Hot take: hand sanding is better than any orbital sander I've used in 30 years

After spending all last month refinishing a set of kitchen cabinets from the 1950s in Portland, I realized my old sanding block gives me way more control over the grain than the 5 inch random orbital I bought last spring, so has anyone else gone back to the basics on finish work?

3 comments

3 Comments

drewr151mo ago

Hold up, are we REALLY acting like a 30 year pro just discovered sanding blocks? @the_leo don't let that post mess with your head too much. Orbital sanders have their place for knocking down big flat surfaces fast, you just can't beat them on cabinets with 1950s varnish build up. Hand sanding is fine for detail work or a final pass, but calling it BETTER than an orbital for the whole job sounds like grandpa talk to me.

the_leo1mo agoMost Upvoted

Used to swear by my orbital, but your post has me rethinking everything.

claire_young761mo ago

Funny how one good post can make you rethink something you've done for years. Kinda like how I switched from my usual grocery store after someone pointed out their prices were actually higher on basics - sometimes we just get in a groove and stop questioning stuff.