Dinner table journal ... Here we go!


bushwacked

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I call bullshit on that one. I've done just fine with my 150/3 and 50, 80 and 100 grit. Not saying the 150/5 might not do it faster but I bet it beats the hell out of using that PC sander.

I don't have nearly the amount of experience thwt steve does, but I noticed the same thing. I use the 150/3 with 80 grit with great results.

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Just look for a uniform surface, each grit has a signature, once it all looks the same, that's about as good as that grit will get. If you move to the next grit and notice some larger scratches surface you can always back peddle and touch it up a bit.

This is assuming you get it flat in the beginning

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Thank god you posted that before you spent 20 more hours sanding.

If sanding took that long, this would be the worst hobby ever!

Yes very glad I posted that too!!

Don't know if you have the hard pad but it's great for legs, rails, stiles, etc. the soft pad can round over hard edges some.

Yes I picked up a hard pad when I ordered the sander.

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You have poor taste in role models, BW. :huh:  But thanks for the compliment anyway. :)

 

Any time I have flat surfaces, I'll hit them with a smoother first when possible to avoid the lower grits.  You can go straight to 180 or 220 afterward and be done much faster.  If you have really good hand plane skills, you don't need to sand at all.

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Here I thought he was taking too much after Eric. Feet propped up doesn't count as sanding. That helps keep a project below the 4000 hour count.

With that much sanding, I would go another route. What paper are you using? Try swapping it sooner for a board or two. My dad trained me to run three passes and then change grits. I am not sure exactly how this squares with the pencil mark test, but he was always concerned about spending too long and over sanding with one grit. The hard pad point was a good one. Did you take a square to your pieces? Are they still square? All that said, I would suspect the first issue. I would guess your paper is on the machine too long or that the run you have is not up to the cut. 80 should remove bare wood with gusto if not speed.

Haha I was apparently on my way to 4000 hour mark with my sanding skills

I am using Mirka sandpaper with the PC. Which I thought was good? Maybe that sheet of paper was just bad? I will test out a couple other pieces of the paper and see how they do when I get a break.

You have poor taste in role models, BW. :huh: But thanks for the compliment anyway. :)

Any time I have flat surfaces, I'll hit them with a smoother first when possible to avoid the lower grits. You can go straight to 180 or 220 afterward and be done much faster. If you have really good hand plane skills, you don't need to sand at all.

I don't have a smoother. Planes are one thing I have not got into yet. I want to buy good ones and not crappy cheap ones that are more hassle than they are worth.

Are smoothers big enough to do a table top easy? I know it would be fine for the smaller table pieces, just curious about the bigger pieces. I've only seen some that are like the size of my hand? That seems like a lot of planing to get it smooth? (I say all this out of ignorance since I don't have a clue how those actually work and how efficient they really are)

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Size doesn't matter. :D A #4 smoother has a 2" blade, but that's not really relevant. Planing removes material much faster than sanding. Two very different methods with two very different results.

Hmmm true. I think I need to step up my sharpening game before I get into hand planes. I only have 1000 grit capability with sharpening right now which won't get me the super sharp results I need for hand planes.

Curious how many board feet I could get before the iron goes dull though. Yes I know wood type and steel come into play but if it will take awhile then maybe a possibility.

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You have poor taste in role models, BW. :huh:  But thanks for the compliment anyway. :)

 

Any time I have flat surfaces, I'll hit them with a smoother first when possible to avoid the lower grits.  You can go straight to 180 or 220 afterward and be done much faster.  If you have really good hand plane skills, you don't need to sand at all.

 

I do the same for exposed end grain, but i use a LA block or BU jack plane.  Then I go straight to 220 + sandpaper.  Saves a tonne of the grunt work.

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The z clips will allow a bigger range of movement considering the width of your table. I use the figure 8's on coffee tables, end tables smaller tops. It's pretty easy to kerf the back of your aprons for the z clips.

So the Z clips would be better for bigger tops? But will my figure 8s ruin the top after a year or two of restricting movement too much?

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