Great video on sandpaper

[fcschoenthal]

We've all seen the videos comparing sandpaper, but this guy takes it another step and to the next level.

 

[Beechwood Chip]

I watched that and thought, "Just when I thought I understood sanding..."

Great video!

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

Great video! Informative and entertaining. 

[fcschoenthal]

I like the way he doesn't just say "this sandpaper is the best", but breaks down all of the categories and uses.

[gee-dub]

I have long preached that trying to milk more use out of your abrasives is a false economy.  Running abrasives too long just yields irregular results, heat, burnishing, and wasted time.  I'm making something out of several hundred dollars worth of material (if not more) and I'm going to skimp on an extra buck or two in abrasives!?!  No thanks! 

I'm also big on stepping through the grits almost religiously.  Lots of folks really hate sanding so why wouldn't you take the time to step through one or two intermediate grits instead of having to go back and fix problems?  Put on some good music, your respirator and other PE, good work shoes, and take your time getting from rough to smooth .

I have a wide variety of types and grits and they all have their place. 

[drzaius]

Have I been doing it all wrong? I really liked the video, but he talks of sanding for 35 minutes for each disc. That seems crazy to me. I change out discs (good quality Klingspor) after about 1/3 or less of that.

What do you all say? 

[Beechwood Chip]

I watched the video, and I interpreted it that 30 to 35 minutes was the absolute maximum, and sandpaper starts to lose effectiveness after 15-20 minutes.  Although I may be misremembering.

[fcschoenthal]

I took that part as depending on lots of factors (what wood you were sanding, the grit and what kind of backing). Personally, like gee-dub, I tend to not take any chances and change out more frequently than I probably could get away with.

[gee-dub]

On 5/8/2026 at 9:59 AM, drzaius said:

Have I been doing it all wrong? I really liked the video, but he talks of sanding for 35 minutes for each disc. That seems crazy to me. I change out discs (good quality Klingspor) after about 1/3 or less of that.

What do you all say? 

As soon as any abrasive fails to cut at the level I expect it to I swap it out. So based on the abrasive, the material, the condition of the material, etc. I can see the interval being generally shorter and very rarely longer than 30 minutes or so, so I’m with you, Frank.

It is very much like the way we react to the feedback from our hand planes, chisels, card scrapers, and so forth. When we feel they are not performing optimally, we fix it.  We have all had the experience of feeling that we are pushing too hard to do the operation we are doing.  It can be a power saw, hand saw, bit brace, whatever.

[Tom King]

I try not to think about it and only use it when I absolutely have to.  I don't know how long it lasts, but toss it when it slows me up.  I do have a large supply of it in various types.

[Beechwood Chip]

@Tom King What PAPR do you use, and do you like it?

 

[Tom King]

It's a mixture of parts.  Disposable (lasts a couple of years or more) Tyvek hood.  Bullard EDP10 pump.

https://www.bullard.com/all-products/respiratory/electric-driven-free-air-pump/

The pump sits a ways away, upwind in clear air.  I forget how much hose I have but it's more than 50 feet.

I have used a 120V little air conditioner for Tyvek suits and hoods in really hot weather.

I've used similar for decades.  Almost 76 and completely clear lungs.  I don't sand or spray finish without it unless it's outside in good wind.  I not only love it, I depend on it.  It's not a respirator exactly but supplies you with completely clear breathing air, better than any respirator.

[Mark J]

Good video, I learned somethings about sanding that I did  not know.  

I recall him saying that 20 to 30 minutes was all you could expect from sandpaper, so I assumed running the tests for 35 minutes was to make sure that time period was covered.

[Arthur Hayes]

On 5/8/2026 at 1:33 AM, fcschoenthal said:

We've all seen the videos comparing sandpaper, but this guy takes it another step and to the next level.

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This video taught me everything I need to know about sandpaper, even though I don’t do woodworking. 

[fcschoenthal]

On 6/2/2026 at 6:50 AM, Arthur Hayes said:

This video taught me everything I need to know about sandpaper, even though I don’t do woodworking. 

Welcome to the forum Arthur. You don't need to do woodworking to sand things. A lot of sanding I do is before I paint something. Heck, you could just go get some sandpaper and go around smoothing anything rough that you see.