Appreciation post: That old timer who told me to stop sanding so much

Way back when I started building cabinets in 2019, a guy named Jerry at the local woodshop in Portland kept telling me I was over-sanding my joints. He said a 150 grit finish is plenty for painted cabinet doors and anything higher just clogs the grain. I ignored him for a good six months until I had a batch of maple doors that looked fuzzy after I sprayed primer. Finally tried his method and not only did the paint lay way smoother but I cut 20 minutes per door off my sanding time. Has anyone else had a veteran cabinetmaker call them out on something that changed their whole routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

keith_bennett1mo ago

Man Jerry knew his stuff. Simple advice from old timers is usually the real deal.

max_brown1mo agoMost Upvoted

Is it just me or does it feel like everything nowadays is over-complicated to sell you something? You see it everywhere, not just in fishing or hunting tips but even in something like changing a tire or cooking a steak. He gave you the core truth without all the fancy gear or the 47 step process that some guy on YouTube swears by. That kind of advice sticks because it's been tested by time, not by a marketing team. It's like when my grandpa told me the best way to learn a knot is to just tie it a hundred times until your fingers remember, not to read a book about it. Simple stuff like that just works, man, and it's getting harder to find.

hayden_craig951mo ago

Jerry sounds like that old timer I read about who said most sanding is just polishing mistakes.