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Brush sander

2/1/15       
Larry  Member

Bought a brush sander that hasn't lived up to expectations. I use it for sanding profiled flat work. Very disappointment thought the brushes would take care of the de-burr the edges Not, the grit is 150 but seems as if it is 220 , the process doesn't even remove the router fuzz !! Spent 9000 on the sander and an additional 900 for new brushes. I guess we will just have to cut our losses and move the pc out Any suggestions or solutions.

2/1/15       #2: Brush sander ...
Adam West  Member

Website: http://www.surfprepsanding.com

What type of sander? What brand? Variable speed hubs? I bet I can help you get it working pronto. Pictures?

I worked for Flex Trim for 6 years and Slip-on for two. I have been working with brushes since 1996.

3/8/15       #4: Brush sander ...
David Waldmann

Website: http://vermonthardwoods.com

Based on my experience, "brush sander" is an oxymoron.

Brush type abrasive devices is more accurate, and their place is for dust removal or denibbing only.

The main problem if trying to actually "sand" with them is that the force is too concentrated in a small area, so softer parts of the wood are removed more aggressively and harder parts less so. While subtle, the end result is the same effect as sandblasting.

Proper profile sanding needs to be done with a belt and formed platen, or a solid wheel. The technology to use those devices is much more complex (read: expensive), but you get what you pay for.

BTW, router fuzz is indicative of an upstream problem - not one to be fixed at the sander.

3/8/15       #5: Brush sander ...
Adam West

David,

Many of my customers around the nation would disagree with your assessment. Brushes do, in fact, sand. They cannot remove a lot but the sanding they do can be quite impressive. From your response it seems you have not had a lot of experience with quality brushes running low rpm with proper pressure. Removing knife marks is no small feat and I use brushes for that every day. They will not remove chatter as is deeper than a normal knife mark.

Saying they can only denib or remove is simply inaccurate and easily disproven.

4/25/15       #6: Brush sander ...
Chris Noponen  Member

Website: http://sandersunlimited.com

In my opinion there isn't anything on the market that can touch a Robo-Tech brush machine. The Fladders and Quickwoods of yesterday are outdated and my customers expectations of a high quality finish with minimal labor involved to achieve it are increasing.

1/27/16       #7: Brush sander ...
Jacob Malherbe

Website: http://www.quickwood.com

Please always want to try to find a magical solution and they go with machines like Robo bush machines from Germany at huge cost over machines like the QuickWood machines that has worked in over 600 woodworking shops for the better part of 26 years. Taking a chance on a machine that is double the cost of the QuickWood machine with only marginal similar results is just a huge waist of money and time. Look at the shops close to you that are using a sander and see what their experience is. Its not always the latest shinning object makes economic sense to your shop.

In my opinion there isn't anything on the market that can touch a Robo-Tech brush machine. The Fladders and Quickwoods of yesterday are outdated and my customers expectations of a high quality finish with minimal labor involved to achieve it are increasing. - See more at:

1/27/16       #8: Brush sander ...
Chris Noponen  Member

Website: http://sandersunlimited.com

There’s a reason why they switch manufacturers. The old saying can be true, sometimes and that is you get what you pay for. Being in the service industry for almost 20 years, I have seen a lot of changes in machinery as well as product. So in the 26 years your referring to, I’m guessing there is even more changes.

Having the top 3 kitchen cabinet manufactures in the country as customers, I get to see a wide variety of machines and various machining/finishing processes. I can tell you almost every manufacture has different processes. When I see the bigger kitchen manufactures replacing the Quickwoods and Fladders on the numerous sanding/finishing lines they have with the Robo Tech machines, I tend to take notice. I highly doubt a major company like MasterBrand is going to remove a machine that isn’t capable of achieving the quality of finish they are looking for, and replace it with another manufacture just because it’s new and bright and shiny. Either the machine is past its life expectancy and not economically feasible to repair/rebuild or something better on the market has come out. Most companies are brand loyal. It is only when that brand has provided poor customer service and support as well as poor machine performance, do they jump ship and go elsewhere.

My loyalty is to NO ONE except my customers. I do not get any “kick backs” from the manufactures for recommending them. I don’t want any because then I’m not obligated to push their product just because they’re rewarding me for that recommendation. I will tell you flat out what the pros and cons of each manufacturer are because I’ve been around enough of them to know. Your machine could be the best performing machine on the market, but maybe your customer service sucks. I will let my customer know that and let them make the choice. But on the flip side of that, if your machine performs marginally well, but you have great customer support and have a DETAILED manual with component break down drawings and in ENGLISH, and your machine cost is rather cheap, I will give them my opinion on that as well. I will not tell a customer to go buy a machine just because it’s cheaper, but may marginally perform the same as the higher end machine. There’s a reason why that machine is cheaper!!! Cheaper material used, components, design ect. I will only recommend a manufacture on the following: 1.Performance 2. Customer support and service 3.Overall design of the machine and finally 4.Cost. Other factors do come into play when voicing my opinion like ease of working on the machine, parts availability, ect, but keep in mind, that is just my OPINION. Ultimately it’s up to the one that rights the check to make an informed decision and if you ask me for it, I will tell you. Don’t like what you hear, then don’t ask me.

Personally, I’d rather pay double the cost on something that can perform just as well if not better, but will outlast the competition, is fairly easy to work on, spare wearable parts are readily available, and I get good support from the manufacturer when needed. Cost wise you pay up front, but down the road you’ll make that money back with minimal break downs, ease of getting the equipment back online and the time you spend trying to find tech support for that machine.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some cheaper machines out there that are just as good as the higher end machines, but I think it all goes back to the application, and possibly how long that piece of equipment is going to last.

“Please always want to try to find a magical solution and they go with machines like Robo bush machines from Germany at huge cost over machines like the QuickWood machines that has worked in over 600 woodworking shops for the better part of 26 years. Taking a chance on a machine that is double the cost of the QuickWood machine with only marginal similar results is just a huge waist of money and time. Look at the shops close to you that are using a sander and see what their experience is. Its not always the latest shinning object makes economic sense to your shop.”


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