Sanding veneer

[Wendan20]

Hello everyone,

I'm hoping to use some of the experience on the forum.

I just bought a boat with a lot of veneer plates (plywood with veneer) on the inside. The inside of the boat needs to be painted so there's also a lot of sanding to be done. I have a rotex RO90 and a RO150.

My question is: are there are people who have experience in sanding veneer with the Festool Rotex? My worry is that I will sand through the veneer, which is hard to repair. If I have to sand by hand it's a lot of work!


I hope someone wants to share his/her experience.

Greetings,

Daniel

 

[woodguy7]

Hi Daniel & welcome to the FOG.

I must admit that i don't know what a veneer plate is but i do own a Rotex 150 & would avoid sanding veneers with it.  I would always pick up the ETS 150/3 first.  I am sure you could use the Rotex if you were using a fine grit paper & a slow speed & the sander on fine sanding mode.  I have not used a RO90 yet so cant comment on that I'm afraid.
I think there is a few members here that have the 90 & hopefully they can help you out more.

Woodguy.

 

[waynelang2001]

Not to sure what a veneer plate looks like or how thin the veneer is. But i sand veneered chipboard all the time with my rotex 150 with 120 grit on random orbital mode and it takes a lot of work to actually sand through a 0.5mm thick veneer.

 

[AlexThePalex]

You can sand it just fine with the Rotex 150. If you're inexperienced, start with a grit as high as 320 in RO (fine) mode and see what the result is. There's a chance you'll find it working too slow. You'll take off very little material with 320, even with the Rotex. Like Wayne said, it's still difficult to sand away 0.5 mm veneer, that is, if you don't use low grits under 100 in aggressive mode. And I think the veneer in a boat will be even thicker than 0.5 mm.

Just be careful with the edges, better use the Ro 90 there.

My sanders of choice for something more delicate like this would be the DTS 400 and ETS 125.

 

[Chris Hughes]

I sand a lot of veneered materials, mostly cabinet parts before assembly.  I used to use my only Festool sander a RO 125, but because of its balance I bought a ETS125 which on a a horizontal plane is easier on the wrist.  On a vertical surface where two hands might work better I would most likely defer to the RO.  I originally bought the rotex for sanding on a stairway where I would be working on risers in a vertical plane.

 

[John Langevin]

What kind of finish is it and in what condition? I prefer to scrape off finish wherever I can rather than try to sand it off; it is faster and safer. Bahco/Sandvik makes excellent Solid Carbide scrapers for this purpose. When you do sand, be sure to use the hard pad and take particular care around the edges as this is where the 'sandthrough' is most likely to bite you. I would seriously suggest investing in a RT400S (with hard pad) or something simliar for edges. be sure to check the Festool Abrasives suggestions on this website as the choice of abrasive makes a huge difference in sanding perfomance. Good luck and please post some pics!

Regards,
            John

 

[Bill Barker]

What kind of finish is it and in what condition? I prefer to scrape off finish wherever I can rather than try to sand it off; it is faster and safer. Bahco/Sandvik makes excellent Solid Carbide scrapers for this purpose. When you do sand, be sure to use the hard pad and take particular care around the edges as this is where the "sandthrough' is most likely to bite you. I would seriously suggest investing in a RT400S (with hard pad) or something simliar for edges. be sure to check the Festool Abrasives suggestions on this website as the choice of abrasive makes a huge diefference in sanding perfomance. Good luck and please post some pics!

Regards,
             John

I would agree with John. Some stripper and a cabinet scraper will get you further quicker, also you will not be filling your paper with the paint residue. The sand paper will pack up quickly I suspect. lee valley has as scraper designed for hardwood floors that is quite easy to use and offers good control.
Cheers Bill

 

[John Langevin]

I forgot to mention one of the key elements of the Festool "Sanding System", the use of a CT dust extractor, it won't prevent you from sanding through the veneer but does offer several significant benefits:
Removes a high percentage of the dust, providing a much healthier work environment
Helps cool the abrasive to prevent loading (especially when sanding finishes)
Greatly extends the working life of the abrasive, saving you time and $
When used with the correct sander/abrasive combination for a particular task makes sanding enjoyable or at least not the onerous task many consider it to be

Regards,
            John