Sanding

[Eplfan2011]

Same as my finishing question really as I need to up my game. How do you sand these intricate peices? I'm sure you all do it differently.

 Tools, methods and tricks ? 

[Scrappile]

Most my intricate pieces are fret work. I sand them with a Mac Mop mounted on wood lathe, which I want to get a motor for and give it it's own place in the shop.  I want my wood lathe back for turning.    I have three grits 120, 180, 240. The each seem to give a smother finish than the grit indicates, i.e., the 180 give a finish of around a 220 grit finish.   I use the to sand the back of the project to remove the fuzzies.  Sanding from all four directions.   to sand things like small part, I hold the piece with on of an assortment of tweezers I have to hold the piece while sanding with the mac mop.   

[Eplfan2011]

11 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

Most my intricate pieces are fret work. I sand them with a Mac Mop mounted on wood lathe, which I want to get a motor for and give it it's own place in the shop.  I want my wood lathe back for turning.    I have three grits 120, 180, 240. The each seem to give a smother finish than the grit indicates, i.e., the 180 give a finish of around a 220 grit finish.   I use the to sand the back of the project to remove the fuzzies.  Sanding from all four directions.   to sand things like small part, I hold the piece with on of an assortment of tweezers I have to hold the piece while sanding with the mac mop.   

Thanks Scrappile for taking the time out to answer. I have a couple of mops Which I have turned down the shaft to fit in a to rotary tool but like you I'm looking for a suitable motor to bench mount it

Edited October 22, 2022 by Eplfan2011

[OCtoolguy]

2 hours ago, Eplfan2011 said:

Same as my finishing question really as I need to up my game. How do you sand these intricate peices? I'm sure you all do it differently.

 Tools, methods and tricks ? 

It all depends on the project. I don't do much flat work but when I do, I pre-sand prior to cutting. That eliminates most of the sanding later. What I make are projects that are made of pieces that require sanding after the cutting. So, I do a lot of sanding both by hand and with my Dremel 6300 sander. It's the one that has cutting blades and a sanding pad. I found a place to buy boxes of the velcro sanding paper so I use it a lot. My latest projects have been candle holders made up of top, bottom and 8 sides and it takes me a solid day to get them all sanded to my liking. I stop at 220 in most cases but sometimes I'll go to 400.

 

[munzieb]

I do a lot of fret work, both on plaques and boxes, and it took a while to figure this out but now it quickly eliminates almost all fuzzies. I sand both sides of the pieces before I even apply the pattern and start cutting. Some of the exotic hard woods are not that much of a problem, BBPW more so.  I blue tape as many cut out pieces back in the pattern as I can. This forces the fuzzies out the back. Before removing any tape, I sand the back with a orbital hand sander and then use a scotch brite (red) sanding ball on a drill and go in all directions on a flat surface. ( I buy these from HF for about $10) ( I tried this on my drill press but pushed too hard and broke off some fret pieces. I don't do that any more). I remove the tape and then the pattern and most pieces fall out or I push them out with a x-acto knife. In most cases I shellac my projects. It seals the wood but also lifts any loose fibers from the wood. I give a light hand sanding again with a piece of 500 sand paper and blow it off and tac cloth before applyng final finish.

[Eplfan2011]

6 hours ago, munzieb said:

I do a lot of fret work, both on plaques and boxes, and it took a while to figure this out but now it quickly eliminates almost all fuzzies. I sand both sides of the pieces before I even apply the pattern and start cutting. Some of the exotic hard woods are not that much of a problem, BBPW more so.  I blue tape as many cut out pieces back in the pattern as I can. This forces the fuzzies out the back. Before removing any tape, I sand the back with a orbital hand sander and then use a scotch brite (red) sanding ball on a drill and go in all directions on a flat surface. ( I buy these from HF for about $10) ( I tried this on my drill press but pushed too hard and broke off some fret pieces. I don't do that any more). I remove the tape and then the pattern and most pieces fall out or I push them out with a x-acto knife. In most cases I shellac my projects. It seals the wood but also lifts any loose fibers from the wood. I give a light hand sanding again with a piece of 500 sand paper and blow it off and tac cloth before applyng final finish.

Lots of info here, thank you. I like your approach of trying to stop the fuzzies rather than preparing  to sand them afterwards !

[Foxfold]

I too, lightly sand before cutting, then I use a sanding ball fixed to an upside down drill that's clamped to my bench .  Sounds daft but it works, even on my delicate fretwork.

 

[BadBob]

I use a sanding mop mounted on my drill press.

Edited October 23, 2022 by BadBob

[Gonzo]

49 minutes ago, BadBob said:

I use a sanding mop mounted on my drill press.

I also use a sanding mop.

