What is the best type of sandpaper for turning

[Jeff Walters]

Hi All,

I have been turning pen for the last year and am now begining to try my hand at bowls. The only sandpaper I have used so far is the stuff on rolls for saning my pen blanks. There is nothing on the box to tell me what type it is. Now that I need to buy sheets, I want to make sure it is something that will stand up to turning.

Can anyone make a suggestion?

Thanks,
Jeff Walters

[Bill Hensley]

I like the Klingspor gold. If you are near one of their Woodworking stores you can get it from their scrap bin very reasonably priced.

[Harry Robinette]

I've been using the Norton 3x paper for sheet type,also use Klingspor gold or Woodcraft gold sanding disc.
Harry

[Brodie Brickey]

When I bowl turn I like to use the round disks with a sanding pad. Since I ordered large batches last time, I also use that for my mugs. For bowls I'll use a mechanical sander, for mugs its hand sanding with a pad in support.

I've been using Vince's Wood N Wonders - Blue Flex Discs
http://www.vinceswoodnwonders.com/Blue_Flex_Discs.htm
They've been reasonably priced and have worked well. Pick up a sanding pad to add to your options for bowl turning.

[John Keeton]

Back in the old days (2009) when I was doing flatwork, I used sandpaper from onlineindustrial supply (http://www.onlineindustrialsupply.com/abrasive-sheets.html)- great stuff, and in boxes of 50 sheets, extremely reasonable. They have a loyal following among flatwork creekers. I have grits up thru 2,000, most of which I originally used on a "scary sharp board" for my handtools. Now, I have repurposed them to round objects!!

I simply use the edge of my table saw (about the only thing it gets used for these days!) to tear sheets into about 2x2 squares, or thereabouts, and put them in a multi bin plastic container for that purpose. That is also how I store my sanding disks from Vince - keeps the dust out of them.

[bob svoboda]

+1 for Vince's products.

[Frank Van Atta]

RhinoDry works best for me.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Another vote for Vince's Blue Flex disks!

[David Warkentin]

Another vote for Vince's!

[David E Keller]

I use Vince's blue discs when power sanding. I also use Klingspor cloth backed paper for hand sanding... They sell bargain boxes of assorted endrolls pretty cheap, and it's good quality paper.

[Dennis Puskar]

Norton 3X is about the best.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I use Norton 3X sheets cut in 1/4 sheets. For hand sanding about the best I have found. Vince's blue for power sanding.

[Vince Welch]

Hi Jeff,
There is a lot of mis information out there concerning abrasives so let me know if I can provide any information on what to look for in abrasives. Also sample are avalable to anyone as well.

Vince

[Gary Max]

Klingspor Gold---------The only brand I buy for wood, even for power sanding.

[Michelle Rich]

Klingspor's Woodworking shop they have huge boxes of remnants..turner's box and other set ups. It's cheap and works great. I've been using for 20 yrs..

[Greg Just]

I tried these recently and I'm very satisified with the performance and the price: http://www.2sand.com/

[Dave Ogren]

Another vote for Vince's blue discs.
Vince is really good about answering any questions you might have.
Good Luck,
Dave

[allen thunem]

sandpaper?????? who needs sandpaper?
isnt everything that comes off the lathe supposed to be perfectly cut right off the gouge?
it is in my dreams::)) but then again the color of the sky in my world is a different color than most

[Michael Mills]

RhinoDry works best for me.
1+ Indasa Rhynalox (or dry) 2" 25' roll PSA

For 2" disc- + Vince's Blue

Anything else Klingspor

[Jim Burr]

I think Bill Neddow has forgotten more about sanding than any of us will ever know. He has a great tutorial/tell-all-about-it on his website...google for it.

[Kenneth Hakansson]

I'm wondering about ABRANET anyone tried those ?
or is it just hype ?
http://www.turners-retreat.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fturners-retreat.co.uk%2facatalog%2fAbrasives.html&WD=sanding&PN=Abranet.html%23a440#a440

descriptive text copied from that page --
Abranet is a revolutionary new sanding material. The unique, patented sanding material contains thousands of small holes which effectively vacuum up dust and other particles without clogging the surface. The result is seen in a very uniform sanding pattern and a perfectly smooth surface. Airborne dust is minimised thereby making for a safer and healthier working environment.
Available in 5 different grits with 5 sheets per pack or as an assortment containing one of each grit.
Sheets measure 70mm x 120mm

----------------------------------------------------

end of quote

I have never used them or even seen them, but it sounds good
:)
thanks for sharing your ideas and tip ..
you all have a good one
//Kenneth

[Jeff Walters]

Thank you everyone for giving me all this great information. I appreciate you all sharing your knowledge with me.

