Rotex 125

[Raptorseviltwin]

I have recently purchased the RO 125 to replace my 1/3 sheet, 1/2 sheet and my Metobo 150 orbital sander, however i
am not sure if its me or the RO 125 as on first use i could not control it and had to reduce the speed to no 2 as it had a tendency to
want to take off. It would start shaking and then bouncing on the table until i lifted it in the air when it would just spin as it should. Is their a balance problem or something i am doing wrong. Eventually i had to go back to using my Metabo as it was so much gentler on my hands. [sad]

 

[Aquila]

You are not alone for a first time user of a Rotex, either 125 or 150. They seem unmanageable at first. But persevere. Don't grip it as it it is wild beast. Just let it float across the surface to be sanded. If you are using a dust extractor (preferably a Festool dust extractor), then turn down the suction to the minimum.

 

[festoolviking]

Hi

Presuming you are using a DC, The first thing you should try is to turn down the suction all the way or atleast to 1/3. If you got a Festool DC close to the "turtle".

I would try full speed on the sander "6". It might actually be easier to control it with higher speed. And you will get a better finish.

Next thing is to start in "excentric-mode" small dots on the switch and get used to that before moving on to "rotex-mode" large dots on the switch.

It will take some time to get used to this great sander. Some will probably shime in on this and might talk about "break-in"-time for the sander (brushes). My opinion is that the "break-in"-time is as much to the user as for the sander.

Once you get used to this litlle beast you'll enjoy every minute of using it.

Note, my personal experience is based on the RO90, RO150 and ETS125

Good luck

Festoolviking

 

[Stephen B]

[size=14pt]
I own a RO 150.

I agree with FestoolViking and would add that how you hold it and mental attitude are important factors. Try holding it, assuming you are right handed, with your right hand back near the dust extraction port, the other at either the front or top of the gearbox. Your right hand is providing balance, the left guiding it across the work surface.

Try not to hold it tight, but still let it know you are in charge and as Aquilla says turn the vac down and let it float. And do not over think this, it will soon make you smile.  [smile]





Some say the 125 is less stable than the 150 due to smaller pad, but I cannot personally comment.

I also own the Metabo 150. It will soon be for sale. Great sander but the RO 150 is better.

 

[BigCountry73]

There is a video on YouTube from 'erock' that shows how to break in the RO 125 sanders. I don't have the link, but if you search under his name it should pop up. He might read this and chime in on it.

Keith

 

[Stephen B]

There is a video on YouTube from 'erock' that shows how to break in the RO 125 sanders. I don't have the link, but if you search under his name it should pop up. He might read this and chime in on it.

Keith

[size=14pt]
If you want to delete significant hours of your sanders life and waste time you could be getting used to it, go ahead.  [eek]

The video link is in this thread -

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-how-to/for-all-you-new-rotex-users-a-public-service-announcement/msg277501/#msg277501

For Festool's opinion please read reply number 54.

 

[Raptorseviltwin]

Hi All
Thanks for all comments and tips i only have the metabo dust extraction therefore no control on suction levels. My Metabo 150 has never had this problem but have not compared the spec of the 2 side by side. At times it was like holding onto a very powerful
belt sander on max speed. As suggested i will try holding it more lightly and at max power. I was impressed with the removal rate. They say practise, practise and practise.

 

[Mavrik]

I sanded this with my RO 125

 

[ear3]

Even after the break-in period just be aware that the sander can spin out of control if too much off the pad goes out into space off the edge of the board.

 

[Raptorseviltwin]

Untidy shop
Just watched the tool nuts video, are you saying this is just 8 hours of sanding time wasted.
Looked for reply 54 but no joy. What is festools position on breaking in period

 

[Stephen B]

Untidy shop
Just watched the tool nuts video, are you saying this is just 8 hours of sanding time wasted.
Looked for reply 54 but no joy. What is festools position on breaking in period

[size=14pt]
In reply 54 where Shane states Festool USA's official opinion.

