I'm still pondering the ro 90 and was wondering how aggressive it can be when pushed. At the moment I use my RO 150 with 36 grit to do sone heavy shaping but it's a tad on the big and cumbersome size for a lot of what I need, is the 90 able to do a reasonable job of plowing through wood at a decent rate? I'm not expecting 150 levels obviously but has anyone given their 90 a good workout yet.
RO 90 how aggressive?
- Thread starter GaryB
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I used mine to sand down the weather-beaten pressure treated rails that have been baking in the Georgia sun for the past 4 years, and it got them smoothed down and cleaned up easily. It might have been nice to have a bigger pad like on the RO125, just because the rails were 5 1/2" wide, but not because I needed more power.
I have been using mine to sand and shape MDF, I have also used it on Oak. Seems to do that just fine.
My only complaint is that if you are not paying attention, it is easy to hold it not flat because of the small size and that can quickly cause it to make something uneven due to it being so aggressive.
My only complaint is that if you are not paying attention, it is easy to hold it not flat because of the small size and that can quickly cause it to make something uneven due to it being so aggressive.
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It's so aggressive you can hear the wood whimper in fear. [scared]
Just a reminder that you've got a full 30 days to try it out if you're on the fence. [wink]
Just a reminder that you've got a full 30 days to try it out if you're on the fence. [wink]
Holzhacker
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Great reply Shane.
Really, stop questioning the RO90 and BUY IT NOW. I've drunk a lot less green koolaid then some around here and am happy to _itch about some Festools. However, the RO90 is a superstar. I had my dealer hold one for me so I'd have one right away. Mine has chewed through multiple layers of old paint, Oak, rough sawn old 2x's and mdf. It DOESN'T care. It screams, FEED ME MORE.
One of the things I love about Festools, is the 30 day money back guarantee. I tend to beat the crap out of the tools as much as I can in the 1st month. For that kind of money, I want to know it can take a beating and ask for another. (Yes, I know I have issues).
At the price with the Delta pad I think its a really good deal. To Festools great credit, the 90 also comes with a generous assortment of paper. Thanks Festool
The two other contractors who I've showed it to keep asking to borrow it to test it. Dream on.
Really, stop questioning the RO90 and BUY IT NOW. I've drunk a lot less green koolaid then some around here and am happy to _itch about some Festools. However, the RO90 is a superstar. I had my dealer hold one for me so I'd have one right away. Mine has chewed through multiple layers of old paint, Oak, rough sawn old 2x's and mdf. It DOESN'T care. It screams, FEED ME MORE.
One of the things I love about Festools, is the 30 day money back guarantee. I tend to beat the crap out of the tools as much as I can in the 1st month. For that kind of money, I want to know it can take a beating and ask for another. (Yes, I know I have issues).
At the price with the Delta pad I think its a really good deal. To Festools great credit, the 90 also comes with a generous assortment of paper. Thanks Festool
The two other contractors who I've showed it to keep asking to borrow it to test it. Dream on.
ccarrolladams
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Used with the accessory hard pad, we have used our new RO 90 DX to remove stock while retaining a crisp edge.
As a test we also tried using the RO 90 DX with a soft pad and 80 grit to form a concave depression in a scrap of walnut as if shaping a chair seat. For that our RO 150 or RO 125 would be too large.
To our delight the RO 90 DX was very effective.
You certainly should consider it for creating such depressions.
As a test we also tried using the RO 90 DX with a soft pad and 80 grit to form a concave depression in a scrap of walnut as if shaping a chair seat. For that our RO 150 or RO 125 would be too large.
To our delight the RO 90 DX was very effective.
You certainly should consider it for creating such depressions.
You lot sure know how to sweet talk a guy [smile]
I did buy part of one today, well, a pad anyway. I unscrewed the metal plate, sanded the back flat and glued it onto the base of my Proxxon mini orbital sander so I could use the 90mm sheets with it. Works a treat for delicate work and the pad size is just right [cool]
I think I'll be picking one of these up very soon.
I did buy part of one today, well, a pad anyway. I unscrewed the metal plate, sanded the back flat and glued it onto the base of my Proxxon mini orbital sander so I could use the 90mm sheets with it. Works a treat for delicate work and the pad size is just right [cool]
I think I'll be picking one of these up very soon.
