Rotex 150 Attacks Rough Hewn Jotoba

[LaserGecko]

What happens if you get a great piece of lumber cheaply and don't have a planer?

Well, I don't know how much good this will do anyone, but here's a sequence of pictures showing my efforts with a piece of jotoba (Brazilian cherry) the Rotex and various papers. One interesting thing to note is that this group of sandpaper had already smoothed the other side of the board, so this is the result of used abrasives. As you can see, the paper is in great shape and has much more life left in it.

These two photos have different color because one was taken with a flash and the other was not. They were also taken with and against the grain to show a different angle. (Subtitled "Guess who got a macro lens").

The more accurate representation is first:

The following photos show the end result of sanding with each paper and the elapsed time. The detail photographs show approximately the same position of the board.

Paper: Saphir 24
Elapsed sanding time: 00:05
Mode: Rotary

Here's a detail of the Saphir 24 paper. Even though this had ground through about 600 square inches of this rough wood, it looks like it's hardly been touched.

Paper: Rubin 50
Elapsed sanding time: 00:08
Mode: Rotary

Paper: Rubin 80
Elapsed sanding time: 00:08
Mode: Rotary

Paper: Rubin 100
Elapsed sanding time: 00:11
Mode: Random

.
Paper: Rubin 120
Elapsed sanding time: 00:15
Mode: Random

Macro View:

Dust Extraction

The amazing part to me is the amount of dust that was generated by this operation. The Festool dust extraction system works beautifully. I can't imagine the amount of dust this operation would've thrown into the air without it.

All dust on the table unscientifically gathered into one pile.

The Final Result

I found the board surface to be amazingly flat considering how it was and who finished it. There were only two spots where the sander "told" me it wasn't prefectly flat. Checking with a square confirmed it.

 

[LaserGecko]

Hmmm, I wonder if I can have all of the photos in the main post.

 

[Ted Miller]

Jason, Thats really interesting. I used the 150 for the first time this past weekend and it performed perfectly on sanding down some drawers. It almost got out of hand a few times, this thing can knock down some wood fast.

I have never been without a Jointer its the second most used tool in my shop next to my Table Saw...

 

[LaserGecko]

I'm definitely keeping an eye on craigslist for a good deal on a good jointer & planer. After the recent purchases though, I'll have to "make do" with the Festools. If it push comes to shove, I have access to a guy's shop that has an obscene amount of woodworking equipment. It's all the way across town, though.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

You can also "plane" a board with a router and a straight bit.  Just make a little track for the router to run on a little above your board.  Run the router back and forth until that section of the board is flat, then slide the track down and work the next section.  Works great when you have a planer but your board is bigger.

 

[Trevor H]

Gecko, I gotta say nice job. The rotex is amazing. I do this exact thing on any rough sawn wood and can now polish it in about five minutes flat. It blows peoples minds. Thankfully an awesome guy i met in Nevada taught me this trick!

Thanks for the photos too by the way. I like seeing the grain as you sanded!

 

[ROb McGilp]

Hi all,
Here's a pic of a 50g pad off a Rotex after tackling some good ole' Aussie Ironbark. ;D ;D

Regards,

Rob

 

[jo041326]

Hi,
it's interesting but when I count your spent time - it is 47 minutes! Quite a lot for just one piece of wood. As for me, I'd start with random mode with every grit and than switch to rotary with the same grit. But I'd never spent so much time on sending just one piece.
Joseph

 

[Yukoron]

I think he meant  47 SECONDS        because 47 mins would be rediculous.  The entire board would be sawdust,lol 
    Ive used one and the way it hogs wood in nothing short of incredible.  I myself went with a Mirka ceros.  lighter,brushless, one handed ect...