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My old shop teacher in Dayton told me to stop sanding with the grain, and it finally clicked 12 years later
I ran into my old shop teacher from Dayton at a lumber yard last month. He watched me pick through a stack of red oak and said, "You still sanding everything with the grain like I taught you?" I laughed and said yeah, of course. He shook his head and told me that on raised panel doors and face frames, I should sand the end grain and the edges crosswise first, then go with the grain last on the flat parts. He said most guys skip that step because it feels wrong and it takes an extra 20 minutes per door. I tried it on a set of 6 cherry cabinet doors for a kitchen job in Huber Heights and the stain went on way more even, no blotchy edges at all. Has anyone else had a teacher or old timer tell them something that only made sense after you'd messed up enough jobs to get it?
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smith.nancy27d ago
That crosswise sanding trick on end grain, did he say anything about what grit to start with? I've been doing the crosswise pass but only at like 220 and I still get a little blotching on maple. Curious if he told you to drop down to 120 or 150 first before stepping up. The extra time thing makes sense too, I always rush that part.
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