Was playing with my new RO 90 tonight. On the coarse setting it rotates just like all my other sanders but on the fine setting the pad just shimmeys around but does not spin at all. Tried changing the settings but still does not spin on fine. I don't think this is normal as my RO 150 and ETS sanders all spin. Any thoughts? Thanks. Pete
RO 90 pad rotation on fine setting?
- Thread starter PeterK
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Peter,
There are three settings on the Ro90 - sounds like you have it in the delta mode which will not allow the pad to spin - just oscillate.
Peter
There are three settings on the Ro90 - sounds like you have it in the delta mode which will not allow the pad to spin - just oscillate.
Peter
greenMonster
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I think mine does that too, until you make contact with the surface...
Yes. I have both RO90 and 150 and I noticed the same thing. I wrote to Festool and they said that the random orbit mode should behave just as you describe for your RO90. It should just vibrate until it touches the surface then rotate slowly. The RO150 does seem to have a rotation in random orbit mode. But the rotation isn't as strong as in rotary mode.
EWTHeckman
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What happens if you try to spin the pad by hand in random orbit mode?
I purchased my RO 90 a few months ago but have not had a chance to use it much. When i first got it i played around with it and noticed it did not spin at all in fine mode. It struck me as very strange but i dismissed it and forgot about it.
I just got it out again and tried it and have the same problem as you do. I also have a RO 150 that i use 95% of the time and it spins. I should of compared the two when i purchased the RO 90. Looks like i too will need to contact customer service.
I just got it out again and tried it and have the same problem as you do. I also have a RO 150 that i use 95% of the time and it spins. I should of compared the two when i purchased the RO 90. Looks like i too will need to contact customer service.
AlexThePalex
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It could be that the spin brake is a bit too tight. The Spin brake is a ring that prevents the round pad from spinnig up too fast when you remove the sander from the workpiece.
I don't have the RO 90 myself so I can't confirm it myself at home, but you could see if it's possible to remove the ring (No 10 below) by hand, it should come off (and later on again) with little effort. If you remove the ring and you now get a fast spin then it's probably that ring that's too tight. But only check this if you're comfortable with working yourself on a tool. If not, let Festool do it because if you mess up in any way it might cost you your warranty.
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I don't have the RO 90 myself so I can't confirm it myself at home, but you could see if it's possible to remove the ring (No 10 below) by hand, it should come off (and later on again) with little effort. If you remove the ring and you now get a fast spin then it's probably that ring that's too tight. But only check this if you're comfortable with working yourself on a tool. If not, let Festool do it because if you mess up in any way it might cost you your warranty.
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greenMonster
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Sounds like the ro90 is another sander that could benefit from a little breaking in too
AlexThePalex
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PeterR said:
Great to see it worked. The part is indeed meant to wear over time. Once in the so many years you have to replace it. Since it's too tight right now you could sand it slightly by hand with 180 grit or higher.
Cableaddict
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I have the same problem with mine. I didn't even know it was a "problem" until seeing this thread.
- Should I really sand mine down? Won't that make it too loose when it wears in?
Also, if this part is DESIGNED to wear over time, why isn't a replacement ring offered as a standard optional part? (and why isn't this mentioned in the manual?)
This seems very odd to me.
Not sure how to proceed. Maybe just let it be & wait for it to wear naturally?
- Should I really sand mine down? Won't that make it too loose when it wears in?
Also, if this part is DESIGNED to wear over time, why isn't a replacement ring offered as a standard optional part? (and why isn't this mentioned in the manual?)
This seems very odd to me.
Not sure how to proceed. Maybe just let it be & wait for it to wear naturally?
AlexThePalex
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Cableaddict said:
If you don't want to you don't have to. It's as simple as that. It was just a suggestion to help the breaking in period go a bit faster. If your pad doesn't spin it doesn't do what it's supposed to do so you'll have diminished functionality as long as the spin brake isn't worn in. Sanding it A BIT down doesn't make it too loose because you should do it just slightly and that way you'll only remove some material that eventually would wear by itself anyway.
Look, if you're not comfortable with such action, and you feel the sander doesn't do what it's supposed to do, send it back to Festool, at least call them, they will take care of it. A spin brake isn't supposed to stop all rotation, so if it does that, there is something wrong and you're entitled to a warranty repair. However, this problem with the spin brake being too tight on a new sander is a common problem and is also easily to remedy. It is not really a malfunction, just a break-in effect.
Cableaddict said:
Ok, let me rephrase that. The spin brake is not designed to wear, it is designed to rub against a moving part in order to slow it down. When two moving parts collide, wear will occur. That's a given fact. In order to channel this effectively, the spin brake is made of a material that is softer than the pad itself because the spin brake is just a cheap ring costing $2 while the pad itself is $30. The softer material will wear the fastest.
The reason Festool probably doesn't mention this in the manual is because they don't consider this a user servicable part. Normally, it takes a couple of years for a spin brake to wear out, when the sander is used for many hours a day. If you only use it occasionally, it might even take 10 or 15 years. So it's not something the average user has to concern himself about.
That's the same reason why Festool does not offer it as an accessory, but as a replacement part. If you go to the parts catalog EKAT (choose Sanding > Random orbit sander > R0 90) you can find it as part #10 in the list. You can order this part from Festool or a dealer.
Cableaddict said:
You can of course. Eventually it will wear by itself. But most people, and especially people who need the sander for their living won't accept that. They either fix it themselves or send the sander back for adjustment.
Look, when you come to this forum, you will find all sorts of people with a common interest, good tools. Some people are very experienced with them, and others not so much. So when people come here for advice, you will get responses that vary from an experienced level to a beginners level. As my advice above involves some tinkering with the machine, I consider it for more experienced people, and people have to decide for themselves in which category they fall. If you don't feel comfortable doing such things, as I said before, call the Festool service department and they will advice and help you.
Cableaddict
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Alex said:
Oh, baby, am I ever glad to know about this parts catalog! Not for this issue, but for other stuff I've been wanting. Didn't know it existed.
THANKS !