[size=10pt]Ok, so some additional information on the brushes in the RO 150 FEQ. I've attached a photo of one below. Either I was shown a brush from another tool or my memory is failing, which is entirely possible, when I reported that it was close to 4". This brush assembly is about 1-1/2" instead based on the measurements I was provided. Maybe the brush I referenced seeing in my earlier post was intended to serve as an example but the topic was about sanders specifically. Sorry if the information I gave before was not 100% accurate.

I checked with the service department on this matter. As I assumed, the tools are designed to be ready to run out of the box. There is a break in period as discussed before, which should occur under normal use and no special procedure is needed for this to happen. The change in performance may vary from tool to tool based on what I was told, but is likely going to be negligible due to brush wear-in. Also, the brushes are serrated which helps them conform to the motor components quicker than if they were solid.

I really think the topic of benefits or lack thereof for break-in is one that can be debated to no end. As I advised before, if you're having performance or usability issues, please contact us for assistance to help determine the cause and we can offer a remedy on a case-by-case. In all likelihood, if you're experiencing a problem, it's more likely one of the other things that I listed that's the potential cause.
[size=12pt]
and read Scott B reply 53. He is a well respected painter/finisher member of the FOG.
[size=14pt]
Yes based on my experience with an RO150 (and ETS125 which some also claim needs breaking in) I am saying the 8hrs is wasted time when you could be adjusting to and experiencing your new sander.

One problem you may be having is your Metabo vac. If it has no suction control, the extraction flow may be sucking the sander pad down too much on the work surface. Obviously a Festool vac will solve this problem, but if the budget will not stretch, you could experiment with a vac hose gate. With the sander turned off, adjust the flow until you can lift the sander off a flat surface without any grip/grab. With a Festool vac, this is around 1/3 as stated by FestoolViking. The aim is to have the sander almost floating across the work surface, particularly in eccentric mode.

Get out some timber scraps and enjoy. [smile]

 

[Raptorseviltwin]

Untidy shop.
Point taken, wear it in using it sounds good to me. Can not push to festool vac as only a pensioner and its
just a hobby. Slowly i am building up my festool tools. So far i have the jigsaw, router, ro125 sander, ventura multitool and es 75 plunge saw. Its down to priorities. When i sell my Metabo sander with the matching vac system it will go towards a Festool unit.
I must say since purchasing Festool i have been very impressed with the quality.
Back to the RO125 thinking about it the problem could be down to my hands as i am booked into hospital in January next year for a carpel tunnel op on both hands as they regularly go numb.

 

[Mavrik]

I find the ro 125 easier to control on the aggressive setting

 

[Jak147]

Here's my 2 pence on this....
IMHO The 'break in' is complete nonsense you certainly won't find any of my kit hanging from the ceiling for 8 hrs!

So I'm afraid that leaves user error. Untidy shops video of how to hold the sander is excellent and I shall try and explain a little more....
Looking down onto the sand birds eye style, you have a spinning disc with a high friction surface below it.
Now if your holding it perfectly level with your dominant hand supporting the motor body and hose with equal pressure on the pad in all directions the sander will be stationary.
Lifting the back of the sander up ( like 5mm) will put more pressure onto the tip of the pad causing more friction at that point causing more bite. Because of the clockwise rotation the sander will move left. And likewise dropping the back of the machine will cause the bottom of the disc to bite and everything goes to the right.
So now with very small adjustment up and down at the rear of sander you can go left and right without fighting the natural movement of the sander,

This is easy on large flat surface and becomes somewhat more of a challenge on uneven surfaces where ridges and troughs in the board cause unexpected bite points, experience will allow you to feel and adjust for this with out even noticing that your doing it.
Ps don't worry too much about vac suction,I never adjust mine. I think it was in one of Paul Marcels videos that he says the RO series sander are designed to be run at full suction I could be wrong but definitely saw that somewhere.

Sorry for the long post more like £2 than 2p!
Hope this helps

Edit: http://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLf_dJhGF24Ht2QrGfLTQc8eTfB_sJNrjZ&v=7RVU23izBjs
8:50 mentions fact suction

 

[Scott B.]

