RS 2 E Sanding Technique & Tips

[kdzito]

I just started using this sander over the past month and have mixed comments about it.  I like the shear size and its ability to cover large flat areas; however, I'm still getting swirl marks.  I'm also using the CT 22 turned to the lowest setting.  Although I have carpentry skills, my finishing skills are lacking (I consider myself a novice who's willing to learn this part of the finish preparation process) and any experienced advice is a great plus.  I also have a 150/3 and DTS 400 so if all can be used in the sanding process, any advice is welcome here.

Please help me with the following:

1.  Speed settings 1 to 6.
2.  Proper technique in pushing sander according to each speed setting.  
3.  Proper sanding grits up to the staining (wipe on) application (so far I've used 100 and 150 on plain sliced red oak).

I'm past the 30 day return and really want to make this sander work properly.  I've got much $$$ invested with this one on a abrasive systainer and sandpaper.  Jerry Work and Brice Burrell speak very highly of this sander and I'm committed to sticking with it and getting the project done to my higher expectations.  I do not want a "C" job/results.

Any help on this is greatly appreciated.

 

[ForumMFG]

3.  Proper sanding grits up to the staining (wipe on) application (so far I've used 100 and 150 on plain sliced red oak).

150 should be enough and I wouldn't go past 180. Thats from my experience.  Others may say different and I'm also willing to hear what they have to say.

 

[JJ Wavra]

I agree with Rutabagared that the jump from 100 to 150 is too great.  I use this sander for speed and to keep things flat.  That being said I don't think that I own an abrasive for this machine over 150.  I take the material from the planer hit it with 100 120 then 150 then I switch to the ets150/3.  I had good luck with this routine on my last cabinet.

JJ

 

[JJ Wavra]

I think that the sander is made for more fine work and that is why I go down to 100.  The 100 coupled with the size and light stroke of the sander enables you to flatten out the blade marks from the planer or jointer.  I normally would not go that low with the ets150/3 or rotex but it took forever with the rs2 at 120.  I was able to get two panels sanded that were about 2' by 2.5' both sides in about ten minutes or less up to 180 finishing with the ets.  I probably am using the sander, in a way, in reverse of what was intended but the size allowed to keep the panels flat, they had sliding dovetails, and do it quickly.

JJ

 

[greg mann]

You need to move this sander across the surface at a faster speed than a random orbit sander. I think John Stevens has worked out the proper technique with David McGibbon's help. I altered my usage of this tool based on John's observations and I love the tool now.

Having read new posts since I started my reply (took time for lunch) it appears you are getting contradictory information. Rutabagared says slow down, I say speed up. He says use it with finer grits, JJ says start with coarser. What's a guy to do?

All I can says is Festool offers some very coarse grits for this machine so there must be some efficacy in their use. That has been my experience. If I want to flatten a panel I use 80 and work up. The main thing is don't skip any available grit. The finer your grit increments the faster and better the results. This will have more impact on your satisfaction level than anything else.

 

[kdzito]

All,

I've seen discrepancies between techniques as it sounds like the "one inch per second" method doesn't apply to the 1/2 sheet sander.  It seems the most popular technique is "moderately fast in long strokes" and what does this translate to in "how many inch(es) per second"?  Also, what speed (1 to 6) should the sander be set at? I'm assuming the speed to be a 3 or 4.  Should I anticipate swirl marks (I see them at 100 grit) regardless of the grit used or is it just more with the lower grits?  I've read through many tips and it's very blurry on how to effectively use a 1/2 sheet sander.  Okay, it sounds like my best bet is to sand grits of 100, 120, and finish with 150 for the plain sliced oak.  Although this is very tough to do on oak, I do plan on using a wiping stain (oil based dark mahogany color) and would like (try) to leave more open pores for stain penetration.

I'm looking forward to more comments.

Thanks,

Kurt

 

[kdzito]

Kurt,
I always sand at the sander's maximum speed unless I'm sanding between coats of finish.

Joe

Joe, does this mean your at 6 and about how many inches per second are you going?

Kurt

 

[kdzito]

You need to move this sander across the surface at a faster speed than a random orbit sander. I think John Stevens has worked out the proper technique with David McGibbon's help. I altered my usage of this tool based on John's observations and I love the tool now.

Having read new posts since I started my reply (took time for lunch) it appears you are getting contradictory information. Rutabagared says slow down, I say speed up. He says use it with finer grits, JJ says start with coarser. What's a guy to do?

