Thread: Elu sanders

Hi Luc and others,

since i filled a few posts with Elu trivia already, i try to add something new here, to avoid boredom.
In Germany, especially with manufacturers who also made stationary machines, it was customary to designate a portable handheld power tool with its very own built-in motor as a "Motormaschine". Eugen Lutz also followed this custom, so from their first developments in the early 50's up the B&D-era in the 80's, Elu handheld power tools had type names beginning with "M". Examples:

MH ("Motorhandkreissäge" or motorised handheld circular saw)
MVS ("Motorvibrationsschleifer" or motorised vibratory/orbital sander)
MFK ("Motorfalz- und kantenschleifer"or motorised rebate and edge sander)
MKF ( "Motorkantenfräse" or motorised edge router)
MOF ("Motoroberfräse" or motorised overhead router)
MFF ("Motorfalz- und flächenhobel" or motorised rebate and surface planer)
MHB ("Motorhandbandschleifer" or motorised handheld belt sander)

During the 80's under B&D management, it was decided that the M was superfluous since all handheld power tools inherently have their own motors, so the M was skipped in most type names. An MVS became a VS, a MOF became an OF and an MKF became a KF. MH was left the way it was, since the reputation of Elu's MH circular saw range was priceless and rivalling AEG and Metabo already used HK and KS for their own circular saws. Since FF sounded funny for a German planer model (EffEff was also a well known German hinge and lock systems brand) and F for a planer rather reminded of the Hitachi planers, the Elu planer type names were changed from MFF to HH.

The numbers within the type names do not have much clear logic in them. The MVS 47 and 91 are heavy orbital sanders (almost 4 kilograms), the 93 and 94 are lighter and smaller. Same with the large three-phase belt sander MHB21, compared to the smaller MHB90. And the same again with the large MFF40 planer and the smaller MFF80. I think it's safest to say that Elu machines with the lowest numbers are older than the ones with higher numbers. That would be about right, since the MVS 17 is an all metal single phase or three-phase (MVS17W or MVS17D) orbital sander, and the MVS156 is a mostly nylon sander model of several generations further on.

The MVS17, MH25 and MH30, MHB21, MOF11 and 31 and the MFF40 are indeed the most vintage Elu power tools, with the MVS 93/94 and 156, MH85 and 183, MOF77 and 98 and MFF80 being a generation younger. The MH286, MHB157, MOF177 and HH80 are the youngest generations, being developed in the B&D era, and changing over to DeWalt models.

As for the machines themselves, i don't know the MVS12, in only know the MVS models 17 and up. But i do know the MFK36, i have one in my collection. It is a disc sander with depth adjustable disc. The 450 Watts motor drives a 115mm disc through single reduction gears, with a no-load speed of 4500 rpm. On top of the motor housing is a knurled and gauged depth adjustment wheel, through which the disc can be raised or lowered. The machine's sole surrounding the disc is rectangular and the disc is slightly exposed on the left and right sole sides, to reach into corners. This machine was (and still is) used in the parquet flooring trade, to finish the flooring edges where the larger belt or disc sanders cannot reach. Well preserved and sparingly used machines are rare and sought after and thus expensive. There's one running in Ebay Germany right now, with a starting bid price of 149 Euros. Before buying an MFK36, check on the wear and play in bearings and especially the gears, since the odd grease job was not high on users's priority lists.
This MFK36 also sports the vintage Elu colours of the 60's; a black reinforced resin motor housing and polished aluminium bearing shields, frames and details.

The same motor housing was later used for the MVS47 orbital sander. This is my favourite orbital sander model, a real tank. At a modest 7000 rpm no-load and with a moderate amount of fan blade vanes, it lets out a smooth low-pitched howl rather than the high pitched sharp whistle or faster modern compact brush motors. You are supposed to merely guide the machine along with the bent-down rear handle (which has good ergonomics for a 60's tool design) and its front knob and let it glide across the surface. The machine's weight is enough, around the sole you see a dustcloud of sanded particles springing up and bouncing around, this sander takes away a lot of material with little effort (and a motor power of only 300 watts). A 47-variety with dust suction through a coupled shop vac was later introduced as the MVS91. The machine had no dust suction fan of its own and entirely relied on the vac for that; the hose connection was at the sole's backside and the dust completely bypassed the drive mechanism, so there was far less chance of the customary drive system soiling and resulting bearing failures. The MVS47 and 91 are real classics, they belong in the same Hall of Fame where other classics like the Skil HD77, the Bosch 1570 jigsaw range, the Porter Cable belt sanders, the Hilti hammers and the Fein drills deserve to be. Under B&D management the MVS91 was skimped down a bit to become the VS71 (slightly lighter materials and one sole plate ball bearing instead of two in the MVS models) and this VS71 is still carried by DeWalt as the DW636 "roughing sander". But in spite of being slightly skimped-down, this is still a good sander.

The MVS 93 and 94 were typical finishing sanders (lighter weight and higher rpm). The MVS93 is all-nylon like the newer-generation MVS156 and by design it doesn't look much. The dark grey colour is no big help for its looks either. Until you pick it up and feel its weight. This is no budget Bosch or a Parkside, it is in a wholly different league. It has large ball bearings and the motor is not much compacter than the motor in the 47 or 91, although the 93's sleeker housing would suggest otherwise. The 94 is fairly similar to the 93 and has dust suction through its own fan. The array is conventional, the 94's fan is double, with the upper part drawing cooling air through the motor and the lower part drawing dusty air through the perforated sole and into a dustbag attached to the machine's right side. The MVS94 has a 350 Watts motor running at 10000 rpm, and uses 1/2 sheet size, like the 47 and 91. I believe the 93 had 250 or 300 Watts power running at 12000, i forgot for now and must look that up first to be sure. I do know for sure that the 93 was a 1/3 sheet machine. There was an accessory dust hood for the 94 with a metal look, but the 94 motor and drive housing were all nylon, like those of the 93. Only the sole was metal. The vintage Mühlacker 93 and 94 had a coarser outer finish appearance of their cast parts, but had better bearings than the later Swiss made models (from the times beyond 1984, when B&D had purchased Elu and had started making the Elu tools in its own purpous built Delemont works). The last version was dubbed VS41 and B&D also had this model made by its partner GMM in Grosuplje, Slovenia. B&D kept on carrying the VS41 as the DeWalt 634, with an improved efficiency motor, allowing a power intake reduction from 350 to 300 Watts. Availability of the DW 634 and 636 is limited; i had the impression that these models were planned to be phased out, with the 634 going first.

So there you are. All brilliant vintage machines and worth buying as long as the price/quality-balance is right.

greetings

gerhard

...and some pics to illustrate the story above.

Hello

I'll show some pictures later this evening, if I get my camera fixed, but I can tell you already now: the MVS 94 on your picture is the very one I bought on ebay.be this weekend.

Luc

Hello Gerhard and others

Here are the pics of my Elu sanders. One MVS 47 is not on the pictures, simply because he's not in my possession yet. I added a picture of the MVS 12, the one Gerhard didn't know.

As Gerhard said and as you can see, the VS 41 comes from the MVS 94.

As you can see, I bought most of them on ebay.de, the german ebay site. It's the best to look for vintage Elu. I've got the impression Elu isn't popular in Australia, or am I wrong?

I also own two Haffner belt sanders that run on 3x400 volts and an Elu MHB50 belt sander, but I think that a story for another thread.

Greets from Belgium