Questions tagged [sanding]

Using abrasives to smooth or shape wood. Techniques, recommendations

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Why are there hole-less as well as holed sanding discs?

The 3M Cubitron 775L is sold in two varieties - with and without holes. The size, price, and grain being the same, why would anybody want a hole-less sanding disc? These discs are specifically ...
Martin Drozdik's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
104 views

How do I get a smooth finish on heavily weathered wood?

I have a cedar porch swing that has been left to the elements for many years and is heavily weathered where the wood has grooves along the grain pattern. I'd like to restore this to a smooth finish, ...
JohnFx's user avatar
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3 answers
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Why didn't sanding get these scratches out?

I'm sanding a piece of white oak (originally flooring, if that matters, although this isn't for use as flooring). I have done this in what I think is the correct way: starting with 120 grit, then 220, ...
Joshua Frank's user avatar
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Grinding down my endmill/drill/rotary bit's shank

I have another router with a 1/4" collet. I want to be able to use my 3/8" shank CNC endmill on it. So I'm thinking of grinding the shank to 1/4". Here's how I'm gonna do it: I'll put ...
Tempus Nomen's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
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Is it possible to smooth over sides of re-finished area?

This will be a very basic question, but I'm not sure I trust Googled results. For example, there is a suggestion that I "feather out" polyurethane finish; my experience tells me that it is ...
user1334767's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
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Applying stain after sanding off first coat of polyurethane

We refurbished an old family table. We did the whole process of sanding and now have finally applied the stain (1 coat of Provinal) and applied the first coat of polyurethane. After we applied it we ...
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1 vote
1 answer
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Sanding direction before staining

When sanding before applying a stain, I understand that it is important to sand parallel to the grain, because sanding across the grain will make scratches that will stand out. Is it also important to ...
bwroga's user avatar
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Looking for additional tips for applying waterbased stain on dining table prior to epoxy coating

Having problems with a staining project and after looking through some other examples on this site found what I thought was some good info in the answer ( How to correct water based stain dried ...
dissonant's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
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Not leave scratches in poly to begin with?

I see many, many threads about fixing scratches in poly. And the directions on most finishes is to sand with fine (220) before applying the next coat of finish. How do I not leave scratches with the ...
Tim's user avatar
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Why does sanding make my patterned plywood project look dull?

Below is a pattern plywood cutting board I am making. I have observed through multiple projects that after sanding the surface becomes dull in tone and the layers of the plywood lack definition and ...
Matthew's user avatar
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light sanding of poly coated gel stain removes gel stain?

I bought a Jarvis/Fully bamboo desktop and am trying to darken the finish. To do this, I started on the bottom of the desktop and tried out the steps on a small portion by: first sanding away the ...
Chris Morris's user avatar
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Why do they sand pine plywood

Why is pine plywood known as "sanded"? To my touch, it doesn't feel any more sanded than other species of plywood veneers. And in any case, what would be the benefit of sanding plywood at ...
Wynne's user avatar
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1 answer
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Why won't stripper remove the finish on this bamboo desktop (from Fully/Jarvis company)?

I bought a Jarvis/Fully bamboo desktop and am trying to darken the finish. To do this, I first want to remove the existing finish. But I am having issues with doing so. Note: pictures are at the ...
Chris Morris's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
482 views

Blotchy finish on Walnut table refinished with Danish Oil

I have a walnut table from Room and Board that I love, but after ten years it was quite scratched up and the finish was lifting in places. I have never done this before, but after not being able to ...
Michael Mullany's user avatar
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2 answers
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Sanding with lathe turning

When sanding with the lathe turning, should speed be increased as finer grit is used? What speeds should be used for sanding according to grit being used?
Rex Wilson 's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
118 views

How to eliminate waviness/ridges on 4" belt-sanded desktop?

I'm making a desk for my son using hard birdseye maple as the material for the top. I've never worked with birdseye specifically before, but I've used hard maple in other projects. The top is 32" ...
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How to smooth wood that is splintering due to uneven hardness?

