(posted this to rec.crafts.woodturning but applicable here as well)
Some sage advice from a member of the turning club of which I am a member -
IF YOU'RE GOING TO SAND, USE SANDPAPER AS IF IT'S FREE.
Now think about how you use sandpaper.
Do you pay a bit more to get very uniform abrasive particle sizes? Are you even aware of the different grades of sandpaper, not "grits", but the degree of uniformity of the particle sizes for a specific grit? Doesn't take many particles of "190 grit" in your "200 grit" paper to show.
When the piece of sandpaper you're sanding with starts "loading up", do you chuck it and grab a new one? Or do you try and wring every bit of abrassive out of each piece 'til it stops cutting and starts burnishing - or worse yet - burning?
If you've gotten to "320" and notice a ding you missed, will you go back to 180 or even 150 to get it out - or hope your finish will hide it?
Like all other forms of woodworking (OK so maybe chainsaw carving is an exception), if you're going to do a piece, start to finish, EVERY step along the way will show in the finished piece. If you have to sand, remeber "Penny Wise, Pound Foolish"? Well that might be another way of putting
IF YOU'RE GOING TO SAND, USE SANDPAPER AS IF IT'S FREE.
You'll be amazed at the finsih you can get BEFORE you "apply a finish" - IF you take this sage advice to heart.
Oh, and if "Abralon" doesn't mean anything to you you might look into it. You'd be amazed how smooth and shiny you can get a piece of wood.
charlie b
ps - sand end grain to two or three grits finer than the rest of the piece and it won't get darker than the rest when you apply a "finish".