I'll be refinishing a large dining room table.

What's the best type / make etc. power sander for getting the old finish off
without creating striations in the wood? Obviously, I'd like to keep the
cost down.

Also, what about sand paper grades?

Thanks

"J Antero" wrote in message
link.net...
I'll be refinishing a large dining room table.

What's the best type / make etc. power sander for getting the old finish
off without creating striations in the wood? Obviously, I'd like to keep
the cost down.

Also, what about sand paper grades?

Thanks

1/4 or 1/2 sheet finishing sander. porter cable is a good one.
you might want to strip the old finish off with chemicals instead, which
depends upon what the finish is.

ask in rec.woodworking.

"Charles Spitzer" wrote in message
...

ask in rec.woodworking.


He did. He cross posted, and so did you, and so am I. LOL

J Antero wrote:
I'll be refinishing a large dining room table.

What's the best type / make etc. power sander for getting the old
finish off without creating striations in the wood? Obviously, I'd
like to keep the cost down.

Also, what about sand paper grades?

1. Chemical stripper. Dollars to donuts the table has a lacquer finish
in which case lacquer thinner will do the deed. That and lots of paper
towels. Lacquer thinner can go BOOM in the presence of fire.

2. Scraper

3. Sand if necessary. Any kind of sander other than belt. Grit size
depends on what you are trying to do...40-80 = remove lots fairly fast,
finer on down to 240 or so smooths and/or removes marks from coarser.
OK to skip grades.


--
dadiOH
____________________________

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....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

J Antero wrote:
I'll be refinishing a large dining room table.

What's the best type / make etc. power sander for getting the old finish off
without creating striations in the wood? Obviously, I'd like to keep the
cost down.

Also, what about sand paper grades?

Thanks

I like to take conservative approach when refinishing, using less
abrasive methods before sanding. My philosopy is to do as little
sanding as possible when refinishing. It is as easy to to harm as it
is good especially when using power sanders and coarse grades of paper.


You want to use a chemical strippper to remove as much of the old
finish as possible before sanding. You can use finer grades of steel
wool with the stripper to even out the darker areas but do not expect
that you will get the edges the same color as the surface. Sanding is
a bummer and you may not need to sand at all.

Sand if you must but you can probably hand sanding will be all you
need. A random orbit sander has the least chance among power sanders
of doing more harm. I think you could start with a 120 grit and would
be wary of using anything coarser.

Lawrence

J Antero wrote:
I'll be refinishing a large dining room table.

What's the best type / make etc. power sander for getting the old finish off
without creating striations in the wood? Obviously, I'd like to keep the
cost down.

Also, what about sand paper grades?

Thanks

I like to take conservative approach when refinishing, using less
abrasive methods before sanding. My philosopy is to do as little
sanding as possible when refinishing. It is as easy to to harm as it
is good especially when using power sanders and coarse grades of paper.


You want to use a chemical strippper to remove as much of the old
finish as possible before sanding. You can use finer grades of steel
wool with the stripper to even out the darker areas but do not expect
that you will get the edges the same color as the surface. Sanding is
a bummer and you may not need to sand at all.

Sand if you must but you can probably hand sanding will be all you
need. A random orbit palm sander has the least chance among power
sanders
of doing more harm. I think you could start with a 120 grit and would
be wary of using anything coarser.

Lawrence

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 15:28:49 GMT, "J Antero"
wrote:

I'll be refinishing a large dining room table.

What's the best type / make etc. power sander for getting the old finish off
without creating striations in the wood? Obviously, I'd like to keep the
cost down.

Also, what about sand paper grades?

Thanks


Here's what I'd do. Strip the table to remove most the finish. A
cabinet scraper will reduce the sanding effort but require a little
skill to use and sharpen. Belt sanders are very aggressive. Random
orbit or finishing sanders are your best bet, but even with these be
extra careful near the table edge. A good quality finishing palm
sander can be had for less than $100--Makita, Porter Cable, DeWalt are
good and use plain sandpaper sheets. Start with 120 or 150 grit,
then 180 and 220 grit sandpaper. Use the 220 grit (lightly hand sand)
and tac rag between finish coats. If you really want to keep costs
down for this project all you need is the various-grit sandpapers and
a comfortable hand-sanding block--less dust too.