Which sander for plywood?

[antoniomcs]

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of buying a sander, but I don't know which one will be more suitable.
I work mainly with baltic birch plywood. So, I need to sand small pieces (6x12 inches, for example), as well as large pieces (12x70 inches, 20x20 inches, for example).
The plywood is bought directly from the supplier, so it's not really rough stock, and it's raw (it isn't painted, varnished or stained).
I need a sander to smooth it, and smooth between coats of filler and varnish.
Maybe one day I need to sand primers and between coats of paint, but not for now.
Occasionally, I might need to sand a solid wood kitchen table top, and between coats.
After reading several opinions and reviews, I can't make my mind if I need a 5 inch or 6 inch, 3mm stroke or 5mm stroke.
I was looking at the ETS EC. Is this a good option, or are there other better options?
Grit range: 120-320
I can afford only one sander.
What do you recommend, according to my needs?

Thanks

 

[afish]

Easy answer ETS EC 125/3. The 5mm stroke is overkill for plywood or finishes.  you will burn through much easier with the 5mm. Start with the 125 and add the 150 pad later if you need it. 

 

[ear3]

I would do the 150/3.  In normal operation, it is safe to use the 150/5 on plywood, but if you ever get plywood with thinner veneer (which can sometimes happen, or when dealing with hardwood veneers), the 5mm does indeed present a risk of burning through the top layer.  The 125 would be a bit slow IMO on the larger pieces, which is why I think the 150/3 hits the sweet spot.

 

[SoonerFan]

Easy answer ETS EC 125/3. The 5mm stroke is overkill for plywood or finishes.  you will burn through much easier with the 5mm. Start with the 125 and add the 150 pad later if you need it.

I concur with [member=73094]afish[/member].  I have an ETS EC 125/3 and added a 150mm pad for sanding flat plywood panels.  Works great!

 

[afish]

i agree with the 150/3 however with the 125 you can have both pads on one sander. The 150 will not accept the 125pad. thats why I recommended that one over the 150. I will also say that after having the 150 pad on my EC I dont ever see myself going back to the 125 pad.  This day and age I would say just grab whichever one you can find in stock first.  but fo ply and finishes the 3mm is the one you want

 

[VirTERM]

Easy answer ETS EC 125/3. The 5mm stroke is overkill for plywood or finishes.  you will burn through much easier with the 5mm. Start with the 125 and add the 150 pad later if you need it.

I concur with [member=73094]afish[/member].  I have an ETS EC 125/3 and added a 150mm pad for sanding flat plywood panels.  Works great!

I also use my ETC Ec 125/3 with a 150mm pad for plywood. With a larger pad its faster

 

[antoniomcs]

Thank you all for the clarifications, I think I'm going to go with the ETS EC 125/3.
I didn't know I could add the 150 pad to it, that's great!

One thing I don't quite understand is the sanding accessories, since I'm trying to foresee what I will need.

Regarding the abrasive sheets, is granat net suitable for sanding plywood? In which cases is it necessary?
Should I use granat or rubin, since they have similar grits?

From what I understand, the ETS EC 125/3 is shipped with the universal sanding pad.
Is it worth to buy the ST-STF 125/8-M8-J SW (https://www.festool.com/accessory/492288---st-stf-1258-m8-j-sw) for bends and curves, and the ST-STF 125/8-M8-J H (https://www.festool.com/accessory/492284---st-stf-1258-m8-j-h) for flat surfaces?

I was curios about the interface pad IP-STF-D120/8-Jhttps://www.festool.com/accessory/492271---ip-stf-d1208-j). Does it replace the ST-STF 125/8-M8-J SW? What is it used for? I'm a little bit confused about this.

 

[afish]

I dont use net. Rubin is for raw wood. granat is more universal and will handle finishes and wood. I dont really see the point to rubin. granat or 3m cubitron film backed. 

 

[jarbroen]

With my 150/3 the Granat 180 cleans up baltic birch really well without removing too much material.

 

[jjowen]

I do a lot of sanding of baltic birch ply and use the ETS EC 150/3 with Granat grits. I don't ever want for a smaller diameter.

If you are doing exposed ply edges, then definitely also consider the new edge sanding attachment. It does not fit ETS EC's, so I had to get the ETS 125 accessory. I am happy to have the separate sanders as attaching / removing the attachment takes best part of a minute (long threaded screws).

 

[antoniomcs]

A question just came up... since the 125/3 is the same price as the 150/3, why not buy the 150? Will there be any specific situation where I will need the 125 over the 150?...

 

[Cheese]

A question just came up... since the 125/3 is the same price as the 150/3, why not buy the 150? Will there be any specific situation where I will need the 125 over the 150?...

If you’re talking ETS EC sanders, then the 125 is $100 cheaper than the 150.

 

[antoniomcs]

A question just came up... since the 125/3 is the same price as the 150/3, why not buy the 150? Will there be any specific situation where I will need the 125 over the 150?...

If you’re talking ETS EC sanders, then the 125 is $100 cheaper than the 150.

Maybe in the US, but in Europe it's the same price.
Hence my indecision.
I'm not going to need to sand a large surface, maybe each one around 50 x 16 inches (at least for now).

 

[Cheese]

Well that’s the reason why attaching a country to a profile is important.

 

[4nthony]

I've been reading through the functions of the 125/3 and the 150/3 on the website and although each is worded in a slightly different way, they both appear to more or less have the same set of features.

For example, the 125/3 has "electronic active vibration stop", while the 150/3 has "vibration control system". The 150/3 has "constant speed even under load" while the 125/3 delivers "delivering a constant powerful stream of performance".

I'm having a hard time differentiating actual features from marketing speak.

I see the same motor, same form-factor, carbide brakes, same dust port, weight. Other than the pad size, what are the most notable differences between the two sanders?

 

[afish]

its really just a size issue otherwise they are identical.  I have the 125/3 with a 150 pad and dont ever see myself going back to the 125 but the option is there if I need to. I also have the req so that makes it even more unlikely I will ever mount the 125 pad.  Most likely I would just use that if I needed 5" sander.  If I was truly only going to have 1 sander I would probably get the 125 just for flexibility (just incase) if not then the 150.   

 

[Cheese]

I see the same motor, same form-factor, carbide brakes, same dust port, weight. Other than the pad size, what are the most notable differences between the two sanders?

As afish mentioned, it's just about pad size. They are the same sander. Here's a lengthy discussion on some of the technical differences starting at Reply 26.
https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/ask-festool/ets-ec-125150/60/