Jeff

[Mark Levitski]

I will second the votes for Klingspor Gold. After about 6 years turning a lot of bowls and other facegrain pieces, and after trying many kinds of abrasives, the gold is my favorite for both hand and power sanding. Premium Green from CSUSA is similar, but not as flexible. The Abranet is also very good but requires backing pads to save yor mandrels. Didn't like Vince's blue--delaminated for me and was not flexible enough. The Mirka Royal was pretty good and more durable than Vince's blue, but not as flexible as the Gold. Other brands of the gold color are different, such as Mirka Gold. You want the Klingspor with the Egyptian cloth backing. Try the different brands and use what suits you best.

[Thomas Canfield]

Norton 3X. I tear sheets into 1/3 sheets and then tear those in half ending up with 1/6 sheet that I trifold. A piece of mousepad for backup is used sometimes, but this works for most sanding. I like the 2" wafer disks for drill sanding for the harder spots but continue to have problems with the velcro backing on paper and holder.

[John Coloccia]

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Abrasives___Sheet_Abrasives___Color_Grit_Abrasives ___color_grit?Args=

I've been using this stuff. I wish they would get it wider rolls.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I'm wondering about ABRANET anyone tried those ?
or is it just hype ?
//Kenneth

I've recently discovered Abranet, from our last W/C tent event. I like it, although first off, I'd have to give Vince a + 29 or so. He has fabulous products and a great guy to deal with. No afflilation with him.

I also really like Indasa Rhynodry.

Back to Abranet, Thats really nice "sandpaper", actually a sanding screen. Doesn't build up dust and shakes off really easy. Lasts a loong time. I found a realatively cheap source on the bay. You can get an assortment of small sheets for 5 bucks. Which is really pricey. Main drawback. They have a sanding block, that you atach to your shopvac, which gives you dustless sanding on flatwork. The RO discs, I have not tried, since the reviews indicate that the Velcro is a little weak, and the discs fly off. They last a long time, so this becomes a drawback. The Velcro wears out before the screen does.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a sanding pro, since I suck at turning.....

[Dick Wilson]

Jeff and Ken, I wondered when someone was going to mention Abranet. I turn green. Regular sandpaper loads up very quickly. I just got an assortment pack of Abranet to give it a try. Keep in mind that it is expensive, but it lasts a long time. One of the nice things about it is that you can use your air hose to completely clean out the mesh. I am going to buy packages of each grit. If you got the bucks you might want to give it a try.

[Jake Helmboldt]

Has anyone used Vince's ceramic discs? If so, how do they compare to the blue flex discs?

[Reed Gray]

When I tried the Mirka, I could get the outside of one 14 inch bowl, and the disc was shot. I can get a 3 bowl cored set with one set of Vince's blue discs. I do keep the eraser stick handy, and LDD soak my green bowls which really helps any wood to sand out better. I did try the Norton Dry Ice discs, and get almost the same amount of use from them as from Vince's discs, but they cost 2 1/2 times as much. There is a bit of a problem with the 80 grit discs losing the abrasive as you sand with them, but you still end up with as much as you would have if you used the wave type of discs. On a good day, I start at 120 grit. Klingspoor gold is a fairly nice sand paper, but I find my self using the Norton 3x more. I haven't tried the 3m ceramic cubitron or what ever they are called. They are only available in PSA (sticky back) which makes as much sense to me as electric ceiling heat. Mike Mahoney swears by it. I know it comes in sheets, but seems like the price was several dollars per sheet. Mike says it outlasts anything else 5 or so to 1.

robo hippy

[Mike Ramsey]

Been using Rhynogrip from Industrial Abrasives for several years now, great stuff. Buy the 1 yard x 1 yard sheets & cut it into whatever size you want. I make my own pads & this works great for me.
http://www.industrialabrasives.com/1-yard-x-1-yard-hook-loop-sheet-01713-p-338.html

[Neil Strong]

Has anyone used Vince's ceramic discs? If so, how do they compare to the blue flex discs?

I'm currently doing a comparative run on:



Vince's Blue
Vince's Ceramic
Vince's Cera~max (a mix of ceramic & alox)
Astra Dot
Some economic no-name stuff


Not through yet, but will share my findings when I've completed that.

I respect Robo Hippy's advice in relation to his method of drying. I am doing my comparisons on air dried wood. There may be a difference.
.

