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About This Project
I know, you’re probably thinking, “Yuck, I hate sanding.” But the truth is that with top-quality sandpaper and a few special tools, sanding by hand can be made a lot more pleasant. Sure, hand-sanding is a little slower than power sanding. But it’s quieter and doesn’t spew dust all over the place. And besides, there are some places that you can’t reach with power sanders. In this article, we’ll tell you how to choose the best type of sandpaper for the job and show you some of our favorite hand-sanding tools.
Choose three grits
When you sand, you’re scraping away material from the surface to remove imperfections or to shape and contour edges. The goal is to start with the sand-paper that’s just coarse enough to remove the worst defects easily. Starting with sandpaper that’s too coarse will mean extra sanding later with finer-grit papers to remove the deep scratches left by the coarse grit. On the other hand, if you start with sandpaper that’s too fine, it’ll take forever to sand out defects. In most cases, 80-grit paper is a good starting point for sanding planed or shaped wood. Start with 100-grit if the wood is already smooth with no deep scratches, planer marks or other surface defects.
Both 80- and 100-grit leave a network of fine scratches behind, so the next step is to sand with a little finer grit. This replaces the scratches with smaller, less visible ones. If you started with 80-grit paper, skip to 120-grit paper, or if 100 then to 150. Finally, sand with 220-grit sandpaper. For most types of wood, this is the finest grit you’ll need. Wood with very dense grain, like ebony, may require one additional sanding step with 320- or 400-grit paper to eliminate visible scratches. Here are the two grit progressions we recommend: 80/120/220 and 100/150/220.
Use a sanding block for flat surfaces
It’s tempting to just fold a piece of sandpaper and go to work. 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. Or you can buy a simple rubber sanding block for about $6 at almost any hardware store, paint store or home center. But for the ultimate in hand-sanding convenience and efficiency, consider ordering a sanding block like the one we show here. Its shape conforms comfortably to your hand, and the well-designed clamps make it easy to install quarter sheets of sandpaper.
The biggest mistake I see people make when they’re using a sanding block is failing to change paper often enough. To encourage more frequent changing, use a straightedge and utility knife to cut to size a bunch of paper sheets in each of the grits you’ll be using. With exact-size sheets on hand, it’ll be easy to change the paper often—as soon as you notice it isn’t cutting efficiently.
In general, it’s best to sand with the grain of the wood, especially for the final grits. But to remove deep scratches and stains, it’s OK to angle across the grain, up to about 45 degrees for the initial sanding. This goes contrary to popular opinion, but it’s a good method to remove material quickly. But before switching to the next finer grit, sand with the grain to remove all cross-grain scratches.
Time-Shaver Tools Inc.: (877) 736-3729. www.timeshavertools.com. Preppin’ Weapon, $20 plus shipping.
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