pmspirito

I take two 6 inch diameter peel and stick adhesive (PSA) sanding disks and stick them together for quick hand sanding. They become rather stiff when stuck together and are very sturdy and hold up well. I stick together a 150 and a 220. Or for general carpentry work a 60 and a 150.

If you have never used one of those rubber blocks for cleaning sanding belts and disks you are in for a real treat. They really work and your belts and disks will last a very long time.

Although the new 3M sanding products sold at HD are significantly better than the previous handyman stuff you need to try the sanding products made by Klingspor available on line at www.woodworkingshop.com or at one their 4 stores in North Carolina. Abrasives are their speciality and you can tell the difference.

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Mike

I do the bulk of my sanding using random orbit air sanders.(DA's) I have one I use with under 100 grit, and a newer one I use with 120 and up. These always wear out on the outer radius while the center is barely affected. When I remove them I fold them in half and use them for hand sanding with the benefits pmspirito described.
I ran across an article which changed the way I sand things. It suggested using no finer than 150 grit for finish sanding since this allows for all finishes to adhere properly to the wood. Before I would of sanded to at least 220 with no thought that it could cause the finish to fail prematurely.

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Mike

pmspirito

I just experienced the "too smooth" syndrome on some front porch columns I built up out of 2x pressure treated pine. I used, for the first time, Min-Wax epoxy filler to fill the knots etc. It sands glass smooth. I sanded the columns with 220 which on the PT was ok but on the filler made it too smooth. I was spraying latex primer with a bit of Floetrol added as a retarder. The paint took to the wood perfectly but slid right off the slick epoxy filler. I went back and resanded with 150 and reshot with the same paint mix and it game out great.

A brochure put out by Min-Wax on refinishing floors says: "Sand the floor for a third time with 100 grit sandpaper. If floors are not going to be stained, then follow this sanding with a final sanding using 120 grit sandpaper."

So smoother is not always better. Apparently the stain will not soak in as well if the wood is too smooth.