Tip #5
Everything you need to know about Sanding!
Click here for a printer friendly version of Tip

The mere mention of the word “sanding” makes most woodworkers cringe at one time or another, as they envision hours of intense labor, preparing their projects for the finish.

But even though sanding may not be “a barrel-full of fun”, any woodworker who's been at it for long knows full well that a good job of sanding will make the difference between a professional-looking project and one that you'd rather hide in a dark corner where no one will see it.

The terms “sanding” and “sandpaper” originated long ago, when ordinary sand or dust from bricks and stone where used to smooth and polish wood surfaces prior to finishing. In those days...long before the advent of modern abrasive materials and powered sanding machines...this was tedious work.

Today, powered sanding machines have eliminated most of that work and the most difficult part of the job is often deciding which type and grade of abrasives to use and which of the powered machines is best suited for the job at hand. Once you know the answers to these questions, you'll discover that twenty-first century sanding isn't as difficult as you may have imagined.

Continue to Where do you begin?