Thread: Is there a preferred grit

Hi Dallas, hows it going. I just use 120, as I seem to always have plenty of it laying around. I buy it in rolls with the hook and loop backing from the Sandpaper Man. I use it for my home made drum sander.

All the best for 2019.

Paul

Hey again Dallas, just as an afterthought,...….if my box is not wider than 150mm, I clean top and bottom up (after the slicing), on a light touch sand on my table belt/disc sander.

Paul

Thanks Paul. Good to see you are getting active again after your big trip.
When you say you use a light touch on your belt sander for small boxes do you have it running? I find that if I try to touch up a straight edge on a running belt I tend to make it worse but then I only have a 100mm wide belt not the 150. Are you also using 120 grit belts on yours the same as your stationary method?

Hey Dallas, I use adhesive backed sandpaper rolls from the Sandpaper Man and stick them side by side in three rows on a melamine board.

I have boards for 80, 120, 180, 240 and 320 grit but mostly use the 120, 180, and 240 grit ones. I find them very handy and use them on almost every box I make.

David

hey Dallas, Yes my belt sander is running. I always also use 120 grits on that also. Use both hands and keep control of the box and it should work pretty good. Just a light sand will take any tears etc from my slicing. My standard size box is 250mm x 150mm, so I can always use this method on that. Anything bigger, my larger box would be 300mm x 185mm, then I resort to the board your talking about. Only have the 120 on that.

And unfortunately not getting into any more boxes at present, I have a hernia operation lined up for this Tuesday, got it just before the NZ trip. So it gets repaired in two days time, then I'll need to keep quiet for some more weeks.

Got a lot of ideas ticking over in my head for later on.

Paul

I have a blind mate who does his on the belt sander, and it works for him, but I've never been game to. I use 180 grit glued to benchtop laminate. Once the top & bottom are cleaned up I finish sand with the same grits as the rest of the box, up to 800.

Thanks for the info guys. It looks like somewhere between 120 and 180 is the go for most people. I found some largish sheets of 100 grit today and have glued them to a piece of Melamine along with a 240 grit sheet. I gave them a go on a small box I am making just to tidy up the feet and they worked well. I haven't separated the lid yet but will be keen to give it a try when I do.
When I get game I will try the belt sander but will practice on something unimportant first. I certainly admire your mate Alex When you say you sand up to 800, is that by hand?
All the best for Tuesday Paul!!

When you say you sand up to 800, is that by hand?

Yes. On large panels I may use the ROS, but boxes I do by hand.

I use 180 self adhesive roll from sandpaper man on a 240 wide 32mm thick peice of blackbutt, jointed dead flat. A good tip is to stroke the box across the board, front to back, no back and forth as it will dip the corners. So place down, push with even pressure, then lift off and repeat obviously you can also adjust by adding pressure to various parts.