RS 2 Sander Nightmare

[lafactoria]

Does anyone else who owns an RS 2 have problems with the way the sander works?
We blindly (being a Festool tool) purchased one for a job involving a lot of wood tabletops to be finished in gloss in Dec 11, and had to return it due to terrible operating performance ( read ....felt like riding a bull in a rodeo!!!)

We had read so many reviews that say the machine is unsurpassed for flat tabletop work, but whether operating it on low med or high, the pad wont sit smoothly on the work, it just jumps from area to area randomly.

We returned the tool through our local supplier, ( a 3 month turnover!!) and just got a replacement that does exactly the same ( a bit less to be fair), but so far off our other Festool tool performance, i just had to consult other owners. I own a couple of RO 150s and can honestly say they are without equal, but flat work requires a different approach, Hence our search for a half sheet machine.

I seriously wish i had bought a Hutchins marine rasper with an 8 x 18 pad for the job!!!

Any thoughts will be appreciated!!

 

[Theshipstore]

I have the RS2 and never had any issues with it, I did when first purchased  let it run with no load for approx 35-40 minutes as a break in and seating of the brushes.

I use it on my raised panel doors and table tops and have great success with it

I have found myself that all my Festool Sander performed much better after an initial break in period

Sal

 

[lafactoria]

I was afraid this might be a common Reply.....I just dont think the way both machines feel is right .

Before returning the first unit, we tried to let it run idle for an hour or so inside a cushioned box. The result was pretty much the same, and I tried to override this sanding a large mahoghany top.
The results were always the same, the pad will sand smooth for a few seconds and the JUMP from position, Seriously i had to hang on to the tool. This does not sound like a finishing tool.

The replacement is a smoother version of the same problem, yet we bought the tool for FLATTENING planes, I dont think we should be fighting the tool.

 

[hhh]

the 'bucking' you feel is downward pressure...  also, this is a finish sander, so needs to be used with fine paper...  you need to run the rs2 with minimum DC setting and absolutely no downward pressure -- just the weight of the sander...

 

[PaulMarcel]

It was the same for me as for Sal.  At first it wasn't jumpy and jerky, but not as smooth as you'd expect.  After some use, it smoothed out.  I usually leave mine running on the panel I'm working on and just guide it around by the end of the handle (guide not hold).

Not sure why yours is giving you trouble.  I assume you tried lowering the dust extraction.  The smaller flat pad sanders bounce around if the dest extraction is too high.  I don't remember where I set it with the RS-2e; usually for sanders, I set it low and turn it up until it starts wanting to jump.

 

[Scott B.]

I've trained my own guys on this one. The biggest obstacle in using such a large finish sander is to remember that it is a short stroke orbital. THE worst thing you can do is try to use it linearly, in my experience. If you run it the same as you would a dts or rts it floats. We do the same as Paul. In fact, one day we shot a quick video of it sitting idling at speed 1 and then at speed 6. Just sitting there floating by itself. It's got a nice attitude.

 

[nydesign]

I just bought one this past winter, I did not have any problems with it.
Out of the box I used it to flatten rift oak with rubin 80 grit.

It does jump if you hit a spot that is not level, you need to work those spots till they are even and flat.

 

[GregBradley]

The problem you describe sounds like what happens when you have the vacuum pulling too hard.

Have you tried it with NO vacuum?

 

[MrToolJunkie]

This is one of my favorite sanders, if not my all time favorite.  it does take some time to learn how to drive it.  First, there is a big bearing there and it takes time to break this in...this machine smoothed out after the 10 hours of use.  I also find that you need to move it quickly over the surface and adjust the suction.  If you hit a spot that is not flat it can jump a little bit.  I would suggest turning it on and running it for several hours to break it in and see if you are still having trouble.  I do not think that a couple of hours will do it.  

Scot

 

[greg mann]

I would also encourage the OP to have patience. I did experience some jumping around at first but everything mentioned above had impact on my experiences. The flatter the surface gets the more domesticated the sander gets, but that is also the time you need to dial down the suction. I have a pretty full arsenal of Festool sanders and don't always pull the RS2e sander out when I should but when I do it has always been satisfying. With an aggressive grit it can flatten surfaces more quickly than any other sander this side of a belt sander in a frame, and we can't get those.  [sad]

 

[andreasg]

Sorry for posting to a rather old post... But the expression breaking in was used several times in this thread. And I have seen several discussions online about this. And some might have seen Bigerock on YouTube hanging his Rotex up for several hours of run-time? Does anyone here do something similar?

Got several sanders on my to buy list, and speeding up the process of coming to the "smoother ride" would be great.