Sanding "white paper"

[JayPique]

Has anyone heard of or read any sort of research paper on how to sand effic= iently and effectively? For example, say you have a maple board that has c= ome straight from the planer, with no chip-out. At what grit should you st= art sanding? For how long? With what type of sander? I'm just curious if= anyone has taken a stopwatch and a magnification lense around a shop and r= eally gotten into the details of how long to run your Dynabrade over a boar= d before switching grits. Thanks.

[dadiOH]

The board may have no chip out but it does have tool marks.

I don't have a planer but I do have a drum sander. If I am going to finish something bright, the last grit I use on it the drum is 120. I then start with 120 on a hand sander and sand until all the striations from the drum - easily seen in oblique light - are gone. Once gone, I move up to final grits. How long with each grit? It seems to be about twice as long as I think it should be. :)

I know thet ROS sanders are popular - and I use one sometimes - but for the best job I still prefer my 1/2 sheet Porter Cable sander...it seems to have an ideal combination of weight and pad softness.

[Joe]

Most of the major magazines have done tests on types of abrasives and adhesives on different types of wood, power and hand. Google 'woodworking magazine sanding efficiency', find something close, then use the search engine on that company's page to narrow it down.

[Leon]

efficiently and effectively? For example, say you have a maple board that has come straight from the planer, with no chip-out. At what grit should you start sanding? For how long? With what type of sander? I'm just curious if anyone has taken a stopwatch and a magnification lense around a shop and really gotten into the details of how long to run your Dynabrade over a board before switching grits. Thanks.

Right out of the planer I start with 120~150 on a ROS/Festool Rotex. I move to 150~180 and quit with 180 using my finish sander.

Blow off surface between grits.

Sanding speed about 1 second per linear inch.

Change paper when you see any drop in performance.

[dpb]

Not aware of specific articles in research pub's but I'm sure it's been evaluated for the large manufacturers. Try a search on the US Forest Products Laboratories site for starters if really looking for that kind of work.

FWW had an article just last issue (preceding the current one of the Powermatic ad fame :) ) by a long-time professional finisher (Teri Masaschi) on sanding technique you might find useful. It was technique-oriented but covered her choice of grit sequence as well...

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[John Grossbohlin]

I think "The Wood Sanding Book" by Sandor Nagyszalanczy does a very good job of covering sanding... from abrasives to machines to methods. The closest things I've seen on a white paper on sanding... It's published by Taunton.

John

[Lew Hodgett]

---------------------------------- If you are hand sanding, it can be pretty straight forward.

Start with 100 grit and sand in line along the +45 degree bias.

When all grit marks are +45, switch to 150 grit and sand along the -45 degree bias.

When all grit marks are -45, switch to 220 grit and sand along the +45 degree bias.

Continue alternating directions and increasing grit until you are satisfied.

I stop at 400 grit.

The above removes the minimum amount of material to achieve desired results.

Have fun.

Lew

[Lew Hodgett]

"Lew Hodgett"

-------------------------------------- This will also work with inline power sanders.

ROS, not so much.

Have fun.

Lew