Thread: Grade of sandpaper before an oil/wax finish

If hand sanding along the direction of the grain, I stop when I can't tell the difference between the scratches and the grain.

Depending on the timber, that can be anywhere between 240 & 480 grit.

With a ROS (or turning) I keep going until I can't see any more scratches across the grain.

I reserve the finer grits for sanding the finish, not the wood.

to give that "love" feeling. i go to 800 on the festool.
this leaves a silky soft to touch finnish.
only my opinion though.
good luck

I'm with Skew. 240 on raw wood. Higher grit on the finish depending on what it is.

In the past, I would go to 400 on raw wood and then finish, but have not been able to tell a difference with using the lower grit on hardwoods. Usually end up with 800 or 1000 on the finish, and often follow with EEE (I think in the US it's called rottenstone or pumicestone) which is finer still.

The only place it's made a difference to me is when putting stain on a soft wood (pine, plywood, etc). Then going to higher grits before staining makes a big difference if you're not using a sealer.

Tex

I normally sand raw timber to 320 then use 600 & 800 on the finish.

Thanks for the advice guys.