Genius sanding tips you need to know

A belt sander clamped securely on its side makes a great hands-free sander for sanding workpiece edges. Just screw a 20mm feed platform to a larger 13mm plywood base. You may also need a thin 6mm plywood strip as shown to elevate the sander body. Clamp the sander to the assembly (snug it – don’t overtighten). If you’re sanding a bunch of pieces, you may need to add a piece of plywood after a while to the feed platform to equalise the wear of the sanding belt.

Put duct tape on the back of sandpaper and cut it into custom-sized strips for sanding in tight spots. The tape’s tough hide lets you sand without tearing the paper. The strips work great for sanding lathe turnings, cleaning dried glue from project parts, and doing any other job that requires a firm yet delicate sanding touch. Use a sharp utility knife and a straightedge to cut the strips.

After completing an entire kitchen remodel, I had acquired a shoebox full of sanding sponges with different grits, but now I don’t know which block has which grit. I’d like to say I keep the original packaging for items like this, which would indicate the grit and other details for my sanding sponges, but that just doesn’t happen.

I learned my lesson! Now, before I toss the packaging in the garbage can, I write the grit number on the side of the sanding block with a permanent marker. — Matt Owczarczak

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Best power sander in your shop? A quarter sheet of sandpaper and your bare hand! To improve the longevity of this natural marvel, apply spray adhesive to the quarter sheets, then fold them over to make a double thick one-eighth sheet. They work great for sanding sculpted and moulded edges, and the double-ply thickness lets you press hard without tearing a hole in the paper.

Screw strips cut from cloth-backed sanding belts to shop-made wood bows of different thicknesses and use ’em to shape and smooth furniture parts and lathe- turned projects. The coarser grits remove wood quickly, and the finer grits will shine up curved surfaces in a jiff. You can screw the sandpaper strips on with varying tension to best fit the job at hand.

Sand with the grain when hand sanding or using a belt sander. Scratches are hard to see when they run parallel to the grain. But even the lightest scratches across the grain are obvious, especially after staining.

Here’s a great old tip that’s worth revisiting. Can’t tell where you’ve sanded and where you haven’t? Scribble light pencil lines over the surface, and then sand away until they’re gone. You’ll sand the entire surface without missing a spot, even out hard-to-see high and low areas, and know when to switch to a finer grit of sandpaper. The finer the grit, the lighter the pencil lines should be. It’ll take forever to sand off dark lines with fine grits.

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Source: Family Handyman