What problem(s) am I likely to have if I skip some grits of sandpaper while cleaning up a shape? I currently use 36 grit, then 80, 120, 180, and (hours later) 220. What would be the downside to skipping the 120 and 180 and going straight to 220? I would still use 80, 120, 180 and 220 screen on the rails. My biggest shaping problem (and there are many) is not so much my sh-tty planer work, but my insatiable need to keep f-ing with a shape even if its already done. Thanks for any advice.
Just use 40grit if you really need it, otherwise use 60 or 80, fine sand with a foam rubber sheetrock block from Homedepot or Lowes. For the rails, start with a sureform, dragon skin, 80grit screen, 220 screen. you are doing way too much work now.
When I was first learning to shape, Joey Thomas told me, “The blank is probably truer than you are. Don’t put bumps in and you don’t have to sand bumps out.” Clean up that planer work, slow down! When you learn the flaws in the blanks take those out first, then make all your passes clean. Fine sanding will be easy in the end and the boards will come out truer. And you won’t spend hours chasing bumps around.
Like Greg says, be really clean with the machine work and the rest follows so easy. When I break out a piece of fresh #40, I roll it up in every direcetion to first break the spine. After putting it on a block, sand the edges along a scrap of wood to knock down the rogue grit that will put in scratches that will take you hours to get out. I use #40 for the rough sand and go right to #100 and it doesn’t take me diddly squat to get it clean and scratch free
Ditto! I use 40 after the planer and some sureform then I go straight to 100 then 180. I have a 1" foam pad with grid slits in it like in the 101 vid. I have a piece of 220 stuck to it for final. I had trouble with the paper sliding around on the foam pad so I sprayed it with backing adhesive and it works great now. When you are done walk away for an hour get a drink, wash the dust out of your eyes and come back for a fresh look. Make one more pass to fix anything you see and LET IT GO! If a blank sits for a coupla days before I get around to glassing I go over it again with the 220/pad lightly to make sure it is clean. MLC