Here's a quick video of the RO125 in gear driven (Rotex) mode sanding with one hand at low grit. You can see the eccentric motion, but it's not jumping. This is a reasonable expectation of what the attitude of your 125 should be.

 

[rvieceli]

Here's yet another video. this one by Larry Smith from Festool with the RO150.

Notice how his stance changes and how he controls the sander.



You folks across the pond have access to some very nice vacs that we rarely see in the US. So if your Metabo vac is one of the higher end ones and is working for you no real need to change. The Festool vacs are orders of magnitude better than most of the shop vac stuff we tend to be exposed to.

For sanding, you'll want some way to adjust the suction at the hose end. Most of the random orbit sanders benefit from a lower suction. Most other operations can get by with full speed ahead.

 

[ear3]

Sorry to hear.  I had the same operation about 10 years ago.  The carpal tunnel actually coincided with (and was caused by) when I started woodworking.  I was spending hours and hours sanding (with my crappy Dewalt finish sander), and within the space of a month both my hands went from normal to so numb that I couldn't distinguish what I was touching when I put my hands in my pockets to get wallet, change etc.  The operation completely fixed the problem, though I couldn't do extended sanding for some time after that (the sander I was using produced much more vibrations than the Festool I have now).  The only lingering effects are that I can't sleep with my hands on my chest, otherwise they will go numb (something about changed circulation pattern).  Good luck with the procedure.

Untidy shop.
Point taken, wear it in using it sounds good to me. Can not push to festool vac as only a pensioner and its
just a hobby. Slowly i am building up my festool tools. So far i have the jigsaw, router, ro125 sander, ventura multitool and es 75 plunge saw. Its down to priorities. When i sell my Metabo sander with the matching vac system it will go towards a Festool unit.
I must say since purchasing Festool i have been very impressed with the quality.
Back to the RO125 thinking about it the problem could be down to my hands as i am booked into hospital in January next year for a carpel tunnel op on both hands as they regularly go numb.

 

[Stephen B]

Sorry to hear.  I had the same operation about 10 years ago.  The carpal tunnel actually coincided with (and was caused by) when I started woodworking.  I was spending hours and hours sanding (with my crappy Dewalt finish sander), and within the space of a month both my hands went from normal to so numb that I couldn't distinguish what I was touching when I put my hands in my pockets to get wallet, change etc.  The operation completely fixed the problem, though I couldn't do extended sanding for some time after that (the sander I was using produced much more vibrations than the Festool I have now).  The only lingering effects are that I can't sleep with my hands on my chest, otherwise they will go numb (something about changed circulation pattern).  Good luck with the procedure.

Untidy shop.
Point taken, wear it in using it sounds good to me. Can not push to festool vac as only a pensioner and its
just a hobby. Slowly i am building up my festool tools. So far i have the jigsaw, router, ro125 sander, ventura multitool and es 75 plunge saw. Its down to priorities. When i sell my Metabo sander with the matching vac system it will go towards a Festool unit.
I must say since purchasing Festool i have been very impressed with the quality.
Back to the RO125 thinking about it the problem could be down to my hands as i am booked into hospital in January next year for a carpel tunnel op on both hands as they regularly go numb.

[size=14pt]
Both Scott and Larry display what experience,  confidence and attitude can achieve when using a RO150/125.

Until I purchased an ETS/3 over ten years ago, I suffered numbness with the Bosch sanders I had previously used. Some of this had returned with the Metabo Duel 150. This was one reason that late last year I purchased the RO 150. The quality of bearings, gears etc., used by Festool are one of the reasons that I now seldom get hand numbness when sanding.

However if I know I will be sanding for an extended period, then I put on a pair of these Stihl Mechanic gloves. They or something similar may assist you now and after the operation.

http://www.stihl.com.au/STIHL-Products/Personal-Protective-Equipment/Hand-Protection/21865-1645/Work-Gloves-MECHANIC.aspx