Mirka Autonet sandpaper works great on dry or wet wood. It really excels at sanding wet wood.

Wet Wood

Old school wisdom says you can’t sand wet wood. i.e. something you turned out of a fresh log. You have to wait for the wood to dry out, then sand it.

If you try to sand with old school PAPER backed sandpaper the wood turns to mush and almost immediately clogs your sandpaper. You can’t wash off paper backed sandpaper with water. The paper just turns to mush.

Red Siasoft and Mirka Autonet are game changers. When I want to sand wet wood I normally start off with some Red Siasoft sandpaper to friction dry the wood and then switch to Mirka Autonet. See my “Sanding Wet Wood” blog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2020/03/sanding-wet-wood/

Dry Wood

Autonet also works good on dry wood. But, the discs cost to much. Thus I normally use cheaper “Blue Flex Sanding Discs” on dry wood. See my “Blue Flex Sanding Discs” blog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2014/11/blue-flex-sanding-disks/

However, if I had to live with one and only one sandpaper it would be Mirka Autonet.

Purchase Mirka Autonet from Buff Daddy

Currently (3/20/2020) my cheap source for Mirka Autonet is “Buff Daddy” http://www.buffdaddy.com/

Mirka is the name of the company. Autonet is the name of the product. Mirka Autonet Mesh Discs are the auto version of Mirka Abranet Mesh Discs for woodworking. I can’t tell the difference between the products. Except for the price. 3″ Autonet disks are $0.57 each for 50 disks. 3″ Abranet disks are $0.64 each for 50 disks. All prices on 3/20/2020.

Note: When ordering things keep in mind that Mirka ships 50 discs per box.

Autonet is suppose to be tougher than Abranet. Autonet is cheaper and tougher than Abranet. It’s a no brainer!

Mirka ONLY makes 3″ and 6″ Autonet discs. No 2″ Autonet discs. You can get 2″ Abranet discs from other sources for big bucks.

Note: WoodturnersWonders sells a similar product called “Wonder Weave”. 3″ discs are $0.25 each. Its cheaper, but I like Autonet better. Your mileage may vary. You can get Wonder Weave in 2″, 3″, 5″ and 6″ discs.

A Pad Protector or Interface Pad is REQUIRED!

Beware! You MUST use Autonet or AbraNet disks on top of a Mirka “Pad Protector” or “Interface Pad”. If you attach an Autonet or AbraNet disc directly to your sanding mandrel the velcro on the mandrel will not last more than a minute or two.

I like the 3/8″ thick interface pads.

Back Up Pads

Updated: 2/6/2023. I like Sanding Backup Pads (mandrels) that are thin, low profile and HARD.

I don't like thicker pads. Low profile pads are better at getting into the tight space between headstock and bowl.

I now make my own backup pads. See my Carl’s Sanding Backup Pads blog entry.

Handy Sandpaper

I store my Mirka Autonet sandpaper on a sanding board ready to go.

1/8″ plywood with velcro from local hardware store. One pad protector or interface pad for each grit. See photo and my “Handy Sandpaper” blog entry.  https://carlford.us/blog/2015/01/handy-sandpaper-2/