Rotex 125

[DiDi]

Hi,
I just joined this group. I am new to Festool. I have the DTS 400, which I love. I am waiting for delivery of my Rotex 125.
I have a question about the dangers of running into a nail with it. My house is 130 years old and I have found "fairly" decent (fairly might be a stretch) wood under the carpets. I have tried to remove or sink all nails. If the Rotex 125 runs into a nail, not protruding but level with the wood, do I run a danger of damaging the 125?

My apologies if I am not posting in the right place -- I'll need to learn about navigating this site.

D

 

[tbellemare]

The first damage that might occur will be to the abrasive. If it's protruding, it could conceivably damage the pad that holds the abrasive. That would be the worst that could happen...

If the nail is not protruding at all, it will likely just get polished.

Tom

 

[Sparktrician]

You'll be fine with this.  You'll need to learn how to hold the RO 125.  It's somewhat counter-intuitive.  You'd think that you'd hold it by the handle, but it's better to hold it by the Plug-It connector and dust extractor hose connection with your dominant hand.  This will help you find the balance of the sander.  Let the tool do the work.  You don't need to push down on the sander with the other hand.  There's a very good video on the Rotex sanders by Larry Smith of Festool that you would do well to watch on YouTube.  I just can't seem to put my fingers on it right now. 

Oh, [welcome] to the FOG!!! 

[smile]

 

[Staniam]

Welcome to the FOG, DiDi.

    I ran into this situation by crazy chance and as Tom said, if you run into a nail (or another similar object) with your RO then the worst that SHOULD happen is damage to the abrasive and sanding pad. The pads are $30+ a pop so that might not be fun replacing constantly but you should conceivably be fine even with damage to the pad. When I hit a nail it put a small slice or dent into my black soft pad (the one that comes standard with the RO 125) yet I haven't lost any functionality. I actually forgot about it before this post.

    So, you should be fine as your pads are going to wear out eventually anyways but just keep an eye out for damage. Though you shouldn't lose too much functionality if any at all.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I hit nails all the time with my sanders. Nothing to worry about. Very rarely does it do any damage at all, and as said, when it does it's mostly to the abrasive.

Only time I damaged one of my pads was when I pulled a worn abrasive off and a piece of the velcro just came with it.

 

[DiDi]

How exciting to see these replies. Thank you all.
I don't mind a $30 pad if that is the only damage I do.
Also, thank you Sparktrician for the tip on holding it.
THANKS!!

 

[SS Teach]

Welcome to FOG. Rotex pads are easy to change, wax on, wax off. Infact you might want to get a hard pad for a nice flat surface. If you don't have a dust extractor it would be a good idea, especially for indoor work.

 

[SittingElf]

There's a very good video on the Rotex sanders by Larry Smith of Festool that you would do well to watch on YouTube.  I just can't seem to put my fingers on it right now. 

My fingers found it!  [big grin]



Cheers,

Frank

 

[Sparktrician]

There's a very good video on the Rotex sanders by Larry Smith of Festool that you would do well to watch on YouTube.  I just can't seem to put my fingers on it right now. 

My fingers found it!  [big grin]



Cheers,

Frank

Good on yer, Lad!!! 

 

[Cheese]

Thanks to both SittingElf & Sparktrician for that video.
Who'd have thunk...that the Rotex mode would actually remove scratches. I've used my RO 90 & RO 125 in Rotex mode with large grit papers only to remove lots of material like a belt sander would. Time to try a different approach.