Mac
With some of the woods I use I may start sanding at 180 or as low as 40. In
fact for some of the really spalted stuff, the last "cuts" are likely 40
grit. It is a pleasure to take a shear scraper to a piece of really nice dry
maple and have a surface that only requires a bit of 120 or 180 before
settling down to the fine grits, but it seldom happens. Cross grain is
likely to pull or tear and who knows what burl will do? Ken Bullock
habitually starts to sharpen with 40 or 60 grit and he has turned and sanded
thousands of bowls. I guess my philosophy of sanding is to sand with as
coarse a paper as needed to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as
possible. Then I get to turn the next one :-)

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God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS Canada
www.aroundthewoods.com