to go.

Kind regards,
Oliver

I pulled out a couple of photos I'd taken of the Festool RAS 115 Stickfix pad & the Fiberfix pad. Both pads are rated at "max 11000 Upm". I wonder what Upm stands for?

If it's the same as rpm, then these pads would also be suitable to use on the AGC 18.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

 

[Michael Kellough]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] Umlaufbahnen = orbits.

No, I’m not smart, had to look it up.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Those abrasive impregnated poly disks are great, but not exactly new.
Been using the 3M version since the 20th Century.

 

[Michael Kellough]

The oem pad for the RAS is best used with the machine held at a slight angle to the work surface.
That way you can direct the direction of scratches. Think of how disk type floor sanders work.

 

[six-point socket II]

UPM = RPM

German: Umdrehungen pro Minute
English:  Revolutions per minute

Yes, the poly discs have been around for a long time.

M14 is the classic angle grinder threading.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Cheese]

Those abrasive impregnated poly disks are great, but not exactly new.
Been using the 3M version since the 20th Century.

Thanks for revealing the mystic Upm notation... [smile]

Here are some of the 3M Clean & Strip pads I use on the AGC 18 along with the traditional Scotch-Brite offerings.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

[attachimg=3]