But you'll get better results with far less effort if you use a sanding block. The block distributes sanding pressure more evenly and maintains a flatter surface. A block also lets you bear down harder. You can make a sanding block by cutting a small square of rigid foam or gluing a thin layer of cork to a wood block.
The Golden Rule of Sanding
The golden rule for choosing your sequence is to never skip more than 1 grit. For example, if you start with P80, and need to finish at P240, rather than using every grit from P80 – P220, you can do P80 – P120 – P180 – P240.
To sand wood, scribble a line using a pencil across the surface. Using a coarse 60 or 80-grit sandpaper and a sanding block or power sander, rub it in the direction of the wood grain until the line has disappeared. Repeat this process using 120 and 180-grit sandpaper. Remove the dust with a tack cloth or vacuum.
What's the difference between the two? Wet sanding, which is sanding with the addition of water to act as a lubricant, is less abrasive than dry sanding, and results in a smoother finish. It's best to wet-sand the final finish of a project. Dry sanding removes more material, and smooths rough material quickly.
Firstly, a final hand sand before finishing will always give a better finish than ending with a power sander as, no matter how fine a grit you use, there will always be scratch marks left by the power tool. You can also fine tune spots that may need extra care, which could be too small for a power sander.
Random Orbital Sander
This is a heavier-duty tool that works best with a steady supply of power from a cord. A good example: This sander from DeWalt. Because it works faster and cleaner than a palm sander, it's better for smooth, flat surfaces like tabletops and stair treads.
To sand wood, scribble a light pencil line on the wood. Rub 60-grit sandpaper against the wood in the direction of the grain until the pencil line is gone. Repeat with 80 grit, 120 grit, and 180 grit sandpapers, working your way from lowest to highest grit. Then remove the sawdust with a vacuum.
Safety Rules
Don't wear loose clothing or gloves, keep long hair tied back. • Never adjust Sander or setup while Sander is running. • Never remove guard unless authorized by Technician or WRL Manager • Setups requiring anything other than the standard sander equipment must be approved by supervisor.
Avoid pushing down with too much pressure on the sander.
Intuitively, it seems like that could make the sanding process go more quickly. However, doing this can cause issues like swirls, cut-through, uneven sanding and other problems, such as excess heat and loading.
You want to start with a more abrasive grit and then use successively finer grits. The first grit is meant to take off any finish, the next is to smooth out the pattern of the first grit, and the final grit is meant to smooth out any remaining sander marks and provide the finishing touches.
It's best to use a backing pad when wet sanding to achieve a uniform finish. Instead of using small circles as you would with dry sanding, wet sand in a straight line, first horizontally and then vertically.
Wet and dry sanding accomplish the same goal of removing material to produce a smoother surface. However, wet sanding takes a lot longer and produces a surface even smoother than the one achieved by dry sanding. There are further variations. Water is used in wet sanding but not in dry sanding.
Sanding pads should be positioned flat on the surface of your project. If you apply pressure to one edge of the sanding surface, you will get swirl marks. The surface will also be uneven. The best way to prevent this is to grip low on the sander.
With the exception of there being a lot of dust and dirt in the air when you're doing your finishing, the main cause, by far, of rough-feeling results is not sanding the first coat smooth. The first coat, called the “sealer” coat, of any finish raises the grain of the wood and locks it in place.
Wet sanding helps to prevent surface scratches and is used to provide a smooth, even finish after dry sanding. Wet sanding is a sanding process that uses water or another liquid as lubrication to wash away grit particles.
Don't press down on the sander very hard at all; only press down hard enough so that it stays flat on the surface. Pressing down too hard can cause those dreaded swirl marks, as well as cause unevenness in the wood.
Summary. If your house has a lot of hardwood flooring, sanding can be a big job – taking several days to complete properly. Even with good preparation, you should budget each room taking you 1-2 days to complete at the fastest.
Sanding a piece of furniture shouldn't take more than 5 minutes. When you picture yourself sanding a furniture piece, you might envision yourself sanding away with a small piece of sander for hours to get every bit of old stain or paint.
Hand-Held Sanding Tool: A hand-held sanding tool, such as a belt sander or orbital sander, is a great alternative to a square sanding machine. These tools are lightweight and easy to maneuver, making them ideal for sanding decking.
Move in back-and-forth strokes with the grain if you are using a sheet or detail sander. For random orbit sanders, work in long, smooth strokes with the grain. You can also work with strokes against the grain or you can even sand in small circular motions with a random orbit sander.
Whereas sanders are used to alter the finish of wood, a wood planer is used to even out wood to an exact thickness. Planers produce boards of even thickness. With a planer you can take several irregular pieces of wood and level them all to the same even thickness.