[Reed Gray]

I tried Vince's ceramic discs, and prefer the blue ones. They just seemed to cut better. I did try the Astra dot discs once, and gave the rest away. They don't clog much, but less abrasive = less cutting action.

robo hippy

[Rick Markham]

I simply use the edge of my table saw (about the only thing it gets used for these days!) to tear sheets into about 2x2 squares, or thereabouts, and put them in a multi bin plastic container for that purpose.
:eek: What a waste!!! Don't you know you can store hollowforms and bowls on top of your tablesaw too? :D

[Mark Levitski]

We have the Astra dot for our 8" ROS but have never tried them for powersanding. They seem too stiff, and the edges seemed like they'd cut like a knife on anything w/ some contour. I haven't wanted to sacrifice and cut up an 8" disc just to try a 3" in the drill mandrel.

Mark

[Jeff Walters]

I had a friend turn me on to Abranet and I really like it. It has really made a difference. Now I need to learn the proper way to sand a bowl. There is a lot of info out there and everyoen has a different opinion. So I continue working at it. Presently I am still getting lines in the wood that I cannot sand out. they are like deep scratch marks but I am not putting any great preasure on the sandpapar. I get this with both Abranet and regular sandpaper, slow of fast speed. So I am looking for a little advice.
Jeff

[Alan Trout]

I do not do much power sanding so far as being able to hold the heat I am not sure about any of them. I have used Vince's Blue disk and rectangle shaped pads and I have used Mirka products. They all last a long time when hand sanding and do a good job. The Abranet does not load as quickly and cleans easier then the blue disk particularly when I am sanding my pieces with resin in them. The velcro is stronger on the blue disk then it is on the Abranet but for hand sanding it has not made any real difference. In my opinion I have not found a significant difference between the two. I also keep an index box of the Norton 3x paper for little stuff or when I need to sand something that I do not want to use my good paper on.

Alan

[Justin Stephen]

I use Abranet almost exclusively and have since I first tried it on a recommendation about two years ago. I do not power sand (for the post part) as I find hand holding an abrasive against a spinning piece effective and relaxing.

[Fred Perreault]

I have been using Mirka "Autonet" sanding screen for a year or so. I buy it in a long roll 3" wide, and cut 3"-4" sections off. In the finer grits .... 180-320.... I find it to make a better surface than sandpaper does. I use it with, and without a backing pad. The Autonet is a bit heavier fabric than the Abranet and less expensive, but still conforms to the inside curves of bowls and such. I find that it lasts longer than my Norton 3x of the same grit, and longer than Abranet.

[Mike Cruz]

At this point there have been enough "real" answers for me to say:

NO sandpaper is good for turning. Gouges, scrapers, and the likes are good for turning. Now which sandpaper is good for SANDING turningS? Now THAT is a different question...;)

[Thom Sturgill]

At this point there have been enough "real" answers for me to say:

NO sandpaper is good for turning. Gouges, scrapers, and the likes are good for turning. Now which sandpaper is good for SANDING turningS? Now THAT is a different question...;)

Don't tell me you've never used an 80 grit gouge...

[Thom Sturgill]

I had a friend turn me on to Abranet and I really like it. It has really made a difference. Now I need to learn the proper way to sand a bowl. There is a lot of info out there and everyoen has a different opinion. So I continue working at it. Presently I am still getting lines in the wood that I cannot sand out. they are like deep scratch marks but I am not putting any great preasure on the sandpapar. I get this with both Abranet and regular sandpaper, slow of fast speed. So I am looking for a little advice.
Jeff

I like the Abranet too. Remember that the dust is just as hard as the wood you are sanding. Clean between grits.

[John Keeton]

I have never used Abranet - never found a need for it quite honestly. IMO, scratches or sanding marks that remain are due to the method - not the abrasive being used. You may want to consider wet sanding starting at 220 or 320.

[Thomas Canfield]

I found the Norton 3X torn to 1/6 sheet and folded in thirds work well for sanding bowls and most other sanding uses. A small pad like a mouse pad helps to cushion the paper. Folding in thirds allows better use of the paper and stiffens the paper, but the Norton 3X even triple is fairly flexible. I bought packs of 25 sheets of 80, 120, 150, 220, 320, and 400 grit and it looks like they might last almost a lifetime with good tool control. In my case, at least several years. The 3X greatly reduced my angle drill sanding disk sanding which is a good deal since my Milwaukee went bad. Pick a good grit spread and try some .

