Sanding Tips

Since sanding can be a time consuming task, everyone from the professional carpenter to the weekend fix-it-up neophyte are always on the look out for a few sanding tips. One can not stress enough that choosing the right sandpaper for your project has to be at the top of the list. Coarse is used primarily to remove heavy layers of paint, enamel or varnish from relatively rough surfaces and can leave scratch marks. Medium removes light stock from wood and smooths rougher sanding for finer finishing. Fine and very fine takes this process the rest of the way for a perfect finish, removing sanding scratches to make a surface ready for primer or sealer.

To finish wood smoothly, all sanding tips must start with the golden rule which is to always sand with the grain of the wood. This sanding block tip is especially good for irregular surfaces but can be used anytime. Wrap your sandpaper around a large, soft, pink rubber eraser instead of a block of wood. This provides a little give and is easier on the hands. When working with several small pieces it is recommend that you first tape coarse sandpaper to your worktable. Next, lay the small pieces on the sandpaper. Then with fine sandpaper, sand over the pieces in a back and forth motion. The coarse sandpaper will hold the pieces in place. An awesome tip for sanding into an extremely narrow, crack-like opening, is to wrap a piece of sandpaper around the thin edge of a hand scraper. It reaches easily into tight spaces, and still provides you a surface to grip.

There will be tiny parts, ones that are just too small to hold with your fingers while sanding. Attach your part to a small dowel or wood strip with a tiny amount of hot-glue. When you're finished sanding, place your sanded pieces still attached to the dowel in a freezer for a few minutes then the piece will easily separate from the dowel. Sanding is one of most important steps in woodwork. It is that final sanding that truly determines the appearance of your finished project. Think about these few tips the next time you start your sanding project.