Thread: Which sander for the job?

Bevan,

I have a rotex that I've used on recycled hwd joist. It made short work of taking the saw marks out, and that with 80 grit.

Getting into corners will be an issue for all sanders, probably more so with the RO150.

I would also recommend the use of the "Dust Deputy" in line.

PM me if you would like to give my rotex and DD a test run.

Regards

Stuart J.

Thanks Stuart.

I may well take you up on your offer. I have thought of the Dust Deputy idea and maybe another hose. The additional hose may cause too much pressure loss though. I would rather not haul the dusty up onto the scaffolding or tressles.

Cheers

If you are house renovating then the Rotex is a 100% must.

Oh` i love your sig line. He IS the greatest

Hi Bevan,

Quick question, are you wanting to strip back to 100% bare timber, or pragmatic stripping back?

The RAS115 is awesome, but 100% dust extraction is dependent on how well you operate it. See you have to rotate the capturing shroud into the right location to capture the dust spinning off the pad, and this changes as you apply pressure at different angles. Rotating the handle rotates the shroud. If you make a mistake, you get dust everywhere. When you get it right, dust control is fantastic for a rotary sander.

But the ROTEX has many advantages, like:

• Much bigger surface area than the RAS115 (assuming you want to go for a RO150)
• More versatile for other sanding jobs after you finish teh repainting job.
• The Protector is a must when working with a sander in rotary mode. Especially on whether boards, under eaves, etc. Otherwise everything you hit an adjacent board you damage it and the sander wants to fly out of your hands.

As for the dust deputy, I disagree. If you are working on lead based paint, then get it into a disposable bag and get rid of the bag. You don't want to be emptying out a dust deputy, Longlife Bag, or any other container if you can help it. Just my personal opinion on working with hazardous materials.

What size are the boards on your house? Would the RO90 do it, at least you could change the head to the delta pad for some light sanding in the corners. Also a bit lighter than its bigger brother. Just a thought.

Originally Posted by BTman

What size are the boards on your house? Would the RO90 do it, at least you could change the head to the delta pad for some light sanding in the corners. Also a bit lighter than its bigger brother. Just a thought.

It's a good thought. Also, many who are talking a weatherboard stripping project choose the RO125 because of its reduced weight and easier handling.

For qualification, the house has chamferboards not weatherboards so the two prime surfaces are 30mm for the angled face and 45mm for the vertical face. Quite a deal smaller than weatherboards. I plan to strip back to pretty much bare timber as there is extensive loose and flaky material

From that perspective I am thinking a smaller machine, ie RO125 RAS115. Maybe the RO90 is an option? Dust extraction and fast removal are the key goals. I agree, after further thought, that I would prefer to dispose of filled bags rather than emptying one container into another. The cost of half a dozen bags I can endure. The Dust Deputy idea is good from a cost saving perspective but inevitably I will be breathing in the fine dust when I empty.

Thanks for your input so far. It is all good food for thought. It is after all an expensive exercise, and I would like to accomplish it quickly and with minimum risk and hassle.

Cheers

for stripping paint I'd be looking at a Metabo 710 Watt Paint Remover LF 724 S
link Product catalogue handheld powertools - Products - Metabo Australia - Power tools built by professionals for professionals

one of the other forumites (Harrison I think) has used one
a search might be worthwhile

As much as I don't want to stop you buying a new Festool sander, have you considered getting someone like these guys The Sandman We Sand It You Paint It - Paint Removal Services & Supplies - Toowong, QLD - Yellow Pages® to do the sanding.

Stuart

Originally Posted by brizylad

As much as I don't want to stop you buying a new Festool sander, have you considered getting someone like these guys The Sandman We Sand It You Paint It - Paint Removal Services & Supplies - Toowong, QLD - Yellow Pages® to do the sanding.

Stuart

Thats what i would do. Couldnt think of anything worse than sanding an entire house. Its bad enough having to sand a dinning table top.

Originally Posted by ian

for stripping paint I'd be looking at a Metabo 710 Watt Paint Remover LF 724 S
link Product catalogue handheld powertools - Products - Metabo Australia - Power tools built by professionals for professionals

one of the other forumites (Harrison I think) has used one
a search might be worthwhile

Yeah, that was me. They are good tools but they take a little skill to use. It's not as simple as sanding but once you get the cut depth set they produce paint chips, not dust.

To set it up, start increasing the depth of cut very gradually until you are comfortable.

It would work better on regular weatherboard than chamferboard and there would be some clean up with a delta sander to get right in under the board above the one you are working on. Still worth considering.

On the other hand and given a choice, I would much rather somebody else did it!

Originally Posted by markharrison

Yeah, that was me. They are good tools but they take a little skill to use. It's not as simple as sanding but once you get the cut depth set they produce paint chips, not dust.

To set it up, start increasing the depth of cut very gradually until you are comfortable.

It would work better on regular weatherboard than chamferboard and there would be some clean up with a delta sander to get right in under the board above the one you are working on. Still worth considering.

On the other hand and given a choice, I would much rather somebody else did it!

It would be nice to benchmark the Metabo machine vs the Festool RO90. I think that the RO90 might have the edge because it has the delta head as well to deal with the edges and corners. Therefor one machine might well do the whole job.

How good was the chip collection on the Metabo machine? What did you use for an extractor? How well did the Metabo machine deal with nail heads which will inevitably be hit from time to time?

Cheers

Originally Posted by Enfield Guy

It would be nice to benchmark the Metabo machine vs the Festool RO90.

I shouldnt laugh, but sanding a house with the RO90 would be like digging a vegie patch with a toot pick. ... Stuff the rest, just go Rotex.

Also, remember when the house is sanded, what are you going to do with the Metabo?
If you have the Rotex, you have a brilliant all round sander for life. Its a no brainer.

The RO90 has rotex ability. But I believe that it has a smaller orbit than its larger brothers.