Hi all:

I'm having a brain cramp, which forces me to post a dumb question. I'm
building a wine storage cabinet (it's from the September issue of
"Wood"), and most of it is plywood. It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."
Great, I can do that...but, what grit do I start with?

If this wasn't plywood I wouldn't worry, but my fear is if I start too
low, then sand and sand and sand and sand, then I may go through the
veneer...or am I worried about nothing?

Jim

wrote in news:1160074934.249651.261820
@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

Hi all:

I'm having a brain cramp, which forces me to post a dumb question. I'm
building a wine storage cabinet (it's from the September issue of
"Wood"), and most of it is plywood. It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."
Great, I can do that...but, what grit do I start with?

If this wasn't plywood I wouldn't worry, but my fear is if I start too
low, then sand and sand and sand and sand, then I may go through the
veneer...or am I worried about nothing?

Jim


I'd probably start with ~100. It depends on how rough the surface is to
start with, I usually use less than 110 grit to knock down things that
are too high.

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all:

I'm having a brain cramp, which forces me to post a dumb question. I'm
building a wine storage cabinet (it's from the September issue of
"Wood"), and most of it is plywood. It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."
Great, I can do that...but, what grit do I start with?

If this wasn't plywood I wouldn't worry, but my fear is if I start too
low, then sand and sand and sand and sand, then I may go through the
veneer...or am I worried about nothing?

If the plywood is reasonably smooth, 220 may be all you'd need. Normally,
I'd start with 120 or 180. Yes, that veneer is very thin so take it easy.

Thats an open ended question.

How thick is the vaneer and how much would do you think you need to remove?
Are there scratches? Start with an 80, 150, 220. Heck you can do it all with
220 if you have a few weeks to spare.



wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all:

I'm having a brain cramp, which forces me to post a dumb question. I'm
building a wine storage cabinet (it's from the September issue of
"Wood"), and most of it is plywood. It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."
Great, I can do that...but, what grit do I start with?

If this wasn't plywood I wouldn't worry, but my fear is if I start too
low, then sand and sand and sand and sand, then I may go through the
veneer...or am I worried about nothing?

Jim

HotRod wrote:
Thats an open ended question.

How thick is the vaneer and how much would do you think you need to remove?
Are there scratches? Start with an 80, 150, 220. Heck you can do it all with
220 if you have a few weeks to spare.


It's standard plywood, so whatever the veneer is on it. There aren't
any scratches to speak of...the more that I think about this, I
probably need to just wet it down and run over it with 80 (or maybe
even 150) to knock down the grain, then finish with 220. Only 2
sandings...I like that idea. ;-D


Jim

What kind of plywood? I might hit oak plywood with some 220 and go.
Any of the coarse stuff might just scratch the heck out of it.

On 5 Oct 2006 14:10:40 -0700, wrote:


HotRod wrote:
Thats an open ended question.

How thick is the vaneer and how much would do you think you need to remove?
Are there scratches? Start with an 80, 150, 220. Heck you can do it all with
220 if you have a few weeks to spare.


It's standard plywood, so whatever the veneer is on it. There aren't
any scratches to speak of...the more that I think about this, I
probably need to just wet it down and run over it with 80 (or maybe
even 150) to knock down the grain, then finish with 220. Only 2
sandings...I like that idea. ;-D


Jim

wrote:

It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."

Double the grit number each time, starting at about 120. Finish beyond
240 though, if it's good quality work.

Start at 40 grit if you're actually removing timber and shaping things.

wrote:
: Hi all:

: I'm having a brain cramp, which forces me to post a dumb question. I'm
: building a wine storage cabinet (it's from the September issue of
: "Wood"), and most of it is plywood. It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."
: Great, I can do that...but, what grit do I start with?

What sort of plywood? if this is furniture grade stuff, it's already sanded
at the factory to 120 or 150 grit. I'd actually either not sand it at all,
or start at 180 or 220, depending on the finish you plan to use.



: If this wasn't plywood I wouldn't worry, but my fear is if I start too
: low, then sand and sand and sand and sand, then I may go through the
: veneer...or am I worried about nothing?

Nope. Face veneer on plywood is at best 1/42nd of an inch, and some is now
1/100 of an inch. That's about as thick as a sheet of xerox paper.