Hey Gary,
The RO90 can get seriously aggressive. On my site, I have a review of the RO90. One of the videos shows me dishing out some plywood very quickly using Rotex mode and p60(?) Granat. I'm still surprised at how much you can remove very quickly. Just this morning I was sanding down a piece of cocobolo and realized there was some jointer snipe on one end. Even with p220 paper on, in just a few seconds of moderate pressure, I was able to flatten out the ridge and blend out the snipe.
http://www.thewoodnerd.com/reviews/festoolRO90DX.html
The RO90 can get seriously aggressive. On my site, I have a review of the RO90. One of the videos shows me dishing out some plywood very quickly using Rotex mode and p60(?) Granat. I'm still surprised at how much you can remove very quickly. Just this morning I was sanding down a piece of cocobolo and realized there was some jointer snipe on one end. Even with p220 paper on, in just a few seconds of moderate pressure, I was able to flatten out the ridge and blend out the snipe.
http://www.thewoodnerd.com/reviews/festoolRO90DX.html
I went to your review yesterday and checked out the videos, pretty impressive. [eek]
I'm also a big fan of the new granat paper. I bought a box of 80 grit to go with the 320 I got yesterday morning. I was testing it on a 3" sanding disc on my angle drill, awesome stuff! I went from 36-80-320 and it ended up smooth as silk with with no obvious scratches anywhere and just enough tooth for a coating. Bigger steps than recommended but the granat, even at fine grits, is still agressive enough to work it
The stuff is great for getting the wood off quickly.
I'm also a big fan of the new granat paper. I bought a box of 80 grit to go with the 320 I got yesterday morning. I was testing it on a 3" sanding disc on my angle drill, awesome stuff! I went from 36-80-320 and it ended up smooth as silk with with no obvious scratches anywhere and just enough tooth for a coating. Bigger steps than recommended but the granat, even at fine grits, is still agressive enough to work it
The stuff is great for getting the wood off quickly.Kodi Crescent
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I just received a new RAS for my birthday. I was going to use it for scribing and coping. Should I trade it for the RO 90?
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Kodi:
They are 2 completely different animals.
It would be very difficult to cope with an orbital or RO sander. The RAS makes it easy.
Tom
They are 2 completely different animals.
It would be very difficult to cope with an orbital or RO sander. The RAS makes it easy.
Tom
Brice Burrell
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Kodi Crescent said:
I agree with Tom, the RO90 is not nearly as well suited for coping a the RAS. However, it would work if you cut the bulk with a jigsaw and fine tuned with the RO90.
Hi,
In general I would say the RO90 is surprisingly aggressive. Its looks are deceiving.
I cut the bulk away with a jigsaw then cope with the RO150 with hard pad using 40 Cristal, 50 Rubin or 80 cristal depending. I love being able to use Rotex mode then switch to RO for fine tuning. I like the 150 pad because the large diameter makes it easy to see how much I am tilting it for back bevel. I think the 90 might work well too, even though the pad is small, simply the for handling.
Sorry for the OT. Not trying to convert this too a coping thread.
Seth
In general I would say the RO90 is surprisingly aggressive. Its looks are deceiving.
I cut the bulk away with a jigsaw then cope with the RO150 with hard pad using 40 Cristal, 50 Rubin or 80 cristal depending. I love being able to use Rotex mode then switch to RO for fine tuning. I like the 150 pad because the large diameter makes it easy to see how much I am tilting it for back bevel. I think the 90 might work well too, even though the pad is small, simply the for handling.
Sorry for the OT. Not trying to convert this too a coping thread.
Seth
Kodi Crescent
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Just to clarify, when we're making the comparison we're talking about it being in Rotex mode, right?
For some reason in my previous post I had scribing in mind , not coping ? ??? I descirbed my scribing method :
Seth
Seth
Kevin Stricker
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Sounds interesting Seth, but I don't think that a RO150 is the right tool for scribing. You are going to have bad dust collection as there is nothing to catch the dust slung off the piece and you are going to wear out your pads a lot faster focusing the sanding on a small edge. If you don't have one you should check out the PC Armadillo. It's a mini belt sander that does a great job with scribing, collects dust much better than a Rotex, and only costs $100. I have tried scribing with my RO125 on several occasions and there is no contest on which does a faster and cleaner job. Maybe a RAS can do a better job as it is easier to get the edge into inside points in your scribe than a belt sander. Both tools collect dust flung off the working edge so are going to have better DC than any RO sander even a Rotex in this application.
