Sanding Wood Projects

 Sanding....for your project success

If you're reading this, I'm sure that you value the importance of the quality, look, and feel of a well-sanded project. So allow me to share some tips and best practices to contribute to your sanding success...1) Orbital sanders = I don't have a large $3K drum sander [but wouldn't that be nice]. As a small-scale woodworker, I manage my projects using a random orbital sander that costs $60-80. I use a "5 inch" that fits five-inch hook and loop paper sanding discs. An orbital sander will be your workhorse and you'll be amazed at the great work you can accomplish with this tool. Applications include removing paint and stain from wood, metal, or plastic, shaping wood, and surface preparation for finishing projects.

2) Don't put too much pressure on your orbital sander! This is not your upper body workout nor the time to lean in. Let your orbital sander do the work. Apply gentle pressure as you follow the grain of the board. Swirling the tool is not necessary. A random orbital sander is named appropriately. Again, let the tool do the work and allow it's random orbital motion to do it's thing as you move along the grain in a straight line.

3) Sandpaper grits = this is an area where the average woodworker can keep things more simple than you may be led to believe. In fact, most of us do not need a lot of different sandpaper grits. Keep in mind that you're goal is to give the wood a clean, even, and scratch-free appearance. You're not trying to make something as smooth as glass, especially if you're painting your project. I have finished some great projects using the following sanding grit progression and workflow:

* 80-grit = this is the go-to grit and where to start for most projects. Pass over your boards several times [remember, gentle pressure] as you begin to take down initial roughness, pits, knots, etc. I will add this point - I don't have a planer so sometimes I'm working with very rough boards as I begin. In some cases, I will drop down to a 60-grit paper on the first couple of passes before jumping to 80-grit. 

* 120-grit = several passes with a finer 120 grit moves you to your next sanding level. After you sand with 120, this is a good point to add wood filler or putty to any knot holes or imperfections in your boards. Make sure your filler is stainable/paintable or otherwise compatible with your plans for your finished project.

* 150/180-grit = either option works well depending on what you have available and how your project is looking and feeling. I believe that sanding beyond 150/180 grit (on most woods) is not worth your time and effort. Especially if you're painting your project, this should be enough sanding.

* Raise the grain  =  thinking ahead, note that using water-based finishes "raises the grain" of the wood. This can actually make your boards rougher than when you sanded at 120-grit. Not the way you want to finish your project! One way to manage around this is to raise the grain yourself. It's as simple as "just add water". All you have to do is spray the grain of the wood with water. A basic spray bottle will do the trick. Try to get it wet all the way around [top, bottom, sides]. Not soaked - just sprayed wet. Once it dries, you'll feel like little stiff hairs have grown on your boards or the wood is kind of prickly. At this point, you've now raised the grain and you are ready to move on to your finish sanding step.

* 220-grit = I will sand at this grit with my final passes if I am staining a project instead of painting. Don't buy in [literally] to the mindset that you have to keeping sanding to 300 and beyond! I have not had to move past 220 to create fantastic results. I'm sure that you don't either.

4) More to come....