Thread: Which ROS?

Originally Posted by Honorary Bloke

Not the Ozito??

You can spray the Ozito black and paint a little lime on it, and the difference in quality will be amazing

Originally Posted by Lignum

You can spray the Ozito black and paint a little lime on it, and the difference in quality will be amazing

It's alright LGS. He was only kidding.

Dang, now I am going to have to try it.....

Originally Posted by nt900

It's alright LGS. He was only kidding.

Dang, now I am going to have to try it.....

Don't bother, Anthony. I painted my Porter-Cable black and green and it made no difference at all.

I have the Rotex150 and would recommend it for this job, but I reckon it could be abit of an animal to control standing way up there on a ladder, with the 150 flat out. I'd be looking to borrow a small scaffold tower, or set up a plank to work from

Originally Posted by mkb

Ian, As nt900 mentions
Quote:
I would consider what the future jobs of the sander are likely to be post weatherboards
I've no doubt the Metabo would do the weatherboards but they are a once in 10 years proposition & I think I'd like to use something slightly more often than that

but I'm hankering to join the Festool club

now all I need to do is get to the big smoke (Melbourne) & try some out at a Festool dealer (and a Metabo one), but that trip is several weeks away so I'll keep internetting for now.

true
but don't loose sight of the time the job will take using one tool compared to another — and the ancillary equipment you might need — scaffold tower, two ladders and a scaffold plank, etc

it might be that the cost savings (in avoided hire costs for the ancillary equipment) justifes the second tool you're lusting after


ian

The 150/3 is a great tool to use and does an excellent job finishing but even I wouldn't abuse it on stripping a house.

The Rotex would be pretty efficient. Even though it is heavy and has a lot of torque.
Once you finished one side of the house you would have your technique/speed and scaffolding sorted.
Then the job would move quickly and you would be pleased you had the extra power.

I am glad it is you and not me all the same.

i have a ras 115.... that i use for striping and prepping material. this might be what you are looking for?

Why is it that once you start looking at the festool stuff you keep adding to your list

Anyway I don't have a digital (or even a non-digital) camera so no pics, but I do have
571591 Rotex 150
574282 Domino (thanks Lignum)
593301 Domino Extras
561172 TS55
574237 OF1010
583291 LR 32 Sys
493396 FS/Sys 2
583381 CT 22
491621 Guide rail FS 1080/2
491504 Guide rail FS 1080/2
493507 GECKO DOSH-Set
Sandpaper 24/40/80/120/240/400 grits

What can you do when the local dealer has catalog prices that are not up-to-date with the festool website Tailed stuff bought in Australia & non-tailed stuffed shipped in from the US of A saving $100s even with airmail (thanks Brian)

So all I have to do know is use the stuff I keep looking at the weather boards but maybe next week will be 'early' enough to start on them.

Originally Posted by mkb

Just seeking confirmation before spending the cash

I need a sander to strip paint from weatherboards (last time I did it with a 9" angle grinder which is a tad hairy on top of a ladder). So I am thinking the Festool ROTEX 3-in-1 150; but if people think this is not the optimum then I'm listening.

PS. No great hurry as this is an 'after xMas' to do list job

Sorry this reply is probably too late... but here goes.

Yes, a Rotex is great at removing paint, especially in the more agressive ROT(ary) mode than the EX(centric), or random mode. Yes the Metabo LF724 is also beautiful for removing paint (one aged layer at a time if you wish)! I have both, and they both have their merits.... however, having used both on my house and shack's weatherboards.... I honestly wouldn't recommend either as the best alternative for your needs.

What do professional painters use on weatherboards? Angle grinders/sanders. Why? Safety, accuracy and speed. I concur. My little 4 1/2" B&D and 5" Metabos, (both variable speed), are the best, most versatile and controllable little beasts for aggressive, rapid sanding of exterior paint finishes paint finishes available. I use fairly course grit carborundum papers (24 & 36 grit) on a good quality flexible sanding pad. I turn the speed to about half way (4000 rpm??) to avoid burning the base coats of paint that don't need to be removed, and away I go. The papers seem to rapidly "load up" with paint, which is a good thing, as the friction of paint on paint seems to "liquify?" the old, flaky, cracked finishes, which are then flung away by the paper, so it's sort of self cleaning, if you follow me. I can just get into a bit of a groove and can cover remarkably large areas in a (fairly) short time.

