Sanding Cheat Sheet ⋆ Carl Ford Studio Woodturner

I really hate to sand! I try to avoid it like Covid-19. Thus it seems ironic that I have written a dozen blog entries on sanding.

Here is a cheat sheet for my students that sort of ties all of my sanding blog entries together.

Wet Wood?

Is the wood wet? i.e. something you turned out of a fresh log?

If wet wood then friction dry with Siasoft. Then power sand with Autonet.

See my “Sanding Wet Wood” blog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2020/03/sanding-wet-wood/

Already Finished?

Does the piece already have a coat of finish like polythene or lacquer on it?

Then sand with Abralon. See my “Abralon Sanding Pads” blog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2020/03/abralon-sanding-pads/

Spindle Turning?

Is the piece something with the grain running parallel to bed of the lathe and less than 4″ in diameter? i.e. like a table leg or stair baluster?

Use Red Siasoft.

1. Protect any fine details with 2 layers of masking tape.

2. Hand sand everything else with Red Siasoft sandpaper.

See my “Red Siasoft Sandpaper” blog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2020/03/red-siasoft-sandpaper/

3. Remove any masking tape from any fine details.

4. Sand the fine details with small chunks of old fashion sandpaper.

See my Klingspor Sandpaper Rolls” bog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2019/12/klingspor-sandpaper-rolls/

5. Burnish or buff the raw wood with synthetic steel wool and then a blue towel.

See my “Nylon Mesh Sanding Rolls (aka Synthetic Steel Wool)” blog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2019/09/nylon-mesh/

6. Apply your favorite finish.

For small items like Bottle Stoppers, etc I like quick finishes like “Howard Feed-N-Wax” from local food store or “Hut Crystal Coat” from Amazon, etc.

For everything else I like Polyurethane.

See my “Great Polyurethane Finishes” blog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2013/01/great-polyurethane-finishes-demo/

Bowl or Hollow Form (Faceplate Turning)?

If the wood is wet. See “Wet Wood?” above.

If the wood is dry then power sand with Blue Flex sanding disks or Autonet. I usually go with Blue Flex disks because they are cheaper.

1. Protect any fine details with 2 layers of masking tape.

2. Power sand everything else with Blue Flex disks.

See my “Blue Flex Sanding Disks” blog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2014/11/blue-flex-sanding-disks/