Official Luthiers Forum!

In the never ending quest to control dust, I'm thinking of a Festool sander. My main hesitation is that I do a ton of sanding with my random orbit and 90% of is done one-handed holding the work with the other hand. It looks like, once you connect the vacuum to it, even the palm sander would be unwieldy to use with one hand. The larger sanders look like real beasts. Do you folks always clamp the work to sand? Can you control these one-handed with precision?

Also, how good is the dust collection? Worth it?

Thanks.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

I don't use the festool but do use the bosch. I don't find the dust control hose unwieldy and do find it well worth it. The only time I would consider not using it is when sanding outside.

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http://goatrockukulele.com

I am still very new to mine but have done a bit of sanding on top and back plates. I have middle ROS one, 1/8" stroke I think. Has not been a problem at all one handed. Even with the stupidly long run to the DC I have been using (adapted from 1" to 10 feet of 2.5" hose to 10 feet of 4" hose to 20 feet of ducting) the dust collection seems very good.

I have the ETS 150/5 6" random orbit sander & the midsized vac (the model number has changed).

I hate all the Festool hype & I don't buy into all of their products but the sander & vac work great. The sander runs very smooth & the dust pickup is very efficient.

It's a bit pricey but they do offer a 30 day money back guarantee. If you're not satisfied - take it back.

The only down side I can think of is the disks. You need to use the Festool disks because their hole pattern is different. They're not expensive but you can't get them at the big box stores, you have to go to the Festool dealer.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Festools dust extraction is simply brilliant!

I use the larger 6" sander and have no issues using it with one hand whilst holding work with the other. Gripped on top, the speed control is positioned for easy thumb access so you can start off down low and adjust up with a quick roll of ur thumb. The only time the hose is a PIA is when it is dragged over the edge of a bench and the corrugations catch. Forgivable if you consider that the tool is not meant to be used this way, rather the hose is meant to be suspended above the work piece. Festools sell a hose support arm for just this purposes which attaches directly to their CT22 (or other model) dust extractor, but a basic and simple quick clamp arrangement can be set up over your bench to do the job.

When it comes to power tools, Festools have set the bench mark for a 'very' long time and its not without good reason. Expensive yes, but you do get the innovation, build quality and user comfort that you pay for.

Cheers

Kim

Ken, I'm probably only being repetitive here, but I have the Festool ROS and it's great! No problem one-handed, dust collection's awesome, and the paper's expensive but I took a few minutes (okay, an hour) and "converted some of my old discs without holes to the Festool pattern with a Forstner bit and drill press...I think you'd be happy with it if you tried it...

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

The hole pattern in the disk is one of the main reasons why Festools dust collection is so very effective. I buy my disk online and get a good deal, there are many suppliers of after market brand 9 hole disk punched to fit, you do not have to buy the Festools brand but they are a good quality abrasive.

A word on the "hype".....That element is clearly present in their marketing but I think it appears that way more because they are a European company and what works for them at home comes across as a wee bit too clinical in the USA and Australian market place. The facts are however that Festools really do their research in the areas of OH&S and ergonomics and they push that side of the market very hard, but then they also deliver very well too. So its not all 'just' hype, and the other side of the Festools story is that they have always been a product clearly targeted toward the professional and have built their reputation for reliability in the demanding and tool abusive environment of the 'work site', not in the DIY market.

The point here is that these tools should have no problem doing what they are designed to do very well and doing it long enough to easily out lasting the original purchaser if they are kept for shop use where they are not likely to be swung by the cord from a roof to a work mate below, dropped in sand and thrown into milk crates in the back of the ute at the end of each day to be bounced down a dusty track on rout to the next site in the morning etc, etc. But even if they are treated badly and do eventually succumb to abuse...with Festools you can still get every single part to do a complete refurb even for the old yellow Festo tools made back in the 80's, and that is the product service back up that people who make their living with these tools expect and it is also part of what you pay for when you buy the brand.

Cheers

Kim

Thanks for the info! That helps. Good to know about the proprietary paper too.

As for hype, maybe I'm not paying attention but I haven't seen anything I'd call hype. At least not more than anyone else.

Uh oh, maybe I'm getting desensitized.......

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http://www.chassonguitars.com