What sanders and sequence recommended for veneered cabinet doors

[SGCrain]

Hi All

I'm a new Festool owner. So far I have a TS55, MFT3, Midi Vac and a bunch of systainers. I'm ready to move in to a sander or two and need some advice. I own a cabinet shop and have gone through the usual process of learning about sanding. We now use dynabrade type RO sanders with no dust collection. I have seen the 'green light' with the Festool system and want to try some Festool sanders on a job we are starting that is alder veneer mdf core edgebanded cabinet doors. These doors will be stained dark brown. What sander or sanders, sandpaper and grit sequence would you guys recommend for this application? My main use would be for veneered products but we occasionally might use them on some face frames. We have a 2 head wide belt sander so I wont be doing any rough stock removal. I'm thinking the RS2E might be the last sander used in the process but I'm thinking of starting the process with an ETS125 or 150 (3 or 5 ???). We typically don't like to sand past 180 grit because we like a good 'tooth' for the stain and the lacquer to bite in to. Looking forward to participating more on this forum Thanks in advance!
I'm anxious to try some alder samples with the Festool products and with my current system and compare the results.

 

[AlexThePalex]

ETS125 would be my first choice for veneered stuff. Nice and gentle. The 150/3 would also be good, but might be too big for some things. I'd really prefer the 125.

As for grits, 120-150-180 sounds fine.

 

[Ivan T]

I have the ETS 150/3 and it is smooth. I purchased the personally owned and slightly used ETS 125 of Bob Marino last year. Even with that Star Power I liked the ETS 150/3 better. I did pass on the 125 to my daughter for her business.
The ETS 150 is just a pleasure to use. As I recall the ETS150 seems to be the favorite of most posters on the FOG.

 

[SGCrain]

Thanks for the replies Alex and Ivan. So you don't think it's necessary to finish off with the RS2 sander? I am mainly worried about swirl marks because I am staining the alder ply. Also, assuming I go 120-150-180, what sandpaper do you recommend for this? Brilliant 2? How about which pad? Soft, super soft, interface pad???

 

[Ivan T]

At the top of the FOG page under the Festool Products Website tab is an abrasive selector tool that may help you decide on what would be best for your application.

 

[SGCrain]

Yes I saw that I assume brilliant two is the right answer?

I just did an interesting experiment. My finisher buddy across the way has a DTS 400 and an ro1 25. I cut three pieces of alder plywood from the same sheet and sanded one with the DTS 400 one with the RO 125 and one with my Dynabrade random orbit sander. Unfortunately I only had120 grit and 180 grit for the festtool sanders. I wish I had had 150 grit. Otherwise everything was the same.I had dust collection hooked up to the festool sanders and only my little dust collection bag hooked to the back of my random orbit sander. The results were very telling. The DTS 400 was very clear and you could see the grain very well The RO 125 was less clear but still pretty good and my Dynabrade random orbit sander was a muddy mess! For my next experiment I will try the ETS 125 or 150 with 120, 150 and 180 grit. Can't wait to see the results!

 

[AlexThePalex]

Thanks for the replies Alex and Ivan. So you don't think it's necessary to finish off with the RS2 sander? I am mainly worried about swirl marks because I am staining the alder ply. Also, assuming I go 120-150-180, what sandpaper do you recommend for this? Brilliant 2? How about which pad? Soft, super soft, interface pad???

You can get swirl marks with any sander, or avoid them with any sander. So it makes no difference which one you use last. You just have to get your technique right, though that can be a challenge. Best thing is to get to know a sander.

Brilliant 2 is good paper for this. Granat is also possible, Brilliant and Granat are very much alike. But for a very fine finish I would consider Titan 2, that paper is meant for the automotive industry, but also does wonders on the finer furniture projects.

As for the pad, I think any one will do. To have the pad as hard as possible will help you to keep it flat. But it's not that critical. If there is a bit of a curve in your piece you want the softer pad, but as long as it's flat a harder pad is best.

I never used the interface pad, never needed it, but if I did I would use it only on curved pieces as that's what it's meant for.
 

 

[EV]

I have the ETS 150/3 and it is smooth. I purchased the personally owned and slightly used ETS 125 of Bob Marino last year. Even with that Star Power I liked the ETS 150/3 better. I did pass on the 125 to my daughter for her business.
The ETS 150 is just a pleasure to use. As I recall the ETS150 seems to be the favorite of most posters on the FOG.

But you will love the ETS EC 150 even more!

EV

 

[SGCrain]

I also have this topic posted on the Festool Tools & Accessories part of the forum. I'll post my findings so far here to. Sorry for the duplication:

I thought I would report back with my results so far. As I've said before I've tried the Rotex 125, the RTS400, the ETS125, the LS130 just cuz,  and now the ETS150/3. I've tried the Granat paper with many different grit variations, some with just 180 only. I've tried wetting the wood first as well. I have about 22 samples so far and I'd have to say the best 3 are:

ETS150/3 -180g & 220g
ETS150/3- 180g only
ETS150/3-wet the wood then 180g only

The ETS150/3 is as everybody says a very nice sander to hold and operate. The 6" pad is wonderful for medium to larger flat surfaces. The only one I haven't tried is the RS2E which I assume would be like a large RTS400. I get good results with the RTS but the ETS150/3 seems a little better as far as swirl marks, etc. My next step is to shoot a clear coat or two on these and see how they look. I'm sure the fact that I'm using Alder veneer and that I'm staining it dark are making things much more difficult. If this were Walnut or Oak veneer or solid wood for that matter I'm sure some of these other sanders would have been just fine. I'd have to say that I'm surprised Tom had such good results using the Rotex on 200 sheets of mahogany ply. Tom-were the panels stained or just clear coated? I know a dark stain will magnify any imperfection in the wood so that is really working against me. I wish I had the time and resources to test other sandpapers besides the Granat to see what difference they make. My local suppliers seem to stock Granat mostly. Anyway. I will post again after I have sprayed my samples. Thanks for everybody's time and valuable advice.

Steve