All I can says is Festool offers some very coarse grits for this machine so there must be some efficacy in their use. That has been my experience. If I want to flatten a panel I use 80 and work up. The main thing is don't skip any available grit. The finer your grit increments the faster and better the results. This will have more impact on your satisfaction level than anything else.

Greg, where did you find John Stevens' technique information?

Thanks, Kurt

 

[kdzito]

Kurt,
I always sand at the sander's maximum speed unless I'm sanding between coats of finish.

Joe

Joe, does this mean your at 6 and about how many inches per second are you going?

Kurt

Kurt,

Yes (or whatever the sander's max speed is).  I try to do about 1" per second.  Maybe a wee bit quicker.  A refinisher told me this some time back and it always worked for me - however, towards the end of a long sanding session speed tends to increase -  :

Does the Festool manual provide any insight?

Joe

Joe, I'm assuming you are not using a "half sheet orbital sander"?  There is nothing said about the RS 2 E operation in its manual.  Why do you think Rick Christopher does supplemental manuals for other Festool products like the TS 55 and OF 1400.

 

[greg mann]

You need to move this sander across the surface at a faster speed than a random orbit sander. I think John Stevens has worked out the proper technique with David McGibbon's help. I altered my usage of this tool based on John's observations and I love the tool now.

Having read new posts since I started my reply (took time for lunch) it appears you are getting contradictory information. Rutabagared says slow down, I say speed up. He says use it with finer grits, JJ says start with coarser. What's a guy to do?

All I can says is Festool offers some very coarse grits for this machine so there must be some efficacy in their use. That has been my experience. If I want to flatten a panel I use 80 and work up. The main thing is don't skip any available grit. The finer your grit increments the faster and better the results. This will have more impact on your satisfaction level than anything else.

I think I am referencing things John has stated in posts on this forum. I need to leave for the day right now so you might try an RS2e search, or posts by John, to see if you can find it. He may jump in here when he visits as well.

Greg, where did you find John Stevens' technique information?

Thanks, Kurt

 

[Brice Burrell]

I'll add a little insight from my experience with the R2SE. First, I don't own one, I borrowed one for a couple of projects. I had pretty good luck right out of the box with it. It run smoothly at higher speeds and little less so with the lower ones.

This is from a post I made on the talkFestool site about sanding with orbital sanders, here's a link to that thread.

For the most part we are used to random orbit sanders so we assume the same techniques carry over to orbital sanders and this is where you can get into trouble. With RO sanders pretty much anyone can get decent results without much effort and poor sanding technique, this isn't true with orbital sanders like the RS2E.

There are two things that go a long way to improving results with an orbital sander. First is always keep the sander moving at a moderate to fast pace with the grain. Compared to using a RO sander that allows you to move fairly slow across the work the orbital needs to be move somewhat quickly to stretch out or elongate it's scratch patterns. When the orbital sander is allowed to pause or move slowly the scratch pattern is in the shape of small circles, swirl marks.

The second tip is to keep the work surface clean, free of dislodged abrasive/grit particles. Grit particles can get trapped under the sanding pad causing deep scratches, swirl marks. Wiping or vacuuming your work surface between grits is good practice with any sander but it's really important with orbital sanders. This especially true with the RS2E because it has a sanding surface two, three or more times larger than that of Festool's other orbitals. Its large surface can capture/hold more of these particles. If you're getting swirls marks with any sander try periodically cleaning your work surface and always between grits.

Keeping these two things in mind should help produce better results with the RS2E and orbital sanders in general.

So, I like to keep orbital sanders moving fairly quickly, long strokes with the sander's speed set high. Keeping the surface free of dislodged grit particles is important with all orbitals but extremely so with the RS2E.

To have your large work surfaces sanded flat you really need to start with the RS2E, I used 80 grit with good success on glued up hardwood panels. As mentioned don't skip grits and don't be tempted to move on to the next grit if you have swirl marks. Sand them out then switch to the next grit. If you have stubborn swirls or you are constantly getting them try wiping the surface more frequently. I've also found that it's much easier to start with a piece that is pretty flat, if your piece isn't very flat the RS2E is the best choice. It tends to grab when it hits a high spot and it can be hard to sand effectively that way. I'd hit the piece sparingly with the Rotex if you have one to flatten it some then try the RS2E.

I would sand to maybe 150 grit with the RS2E then go with my ETS150 with 150 grit again then 180. I'm more comfortable using a random orbit sander for the final sanding. This has worked for me sanding glued solid hardwood panels. Good luck and let us know how things work out.

