Detail sander or do it by hand?

[Calv]

If i'm working on lots of pieces of wood and it can get a bit taxing on the ole hands useing ordinary sandpaper, are those detail or palm sanders any good? Do they use up paper just as fast as normal sheets that i use or are those traingular pads that fit on them more robust? This is a difficult one for me because although i'm no master woodworker or anything, i love the feel of the texture of the wood as i go along, and i need to feel the wood with my own hands and fingers to know that i am getting it to a standard that i want. I'm sure you'll be able to appreciate that with a sander you can't feel all the minute imperfections that you can with your fingers. I'm just wondering if i could use a sander for the initial stages then finish the smoother stuff by hand and save myself some work and time?

Any suggestions?

Calv.

 

[Midnight]

Like any tool, detail sanders have their good and bad sides; they're cheap, pretty effective, handy for nuiks and crannies.. down side is they're pretty slow, loud and their vibes can seriously irritate your tendons.. DAMHIKT..

A better solution for you may be to use a card scraper. Because they use a cutting action rather than abrading the surface, your surface quality will be far higher, they're way cheaper than any power tool although they need some time invested to get the hang of tuning them...

 

[Calv]

Thanks for that.......sorry to sound thick (once again) but a card scraper is?

Calv.

 

[Chris Knight]

Calv,

Buy a simple card type scraper and learn to use it. Save a fortune on sandpaper too. (Only works on hardwood - no use for B&Qrap).

 

[Alf]

Thanks for that.......sorry to sound thick (once again) but a card scraper is?

Like these. You might find this link helpful too. But really it depends on what you're working on to a certain extent. Softwood doesn't respond well to scraping (as Chris colourfully mentions...) , and small pieces are a bit of a bind too. What's the job? Maybe we can get more specific in our advice.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Midnight]

Thanks for that.......sorry to sound thick (once again) but a card scraper is?

one of these...
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/wvt088.asp

 

[Anonymous]

Calv, I hand sand detaisl and love it. Try the 3M paper, it lasts at least 3 times as long as the usual stuff. Comes in three colours, purple, green and yellow

 

[Alf]

Calv, I hand sand detaisl and love it.

Tony, I'm starting to worry about your family. Your sprog likes cleaning the workshop and sharpening, you love hand sanding... You'll be saying next your SWMBO begs to go to woodworking shows... :lol:

Comes in three colours, purple, green and yellow

Choice based on which goes with the workshop decor? :wink:

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

Calv, I hand sand detaisl and love it.

Tony, I'm starting to worry about your family. Your sprog likes cleaning the workshop and sharpening, you love hand sanding... You'll be saying next your SWMBO begs to go to woodworking shows... :lol:

Comes in three colours, purple, green and yellow

Choice based on which goes with the workshop decor? :wink:

Cheers, Alf

Should have typed more but rushing

Green is course at 60 or 80 grit
Purple is medium at 120 or 180 grit
Yellow is find at 280 and 320 grit

It is called SandBlaster and is unbelievably better than your average cheapo sandpaper. Costs a bit more but well worth it as it lasts for absolutely ages

Mrs T would rather be boiled in oil than go to a wood working show with me (now there's a thought :lol: ), but I am hoping to get her to come along to Good Timber pretty soon :wink:

Should add that I have never visited a woodworking show myself yet either :?

I find final hand sanding is quite therapeutic and I love to actually feel the wood under he paper - you have some control which is lacking from an aggressive machine :wink: