Got roasted on a woodworking forum for my sanding technique

Some guy randomly DM'd me saying my finish looked like garbage because I was sanding in circles instead of with the grain. I was sure he was just being a jerk, but I tried it his way on a walnut table I was building for a client in Austin. Smooth as glass after that, no more swirl marks. Anyone else get called out for a basic mistake that totally changed their game?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth2761d ago

Hold up, I gotta play the other side here. "Sanding in circles" - I still do that on purpose sometimes, especially on curly maple, and I get a way better finish. Going straight with the grain can actually highlight every scratch if you're not careful. You sure it wasn't just the grit sequence that fixed it?

jasonf351d ago

Wait, you were sanding in circles? I used to do that too, thought it didn't matter. Tried it straight recently and yeah, huge difference.

the_leo1d ago

Read an article once that said sanding in circles can trap dust and cause weird scratches.