Just bought the Festool ETS 150/5

Hey everyone:

I just bought the Festool ETS 150/5 today, and put it right to work:

Dustless sanding is an amazing concept..this alone is worth the $$$

I was sanding Walnut ply panels with an 3/4 x 1/8 banding...stained it dark,, and absolutely no swirl marks.

My one complaint is the sander gets really hot: I like to "cup" the sander, and do it one-handed, but after a few minutes it got too damn hot to hold

Has anyone else had this problem, or is this sander defective?

Thanks in advance

---Woodson

Reply to
Woodson
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Too hot to hold? That doesn't sound right if used normally. But.. if you lean into it, you might be working it too hard. That's what Rotex sanders are for.

Reply to
Robatoy

First, I have no experience with that sander. But a sander shouldn't get to hot to hold, not through all that ABS, no matter where you grab it. I can use my Milwaukee and Bosch sanders for a couple of hours before we are both worn out with sanding. But I can still grab them anywhere, and frequently do when using them no matter how long they have been on task.

You might want to examine two technique issues that really affect sanding quality and wear and tear on any sanding machines.

Make sure you aren't laying on the sander. If, as you describe, you are doing finishing work, almost the weight of the sander when you get to "Festool grade" will suffice. When you don't lay on the sander, the heat won't build up on the pad, the paper won't clog up (especially if it is stearated paper which is really affected by heat) and the sander works as it is supposed to by intense small motion movement/sanding, not grinding.

The second would be the choice of your paper. Buy good paper, and change it like someone else is paying for it. That alone makes all the difference in the world. And the finer the grit, the easier it gets clogged, causing the problems listed above.

When I am refinishing or final sanding, it isn't unusual for me to use the good quality paper for about 20 minutes and replace it, no matter how well I think it is cutting. When I get up to 320, it might be as little as 15 minutes of continuous use before changing.

As always, just my 0.02.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Something else to consider... I don't know "that" sander, but when "cupping" are you blocking ventilation ports? Tom

Reply to
Tom Bunetta

If it is getting too hot after only a "few minutes" I'd say return it and exchange it. If you are demanding more than what it was intended you may want to step up to the Rotex.

Reply to
Leon

The second would be the choice of your paper. Buy good paper, and change it like someone else is paying for it. That alone makes all the difference in the world. And the finer the grit, the easier it gets clogged, causing the problems listed above.

To add to what Robert said here, I have two Festool sanders an use the Festool Vacuum cleaner with both. This creates a unique problem as it becomes very hard to to tell when the paper is worn out. It still looks brand new. As Robert indicated, replace often, keep a fresh piece handy to compare the feel of the new piece to the one on the sander.

When you are sanding with out a vacuum the paper starts to look worn much sooner.

Reply to
Leon

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