[William Eicehelberger]

I use a sanding mop. I have a 5 in. mop which I maid myself using 180 grit sanding paper It took a lot of sanding paper and a long time making,. I made  this about 5 years ago and it still does a good job. It is about as cheep to buy one , the price of sanding paper is up right now. I got the pattern off the internet . I  haven net to break a piece of fret work

Bill

[BadBob]

23 hours ago, William Eicehelberger said:

It took a lot of sanding paper and a long time making,.

It makes you understand why they cost so much. I did the math when I purchased my sanding mop, and it was cheaper to buy. Not including labor.

 

[OCtoolguy]

8 hours ago, BadBob said:

It makes you understand why they cost so much. I did the math when I purchased my sanding mop, and it was cheaper to buy. Not including labor.

 

I purchased the refill packs from Klingspor is 3 grits. I also purchase the Ryobi mandrels from H/D for under $6 ea. I use 180, 220, 320 grits in my hand drill. But, .....nothing takes the place of hand sanding in certain areas of a project. For an example, here is a candle holder that I make. They are in 3 sizes. Made up of a base, a bottom holder and a top holder and 8 sides pieces. I hand sand each of these pieces either by hand or on a piece of Corian tile with a full sheet of paper. Once all assembled, I use my mops to sand prior to finishing. I'm not a "high-gloss" finisher. No talent in that area but most everything gets dipped in my vat of Watco oil. After drip-drying, I wipe it all off with a rag and let it sit for about 4 days. Then maybe a light sanding with 400 paper and another dip. After a week of drying, then either a coat or two of Zinnser's spray shellac or lately I've used Johnson's paste wax for a nice warm finish. 

[BadBob]

14 hours ago, OCtoolguy said:

I purchased the refill packs from Klingspor is 3 grits.

I bought the whole kit. I didn't have anything to use for a mandrel.

[OCtoolguy]

4 hours ago, BadBob said:

I bought the whole kit. I didn't have anything to use for a mandrel.

Home Depot has them. I also just found them on ebay for $3.

[John B]

18 hours ago, BadBob said:

I bought the whole kit. I didn't have anything to use for a mandrel.

Bob, I also purchased my 1st mop, but have made another 3 of various grits just using a bolt as a mandrel. I usually get one or two refills when ordering from Kligspore as the refills are not too badly priced especially when you add in the cost of  cloth backed paper and the time taken to cut and punch all the leaves.
The last me for a long time, as I now mostly use Mac Mops.

[BadBob]

4 hours ago, John B said:

 I now mostly use Mac Mops.

Are the Mac Mops better that the sanding mops?

[John B]

15 minutes ago, BadBob said:

Are the Mac Mops better that the sanding mops?

I believe so Bob. They tend to last a long time. Note that a 180g is probably about as aggressive as a 220g and a 220 about a 360g

[Sycamore67]

I have both type mops.  The Mac mops are better for more delicate things.  I use them on smaller things also because they are less grabby. 

[BadBob]

On 10/26/2022 at 6:33 AM, John B said:

I believe so Bob. They tend to last a long time. Note that a 180g is probably about as aggressive as a 220g and a 220 about a 360g

If I only bought one Mac Mop, which girt would you recommend keeping in mind that I make mostly toys and puzzles.

 

[John B]

1 hour ago, BadBob said:

If I only bought one Mac Mop, which girt would you recommend keeping in mind that I make mostly toys and puzzles.

 

I use a 180g Bob, for the same sort of stuff mate. It softens the corners of puzzles and toys beautifully without scratching the surface, or knocking bits of your fingers Get the 2" if you can afford it..
I use a pedestal drill to run my mops.

The finer one I use mostly for fret work.

Edited October 27, 2022 by John B

[BadBob]

23 hours ago, John B said:

I use a 180g Bob, for the same sort of stuff mate. It softens the corners of puzzles and toys beautifully without scratching the surface, or knocking bits of your fingers Get the 2" if you can afford it..
I use a pedestal drill to run my mops.

Thanks, that is exactly what I was looking for.

Is this the one: https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/mm07203/

[John B]

2 hours ago, BadBob said:

Thanks, that is exactly what I was looking for.

Is this the one: https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/mm07203/

Yep, that's my favourite. I've actually got to order a couple more.

[Scrappile]

On 10/26/2022 at 3:33 AM, John B said:

I believe so Bob. They tend to last a long time. Note that a 180g is probably about as aggressive as a 220g and a 220 about a 360g

I also have both and I I use the mac mops about 90% of the time.  I just like them more.  Both do a good job..  I also agree with this description of the grits.  I use 180 most the time.  

[BadBob]

21 minutes ago, John B said:

Yep, that's my favourite. I've actually got to order a couple more.

It's in my cart now. I'm going order it now. Thanks.