Why IS the dust port oval and not round on the RS2E?

[leakyroof]

Well, why is that way?. Most, if not all of the sanders have round dust ports to attach the DC hose to. Just wondering, a carryover thought from one of the other forum where someone brought it up and got me wondering about it.    [huh]

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

I don't have an explanation for why it's that way. I can only guess that it was an attempt to make the hose connection less prone to coming loose. The hoses connect to the oval ports just fine. The DX 93 is the same way.

 

[peter halle]

So is the RAS 115.04.

 

[VictorL]

I believe it's for lower profile, and overall design strategy in the late 90s. If you look at OF-900, (OF-1000 or OF-1010) it has oval dust port and low profile base. RAS-115, RO-150E and DX-93 share the same handle design and do have oval port too. This solution shaved a couple millimeters of overall height.  If look to cast housing of RS-2, you'll see that has relatively low profile too.  ATF-55 had rectangular port that formed with housing and cover. It definitely had some technological advantages, but less flexibility. TS-55 got wider swivel dust port. So in 2000 Festool's designers abandoned that idea and began to build bolder tools.

VictorL

 

[Corwin]

As Victor noted above, these oval ports were present on the older versions of many of the tools -- The RS2E is an older design and has not been updated. 

The oval ports are a more efficient design as far as air flow goes -- the oval shape reduces turbulence and resistance -- and were probably only replaced (on updated tools) with the newer round ports to facilitate the hoses' tool-end fittings better. 

 

[AlexThePalex]

I have the DX93 with the oval dust port. Hose comes off really easy. Never happens with all my other tools. Seems logical when you look at how the tension is divided when you try to fit a round shape around something oval.

I don't think the shape has anything else to do but with saving space. But the design probably didn't work out to Festool's expectations because they abandoned it.

 

[leakyroof]

Thanks for all the interesting replys. My own experience mirrors that of Alex, with any of my sanders that have an oval dust port not holding onto the CT's hose as well as the round ported sanders.  But I like them all the same  [smile]

 

[ScotF]

Thanks for all the interesting replys. My own experience mirrors that of Alex, with any of my sanders that have an oval dust port not holding onto the CT's hose as well as the round ported sanders.  But I like them all the same  [smile]

I wonder if it has something to do with the age/use of the rubber end of the hose.  I have not had my hose pop off of any tool except my TS75 sometimes when I am not using the 36mm hose.  I find that it is a very snug fit on either round or oval ports.  In fact I have to work the hose back and forth a bit to get it to come off the RS2E and the Domino.  Like others have said, I really don't mind either configuration and both work well.

Scot