I would like to sand this surface to be safe and comfy to touch: I am using a Delta sander with grits: 60, 120, 180, 240, 320 with various speeds and applying various amounts of pressure, but it seems ...
Martin Drozdik's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
181 views

Saving a sandbox - absolute beginner questions

In 2020 my father-in-law made a sandbox for our daughter. In 2021 he passed away, so this has become an important item to us to remember him by. However, he made some mistakes in building it. For one, ...
Alan Jones's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
263 views

Refinishing a scratched mahogany veneer vanity

I am new to refinishing and slowly working on some pieces of furniture. I am currently refinishing a vintage vanity comprised of mahogany veneer. I now have a bunch of scratch marks in the veneer that ...
IB62's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Can you use PVC pipe for drum sander?

I'm considering building an 18" drum sander which will be used for hardwoods (making another chess board). I was considering using some 3.5" PVC pipe and gluing some 60 grit sandpaper to ...
user2766918's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
388 views

Should I sand after applying oil-based stain to walnut countertop material?

Here is an Imgur album containing info on the oil-based stain instructions for the stain that I am using: It specifically says: Do NOT sand between coats. I'm reading an article on Home Depot's ...
Naftuli Kay's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
373 views

Can you do a wet sand with a sanding machine?

I'm interested in using Danish oil. One of the approaches I have seen is to apply the first coat, let it dry and then use 600 grit sandpaper that you wet with the Danish oil for the second and third ...
Neil Meyer's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
217 views

Sanding woods of different hardnesses perfectly flat

I'm making a chess board from jatoba and maple. I made a mistake in my planning stage, and mis-interpretted the max width of my planer. As such, the board top is now just a bit to wide to go through,...
user2766918's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
188 views

How to smooth out an inside cut?

I found this image online (https://www.tattootribes.com/multimedia/110/Ilaria-BE-heart-tattoo.jpg) that I have traced onto a piece of oak about 1 3/8" thick. I used a bandsaw to carve the outside ...
BVernon's user avatar
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2 answers
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Method to remove wood sticker stain / discolored area from pine?

I am using some old pine for flooring and want to keep the rustic saw mark appearance on the face. There are 1” wide horizontal stains across the boards left by wood stickers from drying or stacking ...
mike fitz's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
126 views

What's the best process for sanding/finishing reactive stained oak floor with hardwax oil to leave the best surface?

I have raw oak floorboards which are being individually stained and finished before being laid. For context - this is my first time doing anything like this, so apologies for my lack of technical ...
ghostmachine's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
278 views

Good methods for scuffing/sanding ready-built furniture with contours for repainting

FYI - I am in the UK I am wanting to do a few upcycling jobs on pieces of furniture that have some interesting compound curves and details (think of beaded panel doors etc). My goal is to paint them a ...
physicsboy's user avatar
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0 answers
126 views

Sanding & Oiling walnut slab table

I’m making a table out of two thick walnut slabs. My question is in regard to the order of sanding and oiling. I’m working on the underside now and put a coat of Tung oil on, thinking it’s good to put ...
JRudz's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
632 views

Splinters in wheelbarrow handles

I have an old wheelbarrow with wooden handles. It works great, but I keep getting splinters from the handles. Sanding the handles hasn't solved the problem. The surface is too rough. I thought about ...
Craeft's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
696 views

How to remove a heavy wire-brushed finish?

I bought a (solid) 32x70in white oak dining table that has a pretty heavily wire-brushed finish, something like: The crevices extend over 1mm below the surface. It's really quite impractical as food/...
lion's user avatar
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Oil-based polyurethane became cloudy after sanding and wiping with moist cloth [duplicate]

I applied a thick coat of oil poly. Once dry, it looked clear in color. However, it was very rough and uneven, so I sanded heavily. After hours of sanding, I wiped the sawdust off with a moist cloth. ...
Andy Carlson's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
422 views

Sanding residue - how best to remove?

I'm an absolute beginner to woodworking, so apologies if my terminology is wrong/inconsistent. I have been making a dice holder box, and have gone onto the sanding procedure. Using sanding paper with ...
D C's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
125 views

What should I do to restore/un-uglify my wooden shoe cabinet?

I have a wooden shoe cabinet (actually it might have had some other purpose, but that's what it does now), whose side has... well, seen better days: but its top face is in (somewhat) better shape: I ...
einpoklum's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
265 views

High or Low RPM for sanding Epoxy layer on wood?

