Quote Originally Posted by GraemeCook View Post
Hi John

I used to live in PNG and used quite a lot of NG Rosewood - always back sawn to maximise that swirling grain - but never in veneer, so I cannot directly answer your questions. My stash ran out some 20 years ago, and when I learned Gunns prices I never renewed it - so my experience is 20 years out of date!

That swirling grain certainly looked great but it does mean that the grain direction may change several times in one piece of timber. This complicates things! Sanding often produced "hairy patches" - analagous to a suede finish - and these would show up as dull patches under any clear surface finish. Sanding was only ever partially effective.

My solution was to use a hand plane and card scraper (on solid wood). On your veneer, may I suggest that you experiment with a card scraper. I think a scraped surface is more alive than a sanded one.
Thanks, Graeme.

On any timber, if I get furry patches, I spray on a thin first coat of sanding sealer and then sand back until I'm about back to the timber. I have not used a lot of NG Rosewood, but so far seem to have avoided dull patches, but I'll have a play with a card scraper and do an experiment with a lacquered finish.