Sorry if this is a little too specific or technical for anyone but it’s not political, peepee or poop based…
I bought a Festools Rotex 125 combination fine and coarse sander with the medium vacuum for dust control but have been struggling finding ways to use the device all the way through the cycle of board building especially the finish side when you are sanding out the gloss coat. I know this won’t make any sense to non-festools folks but it was recommended to use the Rubin paper versus Brilliant for epoxy so I have Rubin in 50-80-120-180 But as I move up I can only find 350-400-600-800 in Brilliant and the hole patterns are different although its the same device. So now the advanced dust collection vacuum is useless for the fine grit sanding.
Any suggestions for a grit pattern and paper combo and should I look at using the Rotex as a buffer as well by getting the polishing accessories or am I better off getting a Milwaukee for the final sanding and buffing processes…
The Festools setup has been great for grinding wood and glass (little if not dust and residue) but a bit expensive at close to $1000 for the combo sander and vacuum. Now I’m wondering if a big ol’ milwaukee would’ve been a better choice.
Oh yeah before I hear the why don’t you just do it by hand comments…
I dare you to stand on a concrete driveway in the hot Ewa sun in gloves, long sleeves, biohazard hooded suit, shoes and socks, full face mask and seal googles and not pass out after 30 minutes from heat exhaustion. Allergies…that’s why I use machines with dust collection… It also makes the parents of the little kids playing across the street feel a little more secure that a cloud of epoxy+fiberglass dust isn’t blowing into their yard.
so…
Any Festool owners with some paper/backing pad/buffer advice for the Rotex 125?
The good folks at Woodcraft are finish carpenters and only know about woodworking/crafts and not epoxy surfboard building. It’s a little different in what we’re doing especially with epoxy versus poly…
Thanks in advance as I know there’s several boardbuilding Festools owners out there
love my festool, as you know… i have no problems getting an amazing finish with it… the only think i still use the Red Beast for is grinding overlaps… by the way the fesstool spins in the opposit direction of the big red…
for polishin out my epoxy “gloss coats” i go Brilliant 240, 320, 400 on the soft pad, then 500 with the foamy pad on the soft pad. then with the foamy/soft i use Platin 600, Platina 2 800 and finally 1000 (the Platin is expensive as hell but i can use a sheet of each grit for two or three boards… then i usually just rub a nice coat of car wax on and buff it off by hand… the boards look pretty sweet for epoxy jobs…
i wouldn’t be able to make boards like i do with out it, i’d trade my skil 100 for the rotex/vac combo anyday… haven’t had any problems with the holes lining up…the platin has no holes…
I’ve owned a Rotex RO 150E for the past two years. Because of the disk size (6") and the rotary motion speed (600 rpm), it isn’t very efficient for first pass 80-100 grit sanding of hotcoats. You can’t get things flat and it takes forever. Basically, I use a Ferro 8" disk in a Harbor Freight for the first passes, then switch to the Rotex. I use the “interface pad” (foam adapter) for rails. Once you’ve got things flat, it gives a great finish without the noise or dust. Mine is used daily in the repair biz, and it works like nothing else (as they say) but I’m only dealing with relatively small areas. The abrasives you want are the “Titan 2” types. “Brillant” and “Rubin” are more open coat for sanding wood. For full boards and repairs, I use 80, 120, 280, 360, 500 always in the combo mode. I polish using a Schlegel #1 wool pad on a buffing adapter driven by the HF sander. Polishing using the Rotex isn’t efficient due to the small pad and slow speed. This is an expensive, well designed and built tool and needs appropriate care. Blow out the hose and sander (thru the dust extraction ports) and the filters in the vacuum unit after every session. Change the bag when it’s 1/2 full.
Oneula, I really think that you’d be better off with the 6" RO 150. You should be able to trade-up if the RO 125 didn’t work for you (they have a 3 year unconditional guarantee). The company really wants people to be happy with their tools. The rep let me sand an entire longboard (while he watched) before I bought mine.
For those who are considering buying a Rotex, it is the Mercedes of sanders. But you don’t tow trailers with a Benz, so don’t expect the Festool to cut like a Milwaukee either. If you’re into production speed and efficiency, you’ll probaby be disappointed. Operating costs (special paper and dust bags) are higher than conventional sanders. The primary feature of this tool is no mess and low noise; if these are higher than time on your priority list then this is the tool for you. Also, don’t try and use a shop vac with it. The dust will wreck the motor and bearings in a short time. The Festool vacuum motor is sealed from the dust collection area.