Sanding kills grain?

[AJB Temple]

Don't worry about upsetting people. We all have Rhino skins. Dr Bob uses Rhino scrotum (dried and pressed) for his very high pitched kitchens.

In my experience, collection bags on most tools are useless. ROS that use sanding discs with holes punched in are less effective than Abranet and the dust collection is a lot less effective. Try some abranet and hook your shop vac up during sanding. It won't be as good as using a Mirka or Festool, but it will be a lot better.

I agree with Phil, I save the very fine grits for flatting when finishing. I occasionally still make guitars, and if I am making a solid top with super fancy wood, birds eye maple for example, I am looking for perfection and super high gloss. This is done with super fine Mirka denibbing foam pads (these days) and finally pastes (similar to autosol).

You really do need to wipe your surfaces down, raise the grain and reflat. Scrapers (as Mike I think suggested) are also great - you get a kind of burnishing effect. There is a knack to using them and to keeping them sharp. You can make your own.

Keep trying. Keep asking for advice. I've been doing woodwork all my life and I still ask for advice - none of us knows everything. It's a great resource here with some very clued up people. You will quickly learn who is who.

 

[Lons]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC45Cb-p89I

Don't think he says anything vastly different to whats been said here.

Interesting video, thanks for posting that.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If I ever passed a broken window I used to look for shards with nice clean, gentle curves and put them away - they make wonderfully sharp scrapers but they don't last long.

 

[Lons]

If I ever passed a broken window I used to look for shards with nice clean, gentle curves and put them away - they make wonderfully sharp scrapers but they don't last long.

If you have a couple of those in your pocket and get pulled by Mr plod you'll have some explaining to do these days Phil. #-o

 

[Trevanion]

There are many ways to skin a cat, don't ask me how I know that... but there are just as many ways to sand!

I say the technique really has a lot to do with what you're making as there really isn't one be-all-end-all method that works for everything or every material you're using. I for example never go above 100 grit on external joinery like doors and windows whether it's being painted or not, there's simply no gain to be had from going higher with the coatings or paint that get applied. If if I'm making a piece of furniture (which is rare!) I like to go up to 180, wet it down with a very slightly damp cloth to raise the grain and sand it further again with 180 and repeat with the rag until the grain stops raising, then sand to 320. I do the same technique with staircase handrails to get them very smooth as that's the bit everyone touches, so it should be perfect.

I once sanded a piece of wood (Teak if I remember correctly) up to 3000 grit for a bit of experimentation, it was lovely and buttery smooth. And then I put on some sanding sealer on it and it was almost like it had gone straight back to 80 grit :lol:

 

[scooby]

I once sanded a piece of wood (Teak if I remember correctly) up to 3000 grit for a bit of experimentation, it was lovely and buttery smooth. And then I put on some sanding sealer on it and it was almost like it had gone straight back to 80 grit :lol:

Sorry, but I had a genuine laugh out loud method there. :mrgreen:

 

[scooby]

In my experience, collection bags on most tools are useless. ROS that use sanding discs with holes punched in are less effective than Abranet and the dust collection is a lot less effective. Try some abranet and hook your shop vac up during sanding. It won't be as good as using a Mirka or Festool, but it will be a lot better.

Slightly off topic for a moment. My dad bought a Mirka Deros last year, initial thought was he'd gone a bit mental and I did enjoy questioning his sanity for a while..until it turned it. Probably one of the nicest power tools I've used, I've sort of permanently borrowed it.
I agree with Mike, I mainly use oak and ash and stop at 240. Going any higher doesn't seem to achieve anything. On the odd occasion when using tighter grained timber..maybe 320.

 

[HomeyJay]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC45Cb-p89I

Don't think he says anything vastly different to whats been said here.

Thanks so much for this video - this is EXACTLY what I’ve found and I thought I was going crazy seeing a fairly large difference!
Unfortunately my planing skills are nowhere near good enough yet to handle a whole project but I’ll keep trying and learning!
Can anyone recommend and good guides or source of tips?

 

[Racers]

On oak I handplane then wipe on danish oil with a scotchbrite pad for the first couple of coats, it leaves a very nice smooth feeling finish.

Pete

 

[That would work]

I don't know what timber you are using but, do you use a cabinet scraper? An effective way of finishing hardwoods is to fine sand and THEN use a really finely sharpened cabinet scraper very lightly which will 'clear' the surface of any any minor scratches/swirl marks. After this you can use a very fine paper (even 1000 grit!)and finally just the cork block or the back (paper side) of abrasive to burnish the surface of the timber. Once you get to this stage any finishing becomes much easier.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Don't forget that for some finishes e.g. Osmo PolyX they recommend not going beyond 180g - 240g anyway.