On Sun, 16 Oct 2005 18:45:34 GMT, "Tom"
wrote:

Hi,

I'm in the process of doing the final prep on a pair of cherry
nightstands, and have a question about the level of sanding required. I
used my ROS to move through 120, 150, 180 and 220 grit and have a surface
that appears to look great under a raking light. There are no visible swirl
marks that I can see, but I'm assuming they are there and will pop when I
apply Watco's Natural to it.

When I try to do a final hand-sanding using 240 grit to get rids of the
"unseen" swirl marks, I seem to add more visible scratches than I may be
removing. I'm sanding with the grain using a felt pad block and am careful
to apply an even pressure, but I've tried this twice now and keep getting
some very fine visible scratches on the surface.

Any suggestions? Should I stop at 220 grit with the ROS, or am I looking
for trouble with the swirl marks later? Maybe go with a higher grit for the
hand-sanding?



Tom, I take a Scotch Brite pad and cut it into a circle a little
bigger than the dia. of my ROS. Then put a 80 grit disk on your ROS
and then stick the Scotch Brite on the that. It will stay on, but try
on scrap first. I use red then grey. This also works for sanding out
between poly coats.

Hi,

I'm in the process of doing the final prep on a pair of cherry
nightstands, and have a question about the level of sanding required. I
used my ROS to move through 120, 150, 180 and 220 grit and have a surface
that appears to look great under a raking light. There are no visible swirl
marks that I can see, but I'm assuming they are there and will pop when I
apply Watco's Natural to it.

When I try to do a final hand-sanding using 240 grit to get rids of the
"unseen" swirl marks, I seem to add more visible scratches than I may be
removing. I'm sanding with the grain using a felt pad block and am careful
to apply an even pressure, but I've tried this twice now and keep getting
some very fine visible scratches on the surface.

Any suggestions? Should I stop at 220 grit with the ROS, or am I looking
for trouble with the swirl marks later? Maybe go with a higher grit for the
hand-sanding?

Tom wrote:
Hi,

I'm in the process of doing the final prep on a pair of cherry
nightstands, and have a question about the level of sanding required. I
used my ROS to move through 120, 150, 180 and 220 grit and have a surface
that appears to look great under a raking light. There are no visible swirl
marks that I can see, but I'm assuming they are there and will pop when I
apply Watco's Natural to it.

When I try to do a final hand-sanding using 240 grit to get rids of the
"unseen" swirl marks, I seem to add more visible scratches than I may be
removing. I'm sanding with the grain using a felt pad block and am careful
to apply an even pressure, but I've tried this twice now and keep getting
some very fine visible scratches on the surface.

Any suggestions? Should I stop at 220 grit with the ROS, or am I looking
for trouble with the swirl marks later? Maybe go with a higher grit for the
hand-sanding?


so do a test on scrap. sand to 220 and oil it.

there isn't too much point to sanding cherry much finer than that
before finishing. what you can do to continue to refine the surface is
sand with wet/dry sandpaper (the black stuff) with the surface wet with
oil. if you sand to 220 or perhaps 320 dry, pick up at 400 or 500 with
the wet sanding. this will give an amazing surface... work with the
wood flooded with oil and wipe dry several times over a period of a few
hours after each sanding session.

On Sun, 16 Oct 2005 18:45:34 GMT, "Tom" wrote:

Hi,

I'm in the process of doing the final prep on a pair of cherry
nightstands, and have a question about the level of sanding required. I
used my ROS to move through 120, 150, 180 and 220 grit and have a surface
that appears to look great under a raking light. There are no visible swirl
marks that I can see, but I'm assuming they are there and will pop when I
apply Watco's Natural to it.

When I try to do a final hand-sanding using 240 grit to get rids of the
"unseen" swirl marks, I seem to add more visible scratches than I may be
removing. I'm sanding with the grain using a felt pad block and am careful
to apply an even pressure, but I've tried this twice now and keep getting
some very fine visible scratches on the surface.

Any suggestions? Should I stop at 220 grit with the ROS, or am I looking
for trouble with the swirl marks later? Maybe go with a higher grit for the
hand-sanding?




To get an idea of how it will turn out, wipe it down with mineral spirits
-- that will give you a little while to examine the surface for what a
finish will show.

I've always sanded to 320 grit, but most recently have been trying to
exclusively use planes and scrapers.





+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

In article ,
"Tom" wrote:

[snipped for brevity]
Any suggestions? Should I stop at 220 grit with the ROS, or am I looking
for trouble with the swirl marks later? Maybe go with a higher grit for the
hand-sanding?

Yes. A higher grit than machine sanding. I'd go from 240 machine ROS to
320 by hand. With cherry I'd go to 400.
Having said that, why hand sand if you can go ROS to 320?

I'm of the opinion that there are roughly two grit-steps difference
between hand- and machine sanding.... at least from 180 on up.

I wouldn't worry about swirlmarks too much if you're going Natural Watco.
If you were staining, you would have to be severely punished of course.

"Tom" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm in the process of doing the final prep on a pair of cherry
nightstands, and have a question about the level of sanding required. I
used my ROS to move through 120, 150, 180 and 220 grit and have a surface
that appears to look great under a raking light. There are no visible
swirl marks that I can see, but I'm assuming they are there and will pop
when I apply Watco's Natural to it.

When I try to do a final hand-sanding using 240 grit to get rids of the
"unseen" swirl marks, I seem to add more visible scratches than I may be
removing. I'm sanding with the grain using a felt pad block and am
careful to apply an even pressure, but I've tried this twice now and keep
getting some very fine visible scratches on the surface.

Any suggestions? Should I stop at 220 grit with the ROS, or am I
looking for trouble with the swirl marks later? Maybe go with a higher
grit for the hand-sanding?


320 will be fine for an oil finish, 220 for a surface finish. Unless you're
thinking of burnishing the surface. You are absolutely correct in saying
that directional scratches are more discernable than random scratches.
Fortunately, they close up when some oil is absorbed into the wood.

Watco says to wet sand with 400 as you apply, should you care to. I'd
rather have some diffraction from the pores, myself.

What he said- scrapers. Cabinet scrapers. Until I tried them, I was a
sander-junkie.

Scrape it, seal it, scrape it again very lightly- much better results
than w/sanding. IMHO. Definitely the way to go where it matters, and
faster than you might imagine.

J

When I try to do a final hand-sanding using 240 grit to get rids of the
"unseen" swirl marks, I seem to add more visible scratches than I may be
removing. I'm sanding with the grain using a felt pad block and am careful
to apply an even pressure, but I've tried this twice now and keep getting
some very fine visible scratches on the surface.

Be very sure that there is no 'grit' left from previous, coarser sandings.
DAMHIKT.

-John