attitudes towards sanding/finishing

[Wade Lippman]

Just wondering how you guys feel about the last couple stages of a project; sanding and staining/overcoating...

[Jerry Wright]

My father who taught woodworking for 42 years always said that 90% of the apparent quality of a piece was generated by the last 10% of the effort - sanding and finishing. I always listened to my father!!!

[Jim Becker]

While what Jerry's father stated is obviously what puts the final result, "finishing" actually starts immediately when you are choosing the material for your project. Very careful attention to final smoothing and then application of the various finishing steps is what first comes to mind...and it's extremely important...but those efforts will not "shine mightily" if you haven't put care into everything prior to that. Mismatched grain and color will never look great even with the best machining/joining/sanding/scraping you can do and the most awesome application of the most expensive finish you can obtain. ;)

I personally enjoy all phases of a project, from conception through finishing and then installation where the piece is going to live. Just today I brought my latest project to where it's ready for those "last" steps...final sanding and then finishing. And I'm looking forward to that!

[Martin Wasner]

My favorite part of the project. I drop it off at the finisher's, he mails me an invoice.

[Joe Bradshaw]

I find that it takes me 1 1/2 to finish sand my lathe projects as it does to turn them.
Joe

[Tom Ewell]

With the advent of dustless sanding, decent waterborne finishes and HVLP sprayers it's not quite as bad as it used to be.

Still enjoy the occasional rub n' buff finishing though.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I didn't see a choice to vote for:
I'd rather gargle ground glass than sand & finish anything.... ;)

[Wayne Lomman]

As Jim said, finishing begins when the job begins. That aside, I enjoy sanding and polishing. I have had the luxury for most of my working life of being paid to do all stages of a project including finishing. I have sanded and finished everything from salt cellars to the largest industrial structures you can imagine and it is all good work. I am not bothered by the odours of hydrocarbon finishes and never have been. Cheers

[Marc Burt]

I didn't see a choice to vote for:
I'd rather gargle ground glass than sand & finish anything.... ;)

This. I loathe it. Though I have to say after finally investing in better sanding equipment and dust control I loathe it slightly less.

I whole heartedly agree with the above that it is the most important part. We can slave and obsess over the joinery (which is what I enjoy) and much as we want but the reality is 99% of people that come in contact with our creations won't care about that. They'll look at it and if we did our jobs well they'll want to touch it. But they'll give almost no regard to anything other than the finished product as perceived through the quality of the finish.

[mark mcfarlane]

I enjoy mindless sanding with good dust collection and a low-vibration sander. I find it therapeutic.

Milling lumber with not-too-complex-joints and power tools is fairly easy if you spend the time to set up your equipment well once, and then have patience when measuring and cutting.

On the flip side, there are so many different variables that go into the quality of a finish (differential wood absorption, intended use (strength of finish), getting the color just right, getting the feel right, getting the sheen right, temperature and humidity at application and curing, compatibility of various 'layers' in the finish,...) that it can be maddening. It's part art, part science.

I accept my current lack of skill as my challenge for the next decade, so I am going to enjoy it, whether I like it or not.

[Rich Riddle]

I voted hate it but put in as much effort. It's akin to watching grass grow but having to be an active participant. The back aches, oh the back aches when doing it.

[Ellen Benkin]

I agree with Martin. I was advised by an expert finisher that if I hate finishing the best thing to do was find a good finisher and leave it up to him or her. Now if I could only find someone who loves sharpening!

[Von Bickley]

I hate finish work, but I usually build something for family members and I know I can finish it better than they can. I wish I had better finishing skills.

[Martin Wasner]

I agree with Martin. I was advised by an expert finisher that if I hate finishing the best thing to do was find a good finisher and leave it up to him or her. Now if I could only find someone who loves sharpening!

Oddly enough, sharpening chisels and block planes really does it for me. Everything else though, hand it off to the carbide guy who stops by every other Monday.

[Mike Cutler]

I actually kind of enjoy it. It's nice when something you've been visualizing for weeks, or months, finally is finished and turns out the way you had hoped.
It feels good.

[Mike Ontko]

I'm well into this stage right now on my (seemingly) never ending bunk bed project (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/album.php?albumid=872). I don't know which process is more frustrating and revealing of one's own failings as a woodworker--glue-ups or finish work. I managed to get past the glue-up stage in this project (94 M&T joints didn't make it easy) with my dignity and self-respect intact, only to find myself questioning my very existence now that I'm seeing where I clearly didn't spend as much time sanding as the LOML wanted me to think I did. Dark stain on prime ash can be a brutal and revealing experience.

[Mike Ontko]

I didn't see a choice to vote for:
I'd rather gargle ground glass than sand & finish anything.... ;)

...or, "I'd rather chew on tinfoil and shave my head with a cheese grater" - Sam Malone (Cheers)

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

I am trying to learn to love it or at least tolerate it which makes me wonder if I should take up carpentry as a hobby

[Prashun Patel]

Invest in a good ROS and good dust collection, and it becomes "less" of a chore.

Also, becoming conversant with a smoothing plane can eliminate a lot of the sanding required at lower grits. I still sand with higher grits to remove track marks and pesky tear out.

The only saving grace about sanding is that it's immediately followed by that first coat of finish which is the BEST part of a project.

[paul cottingham]

Sanding? What is this "sanding" you speak of? I handplane all my surfaces. I don't even mind a little tear out, frankly. One, I'm not that anal about such things. And two, I think it makes my projects -look- like they are hand done. This, of course is a -very- personal viewpoint, and I never judge others based on it. (Ok, maybe just a little... :-) ) For one thing, I can't even hold a ROS any more, my hands won't tolerate it at all. And for another thing, I actually prefer the subtle look of a planed surface, rather than the perfect smoothness of a sanded one.

i do own a sanding block. And some sandpaper. I believe it is the same paper I bought 10 years ago.

[James W Glenn]

Did it for years and worked my self up the corporate ladder to $8.50 an hour.