I bought this sander and it appears to be a great unit. Unfortunately, it seems to only sand on the edges like it's not flat. Defective?
1519140
All disc sanders, rotary or random orbital, are almost always used at a very slight angle. Not flat on the piece. The orbital even when held flat has more pressure on one side, they are very difficult to control otherwise.
1519141
Are you sanding deck boards ? Are the boards cupped? Use the Bosch brand discs from amazon... The discs wear better. Well worth any price difference in my experience..the Bosch paper seemed more robust, edges didn't shred like another brand I tried..
1519142
Ours doesn't do that. It actually worked really well. When we needed to sand in between boards, we tilted it sideways, but that's the only time we only used the edges.
1519143
Not necessarily defective. It could be the backing pad you are using. There are three available, soft, medium, and hard. The unit comes with the medium. I bought the hard and soft pads as well. Hard pad is for flat surfaces, fast removal. . Soft pad for items that may have contours . Most sanders will have the same issue as yours. I just change the pad to fit the surface I am working with. I was sanding primer off some 4x4 cedar posts; started off with the hard pad, but found the soft to do a better job. Dry a different backing pad. Easy to change with an allen wrench.
287111
I thinks It's a bit aggressive for unsupported narrow end grain. We generally use our Bosch orbital palm sander or half sheet sander for narrow end grain. I'm sure if you clamp & block side supports on both sides of the end piece it would work really fine. At least that's how I would do it. I know it would do a great job if supported properly to assure end piece squareness..
76033
From reading the Festool blogs, I understand that this is a problem. Though, frankly, given some of the ridiculously-detailed issues that some of these folks seem to have, it may not be a problem for anyone but super-anal retentive folks. Anyway, just for funsies, I tried connecting it to my ShopVac using clear vinyl tubing, and it did make it flow less than smoothly over plywood. I then poked a couple of holes in the tubing, and the suction strength went down and allowed the sander to flow more smoothly. It didn't solve the fact that the ShopVac is crazy loud, however. Hope this helps.
1420585
Hey Man, I bought this machine almost a year ago today. Love it, no issues. About the reverse feature, it is great for sanding to a high level for the ultimate smooth. If you sand just one direction, some fibers can just get bent over. Reverse it and sand those off. Do I use it every day, no, do I use it, absolutely. Is it a determining factor in buying this machine? That depends on what you are turning and skill level. If you are doing bowls, it is a must. J!
266752
Check the plane sole for flatness. I bet there is a high spot on the sole behind the blade. If there is, it needs to be ground, filed or sanded off
1923754
I am not sure what was it, but for the use I have on this oscillator, its worth everything. Did own a belt sander andcannot do what this sanding does, it does everything straight and round corners. I think the manufacture is one year.and for the price, don't need a warrantee just buy another one. Sorry for no help.
539531
This is more like the "old" style sanders, but with orbital properties as well (differing significantly from random orbit though). I find that my hand-held 5" random-orbit sander is swirl prone--a light touch and a very slow, steady pass are best for it, while this one should be used along the grain with a bit more speed, pressure, and abandon during the pass. That said, a 6" two-handed random orbit sander is also an improvement over 5" random orbit sander, and great for pieced-together surfaces with grains running in different directions--again used with a light touch and a slow, steady pass. This is more like the "old" style sanders, but with orbital properties as well (differing significantly from random orbit though). I find that my hand-held 5" random-orbit sander is swirl prone--a light touch and a very slow, steady pass are best for it, while this one should be used along the grain with a bit more speed, pressure, and abandon during the pass. That said, a 6" two-handed random orbit sander is also an improvement over 5" random orbit sander, and great for pieced-together surfaces with grains running in different directions--again used with a light... » Read More This is more like the "old" style sanders, but with orbital properties as well (differing significantly from random orbit though). I find that my hand-held 5" random-orbit sander is swirl prone--a light touch and a very slow, steady pass are best for it, while this one should be used along the grain with a bit more speed, pressure, and abandon during the pass. That said, a 6" two-handed random orbit sander is also an improvement over 5" random orbit sander, and great for pieced-together surfaces with grains running in different directions--again used with a light touch and a slow, steady pass. « Show Less
418652
From my perspective, a random orbital sander (ROS) of the type you actually bought is superior in every way to the partial sheet sanders - except for the cost of sandpaper. It is much, much faster at removing material from a very rough surface but does just as good a job fine sanding as the partial sheet sanders. I was not overly impressed with this particular model compared to my Dewalt ROS because of excessive vibration, but I would choose it hands down over what you intended to buy. My sample may have been slightly defective.
1842257
I am having trouble with wheels turning freely , so we have reversed washer to the inside of the wheel. It still is having trouble turning freely. In General it does well on sand if our wheels will keep turning. JA
948151
I have used this sander on many wood projects. I have not had a problem with swirl marks. It is powerful and I have found it is best to let the weight of the sander itself do the work and use only minimal pressure.
539527
This is an orbital sander. I have not had the swirl problem with this sander that I sometimes have with the palm random orbital.
99279
Sorry, can't help you. when we received ours it was cracked during shipping. So we returned it and ordered another one (Amazon was great about taking it back) and guess what, it was also cracked. So we sent it back and ended up ordering a Sear sander instead.
1708555
I just opened my new tool, and it doens't strip anything. I've used the micro adjuster. I'm not sure if I have a defective grip, or if this is just crap. It's seems like most people find it useful, but I just consider this worthless.
1444694
I am very pleased with the sander. I can not comment on the upgrade since I am not familiar with it. The B03710 sands much faster and has less vibration than the one I had before. And I like that it uses 1/3 sheet of paper.I would recommend it. NH
1444692
this was the best sander that a had ever brought. the wood is nice % clean.i would buy another. rodney
2242020
What are you cleaning off? This RO sander, along with it's predecessors, is a dogs bollock of electric RO... What are you trying to finish?
1770730
No. Only the special shaped sandpaper works because it has a sticky back that adhers to the sander. Regular sandpaper has a smooth back that won't stick.