Overheard a guy at the hardware store say he still uses a hand plane for final passes

I was grabbing sandpaper at Ace Hardware on Lincoln Ave last weekend and this older gentleman was telling the clerk he refuses to use power sanders on walnut because you lose the feel. It got me thinking about how much I rush through finishing just to get to the end. Has anyone else slowed down a step and noticed a real difference in their work?

3 comments

3 Comments

leo_fisher18d ago

...and I'm over here with a belt sander trying to get the dust off before my wife sees the mess. But he's not wrong, you know? I spent an afternoon last month just using scrapers on a mahogany shelf and the finish came out way better than anything I'd sanded. Felt like a fool spending 20 bucks on sandpaper just to let it sit there.

logan_ellis18d ago

That's the thing with scrapers though, once you get the hang of them you realize sandpaper is mostly just for getting rid of dust nibs and final polish. How long did it take you to figure out the right burr on your card scraper? I spent three weekends in a row burning through walnut before I got one that actually peeled ribbons instead of dust.

logan_ellis18d ago

Man some people really have their act together and then there's me using a belt sander to "distress" a piece I messed up the glue-up on. I admire the dedication but I'd probably end up using a hand plane to shave my own fingers off after the third cup of coffee.