Arrghh - sanding screwup on Pirate's Day

[Jim Mackell]

Needed to sand flush some 30 or 40 1/2 inch plugs on some recent work. I tend to lightly tip the ROS so that the feathered edge is doing most of the finishing work. Wipe down the surface with tack rag and apply first coat of primer. As soon as the wet primer is looked at in the room light, you can clearly see 30 or 40 little depressions on the work!! Looks like each plug was installed with a sledge hammer. Realistically each depression is probably only a couple of thousandths below the surrounding surface but it's such an amateur mistake and it really ruined the day. Always sand with the entire flat surface of your ROS, not the edge.

[Richard Coers]

Just the reason hand block sanding should not be ignored. Seems like everyone has to have a power or Festool something, when a block of wood and a piece of sandpaper works even better.

[Mike Henderson]

What's Pirate's Day?

Mike

[Sam Murdoch]

You don't say you need to save this project but here is one option if you are up to it.

You might try a light sanding over the surface and then skim all the divets with a smooth texture wood filler. Use to use bondo types but learned that bondo is so hard that invariably I would end up with divets around the bondo area as the softer wood would wear away from sanding faster then the filler. I use this stuff now - it dries fast, sands easily, will not shrink and and though it is green, it will cover nicely with a good primer and subsequent top coats even with a white finish. Good luck.

268243

[Jim Mackell]

What's Pirate's Day? Mike Local school kids at summer recreation programs talk like pirates and dress funny. Lots of arrghhhs and eye patches. Granddaughters really got into it.

[Jim Mackell]

I use this stuff now - it dries fast, sands easily, will not shrink and and though it is green, it will cover nicely with a good primer and subsequent top coats even with a white finish. Good luck. 268243 I'll give it a try. We've been using Awlfair but it takes 24 hours to really set up. Thanks!

[Steve Jenkins]

I think that an orbital sander should never be used to try to level anything.The pad is generally soft enough that if you keep it flat you will end up with a slight hump and using the edge will give the results you got. You really need a hard pad like a sanding block or a belt sander ( my preference)

[Chris Hachet]

I think that an orbital sander should never be used to try to level anything.The pad is generally soft enough that if you keep it flat you will end up with a slight hump and using the edge will give the results you got. You really need a hard pad like a sanding block or a belt sander ( my preference)This would be my experience also. But as more of a hand tool guy who works mostly with solid wood and not plywood, planes are my first weapon of choice when it comes to leveling anything.

[glenn bradley]

+1 on a ROS only being for quick-n-dirty, not for flattening. Glossy surfaces only highlight these things. I flush-saw plugs and chisel or plane flat. I agree this is daunting when many are to be done but, less daunting than the repair. Sorry for your trouble and hope for a good fix. If it had shown itself before the primer went on (mineral spirits and cross lighting help) I would have reached for some Timbermate (on Amazon and elsewhere). I was originally drawn to it for its long shelf life as I hardly ever use the stuff. It seemed every time I went for a spot of putty, it was shot. This stuff returns to solution with water so it wouldn't be suitable for surfaces that would be exposed like dining table and bars unless well topcoated.

[Chris Fournier]

The ROS would leave an eneven surface even if used with the platten flat on the work piece. The end grain plugs are harder to sand than the face grain wood and it'll show. A well set block plane, careful chisel work or proper block sanding would work quite well. I haven't found the Japanese flush trim saws to be terribly rewarding for this work.