Let’s start with the RAS 115.04 E
sander. It is a pure rotary sander with a
circular pad 115mm (about 4 1/2”) in di-
ameter. Some might liken it to an angle
grinder. The abrasive material is affixed
to the pad by a hook and loop system
that allows the material to be removed
and replaced without damage.
You can see from the photo above right
(RAS 115 in foreground) that there are no
holes around the perimeter of the pad as
in the other Festool sanders like the RO
150 behind it. Instead, there
is a space between the pad
and the base of the machine
through which particles are
drawn out through the built in
vacuum port at the rear of the
machine. There is a brush
about one third of the circum-
ference of the pad (at the bot-
tom of the pad in the photo)
that can be rotated to any po-
sition around the outside of
the pad to help direct these
cut particles into the vacuum
port. The handle on the side
of the machine is rotated to move the po-
sition of the brush. The speed of rotation
can be varied from 1500 to 4000 RPM.
This is a VERY aggressive machine ca-
pable of removing a lot of material in a
hurry. This much abrasive action gener-
ates a lot of heat. It takes a light touch to
prevent digging the pad too far into the
work piece and to prevent overheating of
the pad or the work piece.
I find it ideal for rough shaping wood such
as carving a chair seat for example. In
furniture designs where I want to instill an
Oriental feel, I often will curve the under
sides of top or shelf components, a proc-
ess I refer to as “boating.” The curves
are more abrupt (have a smaller radius)
at the outer edges and be-
come softer (have longer ra-
diuses) towards the center.
Such complex curves can be
roughed out easily and
quickly with the RAS sander
and then finished with one of
the less aggressive sanders
we will discuss later on.
The RAS sander is also very
handy for removing paints,
rust or surface contaminants
as long as you keep in mind
just how much heat doing so can gener-
ate. You don’t want to burn the work
piece nor do you want to burn and ruin
the pad.
Brush can be rotated
To Next Page
Loading...