-- Andy Barss

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all:

I'm having a brain cramp, which forces me to post a dumb question. I'm
building a wine storage cabinet (it's from the September issue of
"Wood"), and most of it is plywood. It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."
Great, I can do that...but, what grit do I start with?

If this wasn't plywood I wouldn't worry, but my fear is if I start too
low, then sand and sand and sand and sand, then I may go through the
veneer...or am I worried about nothing?

Jim


If you are using cabinet quality veneer plywood, 150 is plenty coarse
enough.

wrote in message
ups.com...

wrote:

It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."

Double the grit number each time, starting at about 120. Finish beyond
240 though, if it's good quality work.

Start at 40 grit if you're actually removing timber and shaping things.


Go from 120 to 240??????????

Where did you get that idea?

In article . com,
wrote:
Hi all:

I'm having a brain cramp, which forces me to post a dumb question. I'm
building a wine storage cabinet (it's from the September issue of
"Wood"), and most of it is plywood. It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."
Great, I can do that...but, what grit do I start with?

If this wasn't plywood I wouldn't worry, but my fear is if I start too
low, then sand and sand and sand and sand, then I may go through the
veneer...or am I worried about nothing?

Jim


It is absolutely a valid worry. For most of the furniture grade
plywood I have used, starting & finishing with 220 has been adequate.
The face layer of veneer on most ply is eally thin, I wouldn't want to
even get near it with anything coarser than 180.

If you're not sure it's best to sand a scrap and test with the finish
you plan to use.
--
No dumb questions, just dumb answers.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore, Maryland -

On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 19:48:02 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all:

I'm having a brain cramp, which forces me to post a dumb question. I'm
building a wine storage cabinet (it's from the September issue of
"Wood"), and most of it is plywood. It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."
Great, I can do that...but, what grit do I start with?

If this wasn't plywood I wouldn't worry, but my fear is if I start too
low, then sand and sand and sand and sand, then I may go through the
veneer...or am I worried about nothing?

If the plywood is reasonably smooth, 220 may be all you'd need. Normally,
I'd start with 120 or 180. Yes, that veneer is very thin so take it easy.

I agree with Ed. I assume it is hardwood ply? If so, sanding is almost
not necessary except for touching up and bringing things together. 220
should be fine

Puckdropper wrote:
wrote in news:1160074934.249651.261820
@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

Hi all:

I'm having a brain cramp, which forces me to post a dumb question. I'm
building a wine storage cabinet (it's from the September issue of
"Wood"), and most of it is plywood. It tells me to "sand to 220 grit."
Great, I can do that...but, what grit do I start with?

If this wasn't plywood I wouldn't worry, but my fear is if I start too
low, then sand and sand and sand and sand, then I may go through the
veneer...or am I worried about nothing?

Jim


I'd probably start with ~100. It depends on how rough the surface is to
start with, I usually use less than 110 grit to knock down things that
are too high.




If it has dings and dents in it, like every pice of wood I handle,
you can wet those spots and wiat until they are dry before
sanding. That will expand them out. Otherwise you may
not be able to remove them without sanding through the
veneer.

I even dampen scratches on the assumption that there are
probably some compressed fibers underneath the torn ones.

--

FF

On 5 Oct 2006 12:02:14 -0700, wrote:

If this wasn't plywood I wouldn't worry, but my fear is if I start too
low, then sand and sand and sand and sand, then I may go through the
veneer...or am I worried about nothing?

Experimenting with scraps of the plywood would give you some idea of
how much sanding. I would start with 150 grit then 220.

Mark
(sixoneeight) = 618

"Markem" wrote in message
Experimenting with scraps of the plywood would give you some idea of
how much sanding. I would start with 150 grit then 220.

Scraps? You have scraps? I plan my project to utilize all the wood and buy
exactly what I need. Doesn't everyone?

On Sat, 07 Oct 2006 14:45:21 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


"Markem" wrote in message
Experimenting with scraps of the plywood would give you some idea of
how much sanding. I would start with 150 grit then 220.

Scraps? You have scraps? I plan my project to utilize all the wood and buy
exactly what I need. Doesn't everyone?

Given that my project are small yep, as a matter of fact I have a load
of walnut scraps about the right size for pen blanks. Problem is
investing in a pen making setup might be injurious to my health.

Mark
(sixoneeight) = 618