[Justin Stephen]

I have never used Abranet - never found a need for it quite honestly. IMO, scratches or sanding marks that remain are due to the method - not the abrasive being used. You may want to consider wet sanding starting at 220 or 320.

I don't think a piece of 180 grit Abranet sands any better than a piece of 180 grit sandpaper from any quality manufacturer. However, that piece of Abranet will last much, much longer and resist build-up much more effectively (and are much easier to clean what does build-up out of). The other thing I absolutely love about Abranet are the "grip interface pads" that they sell for use with the sanding sheets. They are a dream-come-true combination for hand sanding.

[Anthony Diodati]

l notice instead of a blue disk being called 2" or 3" Vince's blue disk's are called 2 3/8" and 3 3/8", are these what you would use with a 2 and 3" pad, and they are designed to extend a bit past the pad?
Prices seem reasonable, what is his shipping like cost wise?

Thanks, Tony

[Mike Cruz]

Yes, but I don't really think that was the question, Thom (even though my 80 grit gouge gets its fair share of a workout...). I think he wanted to know what kind or brand to use. But you point is taken...

[Justin Stephen]

l notice instead of a blue disk being called 2" or 3" Vince's blue disk's are called 2 3/8" and 3 3/8", are these what you would use with a 2 and 3" pad, and they are designed to extend a bit past the pad?
Prices seem reasonable, what is his shipping like cost wise?


I believe they are a little bigger so that they will roll over the rounded edge on his "innerface" pads:

http://vinceswoodnwonders.com/firm-and-soft-innerface-pads/

[Curt Fuller]

I simply use the edge of my table saw (about the only thing it gets used for these days!) to tear sheets into about 2x2 squares, or thereabouts, and put them in a multi bin plastic container for that purpose. That is also how I store my sanding disks from Vince - keeps the dust out of them.

I like the idea of tearing the sandpaper into small pieces. Seems like so much less waste and a full sheet lasts a long time when using it that way. I use this to cut them up, just a scrap of plywood and an old hacksaw blade.

251317

[Bob Meyer]

I use Vince's disks for power sanding bowls with a right angle drill. I use Rhyno white 9 x 11 sheets for any hand sanding on bowls or for spindle work. I get them from Industrial Abrasives. Usually get 2 or 3 friends to put order in to get best shipping and share the shipping.

[Richard Jones]

I found the Norton 3X torn to 1/6 sheet and folded in thirds work well for sanding bowls and most other sanding uses. A small pad like a mouse pad helps to cushion the paper. Folding in thirds allows better use of the paper and stiffens the paper, but the Norton 3X even triple is fairly flexible. I bought packs of 25 sheets of 80, 120, 150, 220, 320, and 400 grit and it looks like they might last almost a lifetime with good tool control. In my case, at least several years. The 3X greatly reduced my angle drill sanding disk sanding which is a good deal since my Milwaukee went bad. Pick a good grit spread and try some .

Exactly this for me, as well.

[Anthony Diodati]

l notice instead of a blue disk being called 2" or 3" Vince's blue disk's are called 2 3/8" and 3 3/8", are these what you would use with a 2 and 3" pad, and they are designed to extend a bit past the pad?
Prices seem reasonable, what is his shipping like cost wise?
Thanks, Tony

I believe they are a little bigger so that they will roll over the rounded edge on his "innerface" pads:
http://vinceswoodnwonders.com/firm-and-soft-innerface-pads/
OK thanks, Now i have the 2 and 3 inch sanding pads for a drill, from klingspore, these innerface pads should work on my sanding pads from klingspor;correct?
I assume they are hook and loop on both sides of the innerface pad?
Thanks,
Tony

[Justin Stephen]

OK thanks, Now i have the 2 and 3 inch sanding pads for a drill, from klingspore, these innerface pads should work on my sanding pads from klingspor;correct?
I assume they are hook and loop on both sides of the innerface pad?
Thanks,
Tony

I'm not sure. Call Vince and ask him. He's very helpful on the phone to my recollection.

[Anthony Diodati]

I'm not sure. Call Vince and ask him. He's very helpful on the phone to my recollection.

OK Thanks, I just ordered the 2" 3/8" blue starter kit, So I'll see if they fit the other ones.

