GREAT sandpaper!

[B a r r y]

Sandpaper isn't something people normally get excited about, but I thought some of you folks would appreciate this. During my last materials run, Carl, the owner of the Wood Rack, in Branford, CT gave me some freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! samples of a sandpaper he's begun to use and sell. TWR is a small custom shop that resells supplies to the local cabal.

The paper is called Norton Champagne Magnum (A275).

It's a hard abrasive attached nicely to a heavy (B weight), ruby colored paper. The paper is extremely durable and flexible, almost a cloth. The paper doesn't crease, which also helps keep the grit in place. I've been using the 100, 120, and 150 grit samples he's provided me on felt blocks and tadpole sanders. The stuff simply seems to keep on cutting!

If you can find this stuff locally, try _one_ sheet. It's expensive, but I'll be buying it as I run out of the grits I have. When Carl gave it to me, he stated "This is the stuff that you pick up the little scraps so that you don't waste them." He wasn't kidding.

A275 cuts and lasts as well or better than the Mirka Gold I use for power sanding, and better than Norton 3X and the 3M purple paper. It flat out destroys typical Norton and 3M BORG sandpaper.

I have no connection to Norton, The Wood Rack, etc... other than as a customer.

Barry

[Jay Pique]

Have any white papers been done on it?

JP

[B a r r y]

I don't know. Here's Norton's brochure for the rest of us:

[Steve knight]

it's not more then the next grade down if I bought a 100 cound box. i it is like their other stuff it is pretty aggressive and does not do a fine job. you need a different one in the 220 or 320 range. Knight-Toolworks

handmade wooden planes

[Duane Bozarth]

??? I have no idea what you just said, Steve... :)

[Leon]

I believe he is saying that this particular grade of paper is only available in rough grits. To get into more common finer woodworking grits you have to move to another grade/style of paper.

[Steve knight]

I meant that the paper is pretty aggressive it makes for fast sanding. but it tends to leave deeper scratches then the same grit in other papers. so on the finer grits like 220 and 320 you will get a better look if you fish with a more standard paper then these. Knight-Toolworks

handmade wooden planes

[woodworker88]

Sounds kinda like the stuff they use for making belt sander belts. I have seen this stuff for random orbit sanders as well, but not in sheet form. BTW, B weight isn't exactly heavyweight paper. I use D weight for anything 60 grit and rougher, and some types of disks are J weight and belts are X weight. The belts actually are cloth.

[LRod]

I wonder if that's related to the new grading system that's coming into vogue. I think Charlie Self wrote about it in a recent FWW article (or was it Woodshop News?).

[Guess who]

I do that with all my sandpaper, no kidding. So long as you don't buy some made-in China rubbish that leaves bits of grit all over the job you're fine with the less expensive, less yuppyville material.

[Duane Bozarth]

Don't know the answer specifically to your question of whether these are CAMI or FEPA-graded but there was a sidebar on the grading systems in FWW not too long ago. (Also don't recall if it was Charlie's or not) but the (old system) CAMI grades are increasingly coarser as compared to the same FEPA numeric value as one goes finer beyond 220. This well be the difference.

OK, I got curious--and lucky--the right issue was still laying around. FWW #176 (April '05). The article was by Mark Schofield. I don't see Woodshop News so can't say whether they had something as well.

[LRod]

I must have mixed up the subjects. Thanks for the followup.

[Duane Bozarth]

No problem...I was just putting stuff away and the back cover flopped open and lo! and behold there's a section I didn't recall nor look at--it lists major manufacturers and their current grading systems. Turns out (according to this anyway) that Norton has gone almost exclusively from CAMI to FEPA grading but they have added the "P" prefix to either their paper the packaging. W/ this change and lack of visual notification it is very likely to be the cause of the difference in performance Steve is noticing.

The one advantage I see of FEPA over CAMI is the tighter tolerances on grit variation so that performance will be more consistent but I suspect that really would only be apparent in a production facility w/ automated machine sanding, and very unlikely to be discernible to the average wooddorker. Someone such as Steve, otoh, w/ a production product may see some advantages.

[Nobody_special]

I thought you didn't use sandpaper, just hand planes. :)

[Rick Beebe]

Holy lumber, Bat Man! I never knew that place was there. I live in Hamden and have been driving to Harris in Manchester for all my wood. Thanks for the tip Barry!

--Rick

[Steve knight]

never seen a plane that rounds corners over (G) Knight-Toolworks

handmade wooden planes

[Bruce Barnett]

They cost ~$20. I have one. Fixed radius w/2 blades.

So - when can we expect a Knight Toolworks version? (G)

[Steve knight]

thats rounding an edge not a courner. plus it looks like a router did it. I like curves that are more naterual. it takes an inflatable drum sander to get the curves I am after. hey if I coudl do it with planes it would be faster and cheaper. Knight-Toolworks

handmade wooden planes

[bridger]

Steve- please do consider making some corner treatment planes. I bought a commercial one and used it for a while, but it fell apart. there is definently room in the market for some good ones.

I made one that I'm pretty happy with for now- it's a roundover plane with the blade sharpened as and set at a scraper angle- about2 or 3 degrees negative. it works real good on hard woods.... if you're interested I'll put up a pic on ABPW.