How finely do you sand?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lignum

Termite:) You are absoulutly correct in your assesment. And so is Bob. I find people going up in grits because they are to lazy to sand corectly in the first place. Put a finish over 150# and it looks terrible so go to 600# and it looks ten times better. If they sand with patience and do it corectly in the first place, they would be surprised just how good 150# will look:)

---

I'm sensing the need for a sanding and a finishing "masterclass" here!

Graeme from (Ex-Woodpeckers) put on a paid router course late last year; I'm wondering if there might be enough forum interest to get together a group of members here in Melbourne to pay someone for one or more tutorials on sanding and/or finishing techniques? I'd be game for such!

Perhaps a PM if anyone's keen?

Steve:) No such thing as a dopey question:D The way i described my way of doing a simple process like sanding to Wendy gives me a really nice blemish free finish just going to 150#


One day when you are bored, get a couple of meter length pieces and plane/scrape and 600/800/1200 one, and sand from 80# all the way up to 1200# on the other. Divide each stage as you go and mark with a pencil or scribe in between and on the back write which is which. Then polish it up as good as you can possibly can and then use that as a reference for the future.

I can tell you how and why i do it and Fred Blogs will tell you his best surefire way. Every one has a different sanding technique that will alter the outcome using the same method. Your test piece will tel YOU exactly what stage you should be looking at when the cut off point arrives:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lignum

Steve:) No such thing as a dopey question:D The way i described my way of doing a simple process like sanding to Wendy gives me a really nice blemish free finish just going to 150#


One day when you are bored, get a couple of meter length pieces and plane/scrape and 600/800/1200 one, and sand from 80# all the way up to 1200# on the other. Divide each stage as you go and mark with a pencil or scribe in between and on the back write which is which. Then polish it up as good as you can possibly can and then use that as a reference for the future.

I can tell you how and why i do it and Fred Blogs will tell you his best surefire way. Every one has a different sanding technique that will alter the outcome using the same method. Your test piece will tel YOU exactly what stage you should be looking at when the cut off point arrives:)

---

Thanks for that Lignum:)

Will do - and with a few of my favourite woods like Redgum, Jarrah, Blackwood - and rack them on the shed's wall.

It's funny - that's exactly what I do with various finishes - quite why it hadn't occurred for the underlying preparatory stages...:confused:

I just want to add one other comment on this to my previous one.

End Grain: I sand this to at least 1500. I then use a wash coat of shellac on it. This is especially useful when using oils. You get a nice even absorption without the end grain being muddy. In fact the end grain will look quite nice.

Impossible to answer without writing a book. In short it depends on the project. Somethings are fine without any sanding what so ever; fence post tops that I used to make. Others are buffed to with very fine buffing compound to a mirror finish (12" finish); smaller projects that are rarely over 12" in size. Even with furniture it depends on what I'm trying to achieve. Some pieces have had no sanding, others I've sanded to 80 grit and then beat the hell out of them. Other projects, usually the reproduction furniture, I'll use a high quality 3M paper that is rated at 240 grit but feels more like 400 grit and then finish off with 0000 steel wool.... What I sand to depends on what I plan to use as a finish also.

So why don't we write a book?????

We have the Finishing Bible, why not a Sanding Bible??? or, utilise the Best of the Best forum and get a thread there on sanding??

Just throwing some ideas into the pot....

cheers

Wendy