Sanding Sanding Sanding

[Bobby Slack]

Can you tell how excited am I? So I have all my frame done on the gates I am building. In concept I have the two stiles (right and left), three rails (bottom, middle and top).

Instead of a center panel I have a bunch of vertical slats that have a reveal between them of 5mm. So I decided to pre-finish everything before glue up.

The vertical slats will be assembled with Dominos.

I am so freaking bored!

[jhl.verona]

Ah, the zen of sanding...

Well it can be boring, but there are some psychological tricks you can use:

1. Put all the pieces to be sanded in a box, cardboard or a bag - looking at that mountain of work can be, er, depressing.

2. Put all the finished pieces on show, so you can see what has been done. That's rewarding.

3. Take breaks now and again, make a coffee, reply to a forum post (I'm sanding too ;-)

4. First and foremost, sand off all the sharp edges, so you don't spend time playing amateur surgeon with a modelling knife or pin getting the splinters out.

5. Keep a notebook and pen handly. Sanding requires some concentration, but not full concentration - that's why it's boring. You can't read, or watch a film, but you can mull over problems - maybe that next project. If a good idea pops into your head, jot it down.

6. I could go on, but I've got to get back to it - 6 sleds sanded, 2 still in the bag...

John

[Bobby Slack]

Caro John, that was fantastic.

I got the stuff done last night. Today I am milling the slats for the other two gates and will sand them sometime in the next few days. Your idea of hiding the pieces is fantastic.

FANTASTICO

Adding the piece of paper for ideas ... BRILLIANT

Thank you for that great post ... the zen of sanding.

Ah, the zen of sanding...

Well it can be boring, but there are some psychological tricks you can use:

1. Put all the pieces to be sanded in a box, cardboard or a bag - looking at that mountain of work can be, er, depressing.

2. Put all the finished pieces on show, so you can see what has been done. That's rewarding.

3. Take breaks now and again, make a coffee, reply to a forum post (I'm sanding too ;-)

4. First and foremost, sand off all the sharp edges, so you don't spend time playing amateur surgeon with a modelling knife or pin getting the splinters out.

5. Keep a notebook and pen handly. Sanding requires some concentration, but not full concentration - that's why it's boring. You can't read, or watch a film, but you can mull over problems - maybe that next project. If a good idea pops into your head, jot it down.

6. I could go on, but I've got to get back to it - 6 sleds sanded, 2 still in the bag...

John

[Bobby Slack]

I think I got wiser ... instead of sanding all these pieces when they are finishing for gates 2 & 3 I will sand them when they are flat and easy to handle ... then cut and bevel the edges (and rounding sharp edges).

As our friend Marc said ... is all about finding the steps and following the road map.

[iSawitFirst]

John,

All great ideas to make the best of a boring time.

I tend to listen to music, talk radio or have the TV going even though I'm not watching it.

[Bobby Slack]

I am listening to my pandora bluegrass station cranking http://www.pandora.com/#/song/thumbs-up/S1224439

[jHop]

I have three projects I didn't sand before assembly. I didn't put John's advice to use, and now I'm regretting it. the only thing I can add is patience. Don't assemble before you're truly happy with the sanding job you did, because glue is a pain to break and sand down.

What keeps me focused on sanding is paying attention to the sandpaper, as my "quarter sheet" sander actually takes sheets of sandpaper larger than that. I'm constantly reattaching sheets on pre-shaped paper. (I made my own paper cutting jig, but I'm working my way through all the other stuff I've purchased first.)

[Jerry_in_SD]

Wow, this is where I need patience.

I nail the woodworking but the finishing aspect, starting with sanding, I really fall down on.

Although I make sure each joint is tight and joinery is solid, I rush through sanding - which tends to spoil the end result when I find machine marks in end grain or in face grain in many situations.

[raruss1]

I actually like sanding. It is a nice breather from the worry of making a mistake in cutting and gluing and while I sand, I can daydream about how nice it is going to look with my chosen finish.

[Lawrence Brown]

And don't forget you can listen to Woodtalk Online podcasts while sanding!