As Cheese mentioned you will probably still need to use a hand sander even if you have put your pieces through a big drum sander. Drum sanders can sometimes leave a series of "lines" in the piece that need to be smoothed out. Even if they come out perfectly, they likely won't be smooth enough and need to be sanded some more.
The Rotex sanders have a steep learning curve even in random orbit mode. They are not a perfect finish sander. Can you get a great surface finish from them? Yes, but it requires great attention to your technique. It doesn't take much to mess up.
You might want to consider adding a half sheet sander to your stable. The RS2 is one option. It does a great job of keeping things flat by its very nature. Even then I like to finish with a random orbit sander.
I have an ETS150/3. I used to think that it was not possible to create a better sander. It was and is a joy to use. However, once I bought the ETS EC series, I honestly have not touched it since.
Personally I would only suggest the stationary sander if you were churning out a significant about of end grain cutting boards or tons of shop sawn veneer were a part of your process. Or if you had to clean up a bunch of intricate cnc produced parts. Even then I'd hold out for a wide belt machine. Most hobbyists don't have the deep pockets or the required power to run a wide belt.
Ron
Thanks for the reply. I’m still overall new to this hobby and building my collection. Your exactly right about the RO150 and I have had mixed results in the year I’ve been doing this through my learning curve. Sometimes excellent results, sometimes not.
Some of that(in my mind) is my inexperience, my process(or lack of) and my lack of knowledge about having/using the proper tool.
I’m trying to buy good equipment (festool, Powermatic etc and I’m not wanting to get into a discussion about which brand is good/bad). I was an hourly factory worker so budget is a concern but I’m willing to pay what it takes for the most part. A wide belt is a good example of that .
If if purchase the helical head planer & jointer I may not even need a stationary sander at this point, or ever?
I’ll look at the ETS EC(what’s the EC?)150/3. My understanding is the 3mm stroke will give me a better finish than 5mm? I assume my Granat paper will be the same as I use on the Rotex, so no duplication.
Thanks Max