I have a wooden countertop that I covered with a thin layer of epoxy and, as a beginner, I made a messy job and there are brush strokes on it. Some days ago I started sanding it with a sander with ...
CuriousPaul's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
36 views

Using acrylic paint lettering

Good morning. I am making a charcuterie board and want to use water based acrylic for decorative lettering. All of the sanding has been done. Should I use the mineral oil coating prior to putting on ...
Sam Oglesby's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
956 views

How to smooth out grain texture from shellac?

I sanded the surface to 320 before applying shellac, it was quite smooth to the touch. Unfortunately, right away with the first shellac coat, a grain texture formed, worst in the darkest species. I ...
whatsisname's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
539 views

What grit sandpaper should I use on my drumsander?

What would be the best grit to stock on my drum sander to level and sand end-grain butcherblocks? I would think 36 grit would go fastest but I'm not sure that's the best option. Edit: I have a ...
wizlog's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
458 views

Refinished old door looks awful, nothing like I expected! How to fix?

I had my interior doors dipped a couple years ago and have been gradually staining them (using gel stain and gel varnish). They don't look perfect, but I think they're really pretty (see first two ...
JCK's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
1k views

How to sand out splinters

I am attempting to create a reasonably smooth finish with no burrs or splinters on a softwood 2x4. No matter what I do there are still thin layers of wood that splinter off, especially near some knots....
Tom Auger's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
144 views

Ruggedizing eating table for dough-working operations

I've built this table as well as quickly sanded and lightly stained the top. It works well for a platform to eat from but is mostly unsuitable for preparing food, particular dough kneading (and ...
nate's user avatar
  • 113
0 votes
1 answer
363 views

Would wood conditioner help keep ink from bleeding on wood?

I'm working on (water-based) ink-jet ink transfers to wood by printing images on freezer paper and then rubbing the ink into the wood. I'm using aspen and poplar for this project. The issue I'm having ...
Lokiie1984's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Unremovable white powdery residue after wet sanding wood

I'm new to woodworking and know very little, so apologies if this is an extremely basic question or I'm doing something completely wrong. Recently I've tried to sand away a few imperfections on a ...
Hadi Khan's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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Glueing Together Thin Strips of Already Stained Wood

I have hundreds of 1/4" x 1/4" strips of wood. I would like to stain these a rainbow of different colors. Each strip would be stained a single solid color. Then glue the strips together. ...
Mark's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
668 views

How do I smooth a cross section of a tree?

There are already 2 questions on here that deal with this but they both deal with this at large/massive scale: Smooth tree trunk cross section Flattening the face of a board without using a jointer I'...
Guy's user avatar
  • 295
1 vote
2 answers
454 views

Varnish in contact with skin for outdoor material

I'd like to "re-fresh" a balance bike. According to the constructor, its laminated body is made of Simply superply™. Nothing but hand-picked, grade a veneers bonded with the finest marine ply "WBP"...
Clément's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
4k views

How to avoid sanding belt breakage

I have been having a problem with my sanding belts breaking within a couple of minutes of use. Even the new ones I bought at the store were breaking soon after I started using them. I went through ...
Stephen Daddona's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

In which direction should I sand the ends of a solid wood countertop?

Here is a picture of the right end of the countertop that I hand sanded vertically with 150-grit sandpaper but I don't get a nice finish. I plan to sand it up to 180 grit and apply an oil finish. ...
zedzedz7efzze's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
172 views

Is it dangerous to sandpaper an old wine barrel?

I bought an old wine barrel second-hand. The owners said it was used previously as decoration in a restaurant. I wanted to lighten up the colour so started to use sandpaper on certain parts. It was ...
Eline Absillis's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
390 views

How can I avoid tearout when using a belt sander on pine?

I'm very new to woodworking and am mostly learning from my numerous mistakes. At home, I have two pine boards that sit atop my table and function as a tabletop and also as a work surface for all of my ...
JoshG's user avatar
  • 111
-1 votes
1 answer
695 views

Sanded lightly between coats of minwax. Applied second coat and you can see where I sanded. How can you fix this?

Refinishing a pine table. Applied one coat of minwax wipe on then sanded as told. Applied second coat and sanding marks still showing. Can it be fixed?
Ronnie's user avatar
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