 

[okami]

Hello,

I've had some experience with this sander, and I agree with a lot of what Brice wrote.
You need long straight strokes.  Curved strokes can lead to swirls.  Also, when You have reached the end of the board, and need to reverse, take care.  As was said before, sanding horizontally with orbitals can lead to swirls.
If the board isn't reasonably flat the rs2e wants to jump about a bit, and this will certainly lead to swirls and scratches.
What I found out about this sander, using it on solid wood is, because it has a small orbit and doesn't like dips, it wasn't the right tool for the job for Me, sanding out  tabletops and large panels after glue ups.  I think the rs2e is more suitable for higher grits and pretty flat surfaces to begin with.  Of course this is all just based on my experience.
I now use a Rupes orbital sander, and have had much better results for the work I do.
Cheers
Okami

 

[kdzito]

I'll add a little insight from my experience with the R2SE. First, I don't own one, I borrowed one for a couple of projects. I had pretty good luck right out of the box with it. It run smoothly at higher speeds and little less so with the lower ones.

This is from a post I made on the talkFestool site about sanding with orbital sanders, here's a link to that thread.

For the most part we are used to random orbit sanders so we assume the same techniques carry over to orbital sanders and this is where you can get into trouble. With RO sanders pretty much anyone can get decent results without much effort and poor sanding technique, this isn't true with orbital sanders like the RS2E.

There are two things that go a long way to improving results with an orbital sander. First is always keep the sander moving at a moderate to fast pace with the grain. Compared to using a RO sander that allows you to move fairly slow across the work the orbital needs to be move somewhat quickly to stretch out or elongate it's scratch patterns. When the orbital sander is allowed to pause or move slowly the scratch pattern is in the shape of small circles, swirl marks.

The second tip is to keep the work surface clean, free of dislodged abrasive/grit particles. Grit particles can get trapped under the sanding pad causing deep scratches, swirl marks. Wiping or vacuuming your work surface between grits is good practice with any sander but it's really important with orbital sanders. This especially true with the RS2E because it has a sanding surface two, three or more times larger than that of Festool's other orbitals. Its large surface can capture/hold more of these particles. If you're getting swirls marks with any sander try periodically cleaning your work surface and always between grits.

Keeping these two things in mind should help produce better results with the RS2E and orbital sanders in general.

So, I like to keep orbital sanders moving fairly quickly, long strokes with the sander's speed set high. Keeping the surface free of dislodged grit particles is important with all orbitals but extremely so with the RS2E.

To have your large work surfaces sanded flat you really need to start with the RS2E, I used 80 grit with good success on glued up hardwood panels. As mentioned don't skip grits and don't be tempted to move on to the next grit if you have swirl marks. Sand them out then switch to the next grit. If you have stubborn swirls or you are constantly getting them try wiping the surface more frequently. I've also found that it's much easier to start with a piece that is pretty flat, if your piece isn't very flat the RS2E is the best choice. It tends to grab when it hits a high spot and it can be hard to sand effectively that way. I'd hit the piece sparingly with the Rotex if you have one to flatten it some then try the RS2E.

I would sand to maybe 150 grit with the RS2E then go with my ETS150 with 150 grit again then 180. I'm more comfortable using a random orbit sander for the final sanding. This has worked for me sanding glued solid hardwood panels. Good luck and let us know how things work out.

Brice, the RS 2 E is working better as I've sanded out the swirls starting at 80 grit then used 100 and 120.  I plan on finishing with 150 for the oak, use an oil-base wiping stain and then finish with shellac coats (to match my other doors' finish in the house).  I've been using the speed setting at 3.5 to 4 and this seems to be the best and most consistent pace without the sander jerking/scuddering away from me.  Also what helps is that I listen for the sandpaper grabbing/hissing while it does the work and this helps me know that I'm going at the proper pace and speed.  I really think it's just doing more sanding with the RS 2 E and trying different speed settings along with pacing the strokes to make the sandpaper grab/hiss.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Kurt, glad you're getting the hang of it. Interesting that you're getting better results at lower speeds. My experience is the highest worked well. Like I said I don't own the RS2E so my experience is limited to a few projects so I'm learning from this thread too. Makes me think I should have played around more with the lower speeds. I'm like you, I'm a carpenter and finishing is not my strongest skill. Most of my knowledge comes from a friend who worked in a cabinet shop for years, finishing was his area of expertise. Too bad he's one of those guys that can do outstanding work but not teach very well. I've gotten so great info out of him over the years but I had to pry it out of him.