Are You Over Sanding? - The Maker's Quest Podcast

[@glenb1972]

Real question: at what point is your "higher grit"? I can see your point of not removing material so that your fits are loose, but how are you using it to smooth the surface?

[@Benham_Design]

I consider my higher grits to be 150 and up, at that point it is less about removing wood and more about polishing it. Basically, all I want to do is remove the scratch pattern left by the previous grit. At that point it shouldn't be about how much wood is removed, and more about removing just enough to remove the previous scratch pattern. Getting the wood flat and smooth doesn't have to be done by sand paper. That can be done with a hand plane or keeping sharp tools during the milling stage. If you have to do a ton of sanding to get flat, I would look at your process before sanding to dial them in so you don't have to do much sanding. Sanding in most cases is beautifying the wood/ prepping it for finishing. Now there are always other factors, like a piece of wood got more tear out and needs more attention, but by and large. If your workflow prior to sanding is dialed in, you shouldn't need aggressive sandpaper, and that aggressive sandpaper can ruin your work.

[@glenb1972]

@@Benham_Design In your opinion, how many passes is too many? Or is it by touch? I am finishing a very large cutting board (24"x48") for someone. As you suggested, my piece is "flat" from the planing and careful glue up. In my sanding process, I started at 100, 120,150, grain pop, 150, grain pop, 180, and finally 220 - and maybe 320 (I like smooth, soft boards). After the 2nd grain pop, I usually give the piece about 3 passes, letting the weight of my DeWalt orbital sander do the work. I do overlapping passes lengthwise, then crosswise, and a final one in circles. The same with the higher grits. Too much? I only ask, because as I delve into furniture pieces, I don't want to get into the habit of sanding too much. Thanks for your help and all the videos you put out.