Thread: Rotex or ras?

Hi Justin,

I have spend some time with the RAS180 this week and it can certainly remove some material when you get stuck in - currently using it on redgum boards removing dirt and old paint.

When the operator gets the hang of rotating the guard to catch all the dust it does a pretty good job at extraction. If you don't do this properly, you can create a mess real quick. I am still in need of some practice.

The RAS and I still have work to do, so I can report more after that.

thanks anthony, i am also keen to know how the weight of the machine affects you after several hours work, i think muscle fatigue could be a problem for prolonged use.

i would also like to know how many discs you use per slab of timber.

i was sanding epoxy embedding resin the other day with the belt sander, the belts were lasting about 30 seconds. when i used the ets 150 sander to finish up, the discs lasted about 15 seconds.

it will be a long time before i use embedding resin again, unless i get very well paid for it!

regards, justin.

Originally Posted by justinmcf

thanks anthony, i am also keen to know how the weight of the machine affects you after several hours work, i think muscle fatigue could be a problem for prolonged use.

You guessed it - it will be fatiguing. I am doing short bursts at the moment, but I can guess at this point an hour would be quite fatiguing.

Originally Posted by justinmcf

i would also like to know how many discs you use per slab of timber.

No firm data yet, but only on second Rubin P40. But knowing Rubins, they last really well unless you damage them - seems to also be the case on the RAS.

When I read the word "rustic" mentioned I remembered an old thread on this forum about the festool ras 180. link to thread
(the last post in that thread shows a comparison between the old model rotex and the ras180)
Apparantly you can convert a ras180 into a festool rustofix wirebrush machine by ordering the parts that are different between the two. This will also give you the option of a rustic finish (I don't know how desirable that is in the furniture you're making, I believe it's mostly used for floors and old beam construction details)

I don't know how costly the extra parts are, and how quick you can convert the machine, just thought I should mention it.