By contrast, sanding, even with the trusty Rotex just seems to take forever. I also find both the Rotex and Paint Remover really really scary up a ladder. They're both too big & bulky to use safely up a ladder: remember that you're lifting/dragging along not just a heavy machine and power cable, but also a dust extraction hose at height. I've even been dragged off a ladder by the Rotex paper getting caught between the boards in rotary mode. Yes, it's that powerful! And controllability? It is just too much of a handful at height in rotary mode, which is really the only mode to really strip paint. It tends to bounce and bog down too much with coarse papers, although wooden boat owners swear by them for stripping anti-foul from hulls. The hard pads help, but don't entirely eliminate the digging in problem, but probably make the chatter and bounce even worse.

As for the LF724. It's the bastard child of an unholy mating between a mini grinder and a planer, brilliant at what it does, but also flawed in some respects. It "planes" the paint with small rotatable square blades in a vertically rotating alloy head. It will remove both paint in the same plane as the baseplate and any at right angles for an additional 20mm. if desired. But up a ladder? Only if you have a deathwish! The cutterhead, at 10,000 RPM, could literally chew an appendage off in seconds. Sure the 9" grinder is too much of a handful, and the Rotex perhaps less so, but still difficult to control. But the Paint Remover, while still much more controllable than the other two is really only safe at ground level. Plus it hates nailheads!

Mini Grinders, by contrast, esp. variable speed ones, are small and light enough to use at above head height. Even one handed. Yes, I know it breaks all the safety rules about "two hands on the tool at all times" but who doesn't do it? It just seems so much more easily handled.

For less aggressive sanding to provide a "key" on paint in reasonably good condition I just love Metabo's SXE 400. I have one in the workshop, one at the shack, and one in the ute for jobs elsewhere. At only 80mm, diameter, and only a kilogram or so, they are the safest sander to use one handed in any conditions, even overhead. And they're cheap. I've seen new ones selling for only $40 on E-bay. Stearate papers work best, but only last a few minutes because of the small diameter. I make up a little plywood & dowel pad adapter loaded with 40 grits to keep in my top pocket for quick changes atop ladders. But it's really only suited for touch ups, and the bullnosing on the weatherboards. Otherwise use a small V/S grinder. It's the best. Just ask a professional who does it all day every day.

I'm not a professional painter, and don't pretend to be: just an experienced amateur with an obsession for old houses.

I'm not going to enter into the debate on the best tool for the job outlined in this thread. However, if an angle grinder with soft pad is the go, then have a look at the Festool RAS 115. As a shipwright, the 4" angle grinder is (unfortunately) an often used tool - on both timber and fibreglass

This of course meant clouds of white dust - but that was before the RAS 115. It is essentially a 115mm angle grinder with dust extraction that really works The RAS 115 (along with close friend CT22) has transformed my working life.
, that sounds sooo cheesy

Couldn't agree with you more Pete about grinders and dust. Used to have an old 11,000 RPM Elu. Using an Arbortech disc with that thing was like having a gravel shower, and Triton's ROS attachment was also terribly dusty. But paint, esp. with the method that the professionals use, comes off in melted lumps and dust rather than purely fine dust if the speed is kept low enough. I imagine that either of the Festool "low speed grinders" would be just fantastic in this role, as they'd collect a reasonable proportion of the dust generated. But that setup would cost about $1500-$2500, which is a bit extravagant for a few weatherboards, compared to $150 - $300 for a quality Mini Grinder setup. Also, the grinder's useful for many other things. It's my most versatile and commonly used tool.

If I'm looking at my first hand held Sander would I be right in thinking that the ROTEX 3-in-1 150 would be the best option?

Originally Posted by Hoppoz

If I'm looking at my first hand held Sander would I be right in thinking that the ROTEX 3-in-1 150 would be the best option?

Hi Hoppoz,

You may be right - it's a great sander.... but what work are you planning for your first sander?

Another way of saying it - the ROTEX 150 can do soooo much, from aggressive sanding to very fine finishing, timber, 2-pac, furniture, renovation work, automotive polishing, and more. But if you only need to do a sub-set of all this, a Festool ETS 150/125, DTS, or RTS could be good options. If you want an eccentric sander to do a whole range of jobs over the long term, back to the ROTEX as an excellent option.