It is the little things that we do that make a really huge difference and sanding is just about one of them. It is probably the
most boring, cumbersome and time consuming of all the tasks that are involved in the process of woodworking. However, if done right (
learn how to sand and pick the right grade sand paper), the outcome can just wow you.
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| What is sanding ? |
Each piece of wood that you buy comes with scratches and may be coarse in appearance. Running your fingers along the surface of the wood would reveal the irregularity in the wooden piece. Sanding is the
process of removing the scratches, and the roughness on the wooden surface in order to attain a smooth and even finish. Sanding is done by hand using ordinary sand / emery papers (available for Rs.5-10 at any local hardware store) that are available in different grades / grits starting from extra coarse to very fine. It is
performed by simply rubbing the sand paper in the direction of the grains on the wooden surface.There are also power sanders available for this purpose.
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| Chairs sanded and waiting to be re-finished |
Personally I start with a coarse sand paper of grit 80 and work my way towards the finer ones (220 or 350 grits). So the
process itself involves sanding with 80 grit sandpaper and subsequently with 100,120,150,220 and 350 grit sand papers. The number of sanding cycles performed and the grades of sand papers used is specific to the level of smoothness one desires. A Sanding block can be used to ease the process. While there are commercially available blocks, you can learn
how to make your own Sanding Block from our earlier post.
Sanding offers the following advantages and hence becomes a necessary evil that cannot be overlooked:
