RO90 pad removal

[Max Fracas]

My RO90’s label shows it was made in Sep 2014. I was using it today and the pad started coming apart. Ten years seems like a decent life for a foam pad.

Anyway, I went to change the pad and found I can’t remove the old one. I’ve read the manual and searched the FOG and youtube. No clue what’s wrong. I’ve made sure the switch is in the delta position. I’ve turned the sander on and off a few times. The pad seems locked tight. I haven’t tried anything more than turning it by hand as I don’t want to damage the sander by forcing it.

Before I contact Festool I thought I’d see if anyone on the FOG has had this problem.

 

[luvmytoolz]

I had the same issue, it just took a huge amount of force in the end to get it off the first time. Just twist the crap out of it!

 

[Cheese]

Silicone jar cover removers or silicone cooking mitts are great for applying some additional force to remove the stubborn sanding pad.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Silicone jar cover removers

Everyone should have one of these in their shed! They are so incredibly handy for opening just about anything! My cans of Danish Oil always bond the small lid to the tin, these grips are the only way to open them without damaging the lid!

 

[Distinctive Interiors]

Whenever I've needed to change the sanding pad on my RO90, its always struck me as being really tough to remove.
The first time I ever needed to change it, I thought it was jammed and something was wrong with it, but they really are just that hard to remove.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

It is especially difficult to remove the pad the first time. Although 10 years is a good life, I am amazed that it could also be the first time for it. No one ever installed the delta pad? or used one of the accessory pads? Hard or soft?
Either way, the opposition to the rotational force is effectively tightening it, with every use. Even when you do get it removed, it might not be significantly easier later.

 

[Sparktrician]

Silicone jar cover removers or silicone cooking mitts are great for applying some additional force to remove the stubborn sanding pad.

I'd go with the silicone jar lid removers, but get one much larger than the RO90 pad.  If necessary, I'd supplement that with a plumber's strap wrench. 

 

[Max Fracas]

FOG to the rescue! Thanks for the helpful answers. I tried the silicon gripper. No luck. The arthritis in my hands means I’ve lost a lot of grip strength.

I don’t have a strap wrench but found a hose clamp and tightened that around the pad. The “knob” created by the tightening mechanism gave enough leverage that a quick turn got the pad to pop off.