Milwaukee 2648-20 RO sander problem

[jhendric]

Folks, my newest Milwaukee tool is the sander mentioned in the title. I bought this sander specifically to help with an overhead sanding job. The first one I had I dropped 4' off my scaffold, when I stater using it again it spun like a grinder, worked as normal when it was in contact with the wood surface but the spinning caused swirls when I made first contact. So, I returned it under warranty and got a new one. The new one worked fine for maybe 2 hours of use, then developed the same problem...spins like a grinder. I'm planning to return this one today.

This seems to be a clear problem with this tool, am I alone in experiencing this problem? Should I exchange the sander and keep hoping the next one will be good or should I go a different direction? I'm leaning towards #2 but don't want to go too far down a new battery path, maybe a corded Bosch?

 

[dnschmidt]

All electric sanders have a mechanism for preventing free spinning of the pad. Porter Cable used an O-ring you had to change out from time to time, DeWalt uses a plastic ring that contacts the back of the sanding pad. Bosch has a similar arrangement as does Milwaukee. Here's a video showing the part you need and how to install it.

You had to be using this thing continuously for hours to wear this part out. Oddly, air powered sanders do not require this brake. Here is the part number: 44-52-0970.

 

[jhendric]

Thanks dnschmidt, the symptoms in that video are exactly what I'm experiencing. I wonder if I got two sanders from a bad batch with defective brakes. Sander #2 was used maybe 2 hours, probably less.