[Anthony Diodati]

OK Thanks, I just ordered the 2" 3/8" blue starter kit, So I'll see if they fit the other ones.

l like how these blue disks cut, they even seem to sand when the wood is not completely dry.
When I ordered the starter kit, I ordered extra 320, I guess I was thinking it was not in the starter kit.
But looking at the web site, I see it includes ,Grits: 80,120,180,220,320,400.
In less I got mixed up, and was thinking I wanted to add the 150 grit,but ordered the extra 320 instead.
Do you feel the grits included in the starter kit are all you really need for the most part, and I not need to add the 150?
It is good that in the starter set, the disks were in order, as I see on a lot of them, they were not marked.

I was sanding a piece through the included grits, went up to 320, but still had some scratches from the lower grits, I will have to go over it again.
I think what I was doing wrong was, I was using the soft interface pad for all of my grits, as I like the feel to it, and I like how it conforms the disk to the work.
But I see on Vince's site, he says to use the Firm radius disk, I think it's yellow, for the lower grits. and just use the soft pad for the higher grits, 220 and above.

[Scott Hackler]

I don't think missing the 150, is going to hurt. The jump between 120 and 180 is prety close. i use the pink ceremax (sp?) from Vince and usually try to start at 120 or 180 IF I did a decent job. Then I use the grits that are coming with your kit. If it's a pen or any type of finial or acylic...I will continue sanding with micro mesh pads to around the first 3-4 pads. That usually covers it. For general wood forms I generally stop and am fairly happy with using Vinces 400 (although I will occationally take a sheet of 400 wet dry (its cheap and available at WalMart) and "touch it up".

[Anthony Diodati]

the 400 wet/dry, are you using it wet?

[Hayes Rutherford]

Jeff, lots good advice here and you probably have 2 and 3 inch pads and an angle drill by now. Abranet is an amazing abrasive as well and I'm hooked on it for the outside of large bowls using a soft interface pad in the 5" size. I completely gave up on using it inside of bowls because the edges of the screen gave me scratches.

The best results from any sandpaper are when you use it like someone else is paying for it.

[Scott Hackler]

Not usually. I only buy this 3M wet dry in 220,400 and 600 when I go to WalMart because the grit is very consistant, it's relatively cheap and Walmart carries it! Since I do a fair share of finials and toothpick sized stuff, I like to sand them with this paper torn into 1" strips, folded in 1/2 length wise. Perfect for my finger to be directly under the paper.

[Scott Hackler]

...The best results from any sandpaper are when you use it like someone else is paying for it.


Great advise. For comparison, if I am turning a bowl...I will generally go through the following discs:

1 - 80 or 100 or 120 (depending on tearout and/or turning job I did)
1 - 180
1- 220
2 - 320
2 - 400

This is for the entire piece. The lower grits might be reused another time or 2, but the 220 and up get thrown away...they're DONE.

[Anthony Diodati]

Great advise. For comparison, if I am turning a bowl...I will generally go through the following discs:

1 - 80 or 100 or 120 (depending on tearout and/or turning job I did)
1 - 180
1- 220
2 - 320
2 - 400
This is for the entire piece. The lower grits might be reused another time or 2, but the 220 and up get thrown away...they're DONE.
Are we talking power or hand sanding here, or both?

[Brian Kent]

I bought a pack of carborundum 220 grit from Rockler (online) simply because of the great price - $5.99 for 10. It does an amazing job of smooth surface and material remover.

I always finish with 4 abrasive pads by 3M.

[Anthony Cayll]

Another for Vince for discs and Klingspore for paper. When you order discs from Vince, be sure to specify 2 3/8" if that's the size you are looking for. He will send some 2" to eliminate stock. Excellent customer service and product/price.

[Anthony Diodati]

Another for Vince for discs and Klingspore for paper. When you order discs from Vince, be sure to specify 2 3/8" if that's the size you are looking for. He will send some 2" to eliminate stock. Excellent customer service and product/price.

Really, IDK, I ordered the 2 3/8" starter kit, as far as I know they are 2 3/8". They stick out past the sanding pad.
Hand sandpaper, I have a lot of belt sander remnants I brought a long time ago at the flea market. It seems to last well, and cut well.
It is getting harder to find locally though.

[Anthony Diodati]

is the carborundum 220 grit from Rockler a sanding disk or hand held paper?
Mc Master had some abrasive pads in rolls, 4 or so "grits" for around $50.00 something, I don't know if there as good as 3 m.
I got a few boxes of the maroon from Enco, but they don't seem as good as the 3 m maroon pads.

I bought a pack of carborundum 220 grit from Rockler (online) simply because of the great price - $5.99 for 10. It does an amazing job of smooth surface and material remover.

I always finish with 4 abrasive pads by 3M.

