Tom Bender
08-31-2019, 1:59 PM
As a self taught woodworker I started with whatever wood and inspiration I could find. We had some tools around the farm but not much to do with wood, other than fences and firewood. For a long time I didn't like finishing because it started with sanding and more sanding then applying some kind of varnishy stuff. Acquisition of a 4" belt sander did not help.
Eventually I got a ROS which made a huge difference. Then I could do some reasonably good finishing without boring myself to death.
Now after many years I have two ROS's one with coarse and one with fine paper. And I have better finish schedules. And now I start finishing at the start of a project. Rough sanding the rough cut parts makes measuring and marking easier and more accurate. Fine sanding prior to edge treatments makes those more crisp. Final sanding and finishing as much as possible prior to assembly makes the whole finishing process easier and produces a better finish. My finishing tools and materials are ready to go on a moment's notice and now I enjoy the finishing steps as they come up.
I didn't post this in the finishing forum because the point is that finishing is not a separate activity for me, it is an intimate part of woodworking.
Eventually I got a ROS which made a huge difference. Then I could do some reasonably good finishing without boring myself to death.
Now after many years I have two ROS's one with coarse and one with fine paper. And I have better finish schedules. And now I start finishing at the start of a project. Rough sanding the rough cut parts makes measuring and marking easier and more accurate. Fine sanding prior to edge treatments makes those more crisp. Final sanding and finishing as much as possible prior to assembly makes the whole finishing process easier and produces a better finish. My finishing tools and materials are ready to go on a moment's notice and now I enjoy the finishing steps as they come up.
I didn't post this in the finishing forum because the point is that finishing is not a separate activity for me, it is an intimate part of woodworking.