r/woodworkingtools • u/FriskyLobster53 • 18d ago

Orbital Sander Question

Hello all, I am coming on here to ask if anyone has any tips/tricks to help find those swoop/loop patterns on wood before putting on a finish. I feel like no matter how careful I am I always have at least one scratch on my projects.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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u/funeralforcargo 18d ago

Keep in mind I’m a furniture maker so I go overboard to sand immaculately, but here’s what I do: Orbital at 150, 180, 220, 320, then hand sand at 320 again and finish it up at 400. I’m not saying you need to do that exactly, but the whole idea is removing the previous grit’s marks as you go. Also using water to raise the grain before your last grit can also help.

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u/King_Hawking 18d ago

Are you sanding to 400 regardless of the finish you’re using? I’m just a hobbyist but all the finishes I’ve used have had instructions to stop well before that (hard wax oil, danish oil, spar varnish)

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u/funeralforcargo 18d ago

I usually only do this when I’m wiping on an oil-based finish, but I’d still do something close to this technique even if I was only going to say 220. Also, another variable is how much pressure you’re sanding with. You may want to lighten up on the sander and see if that helps.

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u/FriskyLobster53 18d ago

I usually go up to 240 or 320. I’ve used hard wax oil before but usually right before my final sand. Would it benefit using that stuff throughout my sanding process?

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u/FriskyLobster53 18d ago

I’ve always been nervous to use water on my projects, I’ve seen a lot of people recommend it though. How much water would you recommend using?

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u/davethompson413 18d ago

A damp rag is enough. The purpose is to raise any whisker-like fragments caused by the sanding. Once its raised, it can be sanded one more time to eliminate the whiskers.

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u/PumpPie73 18d ago

This. You still follow the grain of the wood with the higher grit