[Brian Kent]

The carborundum 220 is a cloth-backed sheet.

[Scott Hackler]

Are we talking power or hand sanding here, or both?

Power (for the discs I buy from Vince). I only hand sand with flat sheets and from habit and ease of purchase the 3M wet dry stuff (sanding dry).

[Anthony Diodati]

Great advise. For comparison, if I am turning a bowl...I will generally go through the following discs:


Power (for the discs I buy from Vince). I only hand sand with flat sheets and from habit and ease of purchase the 3M wet dry stuff (sanding dry).

I must have read it to quick, you did say disks. :confused:

Used the harder yellow interface pad today, I also used it with the 2" gold ones from Klingspor, the ones with the little tabs that extend past the pad. Worked pretty nice.
My piece of blue 80 from vince was sort of catching and got wrinkled up a few times, and flew off, The Klingspor's stayed on nice.
I'll have to try them some more, (Blue ones) cause I do like how they cut. Don't know why my velcro is wearing out on the sandpaper.
I am trying to not press too hard, so I don't think I am over heating them.

I have used 600 wet/dry (dry) to sand shellac on a bowl one time. Smoothed it out pretty well too.


The carborundum 220 is a cloth-backed sheet.
I will have to try some, I just ordered something from Rockler too, before I saw this.:mad:
Need $25.00 worth of goods, for free shipping though.

[Justin Stephen]

Jeff, lots good advice here and you probably have 2 and 3 inch pads and an angle drill by now. Abranet is an amazing abrasive as well and I'm hooked on it for the outside of large bowls using a soft interface pad in the 5" size. I completely gave up on using it inside of bowls because the edges of the screen gave me scratches.


For larger, more open forms, I don't have too much trouble using the Abranet/interface pad combo on the inside. For tighter spaces, some edge scratching is a risk. In cases like that, I either whip out the normal paper (like for the inside of a box) or pull out my Vince's disks. I haven't really found scratching to be an issue much, though. On most things, I use Abranet for everything or just powersand the very bottom (80 grit only) to get a little more power/rotational speed and then handsand all of it through the remaining grits.

[Scott Hackler]

I must have read it to quick, you did say disks. :confused:

Yes the sand paper discs from Vince. Like I meantioned before, I use his pink Ceramax discs, but the blue ones are nice too.

You will know if your sanding too fast (lathe) and pressing too hard if you sand, stop the drill and place your hand on the paper. Be carefull it could be HOT. If it is, your spinning too fast and/or pressing too hard.

[Michael Stafford]

I have used all kinds of sandpaper including most of the brands that have been mentioned and they all work well. I use mostly Klingspor gold because I live near a Klingspor store and can buy it for $1.50 or $2 per pound.

The best kind of sandpaper to use is sandpaper bought by someone else. Most of us use sandpaper like it was made from gold rather than the expendable product that it is. Sandpaper dulls quickly and when it is not cutting as it should it is burnishing the wood. The wood might feel smooth but the fibers have been turned over and the grain is not as clean as it would be if it were cut with fresh paper. Change sandpaper frequently and don't reuse a surface that has been previously sanded with. Slow down your lathe and your power sanding device and let the sandpaper do its job. Having a source of good sandpaper like that available at Klingspor for a per pound price makes it easier to not become attached to this disposable tool. Reversing direction when sanding is also a good practice if your lathe allows it and you can lock your chuck on. And lastly don't be afraid to do some sanding with the grain by hand.

Recently I have been using a Sand-O-Flex attachment in my drill for sanding with the grain. It is amazing the finish that this little fingered flap sander can help you achieve. It works best with larger bowls and platters but can be used with large spindle turnings as well. I like it a lot but I like to experiment with lots of different things. Wear eye protection if you try this as the little sandpaper fingers can come flying off if you catch an edge.

Use sandpaper as if Scott Hackler, Mike Cruz, John Keeton, Brian Kent, etc. were paying for it. :p :D

[Anthony Diodati]

Yes the sand paper discs from Vince. Like I meantioned before, I use his pink Ceramax discs, but the blue ones are nice too.

You will know if your sanding too fast (lathe) and pressing too hard if you sand, stop the drill and place your hand on the paper. Be carefull it could be HOT. If it is, your spinning too fast and/or pressing too hard.

I will try that.

[Brian Kent]

I decided to go with what I am hearing from a lot of you. I ordered the Cera-Max starter kit from Vince and the extension to get to the bottom of my mugs. For now I am using a corded drill with a good trigger that allows slow sanding. I'll think about an angle drill another day.