On 2/2/2010 9:49 PM, Evodawg wrote:

customary leaving that to the finisher. I'm thinking 220 would be ok???

FWIW, I usually sand to 150 on red or white oak with a finish sander,
then do a final pass, lightly and "by hand", with 220 and a sanding
block, just before staining.

This last 220 pass is not really to "sand" as much as it is to "break
edges" slightly and, most importantly, it allows me to go over the
entire piece and do a final check for any problems and to make sure that
the piece is indeed ready for finishing.

Strangely enough, I hate to sand, but get a good deal of enjoyment out
of that last "by hand" pass ... a freshly hand sanded piece can be as
beautiful as the finished piece to my eye (but my color blindness may
have something to do with that).

If there is end grain showing by design, I will generally take that to
220 fairly vigorously, or even 320, before staining as end grain,
particularly on red oak, will soak up stain and be much darker than a face.

IME, you can go to to high a grit on red of white oak oak faces and
burnish the surface, thus you may have problems with penetration of the
stain ... however, that can be desirable in some instances.

Tuppence ...

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