Switched from sanding blocks to a festool rotex last month for face frames

I used to spend 20 minutes per frame sanding by hand and still getting uneven spots now I knock them out in 8 minutes flat. Has anyone else made a tool upgrade that cut their time that hard?

2 comments

2 Comments

victorclark2d ago

Drew_west I hear you on the control thing, I really do. I burnt through a maple face frame my second week with the Rotex because I got too aggressive with the speed. But I started using a 220 grit pad and a light touch on the orbital setting, now I get zero swirls and the finish is honestly smoother than anything I got with a block. The time savings add up fast when you are doing five kitchens a month like I am right now. Have you ever tried the Rotex on a scrap piece with a finer grit just to see if you could dial in the technique?

drew_west2d ago

Honestly, I think you might be overcomplicating things with a $600 sander. Hand sanding with a good block and 120 grit gives me way more control on face frames, and I never worry about sanding through veneer or leaving swirl marks. Ngl, eight minutes saved isn't worth the risk of messing up a $300 piece of plywood.