Sander recommendations?

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

Reply to
J Antero
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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.

Reply to
Charles Spitzer

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

Reply to
Leon

As Charles said, a 1/4 or 1/2 sheet finishing sander..

My personal choice is a 1/4 sheet "palm sander" which, as the name implies, can be controlled by your palm... It might come with a sand paper starter kit, if not, pick up an assortment from

100 to maybe 320... you can use full sheets and quarter them, but for most new users it's best to by precut sheets... YMWV Mac
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Reply to
mac davis

Is the table solid wood, or veneer? If it is a veneer, care must be taked to keep from sanding through. Older veneers are thicker than the newer ones. A card scraper is good if you know how to use and sharpen one, then only light sanding is required, and is better than sand paper for removing finishes.. If there is any oil in the finish, expect the sand paper to clog. I know that there are special types of sand paper for removing paint and finishs, but don't know of a source. robo hippy

Reply to
robo hippy

  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

  1. 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 ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

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Reply to
dadiOH

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

Reply to
Lawrence

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

Reply to
lwhaley

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