Sandpaper

[Joe Delfino]

If this isn't the right place to post this feel free to move it to the appropriate spot.

Where do you source your sandpaper these days?

I've been away from any woodworking for more than five years but recently started getting my shop back together in a much smaller space then I previously had. And I'm starting to get back in the groove.

Anyhow, as I'm using up my old supply of sandpaper I started looking around and realized prices have gone up on something that was never really cheap to begin with. So where is a good source to by this stuff. I generally liked buying 50 sheet packs and always bought either Norton or Klingspor.

Did I mention, boy this stuff seems like it got expensive :( It's been over five years since I last stocked up and glad I did it then. Retirement is in the very near future, so money is more a factor than before.

So where are you buying these days?

[Richard Coers]

If money is going to be a big issue when you retire for buying sandpaper, I suggest you have somebody else evaluate your finances and you should keep working. The price of sandpaper has never influenced any decision of mine to do woodworking. What does it add to a project? $20 per project? How much does the wood cost? Priced a gallon of poly? You don't mention if you work with hardwoods, plywood, or softwoods. You don't mention if you also need to get random orbit sander paper. You don't mention if you need this for projects that have lots of plywood. If your work is smaller, you can skimp a little on sandpaper. Build a set of book cases and you want to get a premium grade material to reduce the amount of sanding time.

[Joe Delfino]

If money is going to be a big issue when you retire for buying sandpaper, I suggest you have somebody else evaluate your finances and you should keep working. The price of sandpaper has never influenced any decision of mine to do woodworking. What does it add to a project? $20 per project? How much does the wood cost? Priced a gallon of poly? You don't mention if you work with hardwoods, plywood, or softwoods. You don't mention if you also need to get random orbit sander paper. You don't mention if you need this for projects that have lots of plywood. If your work is smaller, you can skimp a little on sandpaper. Build a set of book cases and you want to get a premium grade material to reduce the amount of sanding time.

Having not been on this forum for some time I'll refrain from a detailed reply except to say thanks for looking.

[Johannes Becker]

I saw your question and looked up the 3M Cubitron II sandpaper i have stocked. Price sure went up over the past years. I used to buy them at Menard's and now understand why Menard's doesn't stock the paper any longer. I have had good experiences with supergrit.com for buying Mirka paper and other abrasives in the past. I think I have tried AA abrasives as well.

[Joe Delfino]

Thank you! Looking now.

In the meantime, I've also found a link I used years ago to Hartville Hardware. They carry the Norton packs I have now. I always found Klingspor worked well for me also. From what I remember Hartville were good people to deal with.

I'll post back later, maybe someone else will find the info useful.

[Patty Hann]

If money is going to be a big issue when you retire for buying sandpaper, I suggest you have somebody else evaluate your finances and you should keep working. The price of sandpaper has never influenced any decision of mine to do woodworking. What does it add to a project? $20 per project? How much does the wood cost? Priced a gallon of poly? You don't mention if you work with hardwoods, plywood, or softwoods. You don't mention if you also need to get random orbit sander paper. You don't mention if you need this for projects that have lots of plywood. If your work is smaller, you can skimp a little on sandpaper. Build a set of book cases and you want to get a premium grade material to reduce the amount of sanding time.

To have budget for woodworking is no different than having to budget when house hunting or buying a car.
You don't just budget for the house or car, per se .
For a house you have to consider the taxes, insurance, utilities, even furnishings.
For a car tires,gas, routine maintenance, taxes insurance.
In both cases these expenses vary by the type/brand of item and the one's location.

No one would discourage a would be house hunter or car buyer from a purchase merely because the person inquired/ commented about the high price of insurance.
The customer wants the info to help with his budgeting for his house (or car).

So, a woodworker who lacks the proverbial money-tree in the back yard (some people do have one and God bless 'em) is smart to inquire about the cost of all the related things that go with a woodworking hobby.
Folks here seek (and brag) about getting a discount or killer price on a $20000 CNC machine.

Why is asking about pricing on sandpaper any different?

[Mike Congiusti]

Having not been on this forum for some time I'll refrain from a detailed reply except to say thanks for looking.


Joe, you are a better man that me. I think Richard's comments were a bit snarky and not helpful. I bought these from a recommendation and they work well. I purchased the 5" 8 hole for my random sander. Welcome back to woodworking.

Here are two places. I bought mine from Industrial Abrasives.

https://2sand.com/all-items/indasa-sandpaper/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAtt2tBhBDEiwALZuhAGL5wefQR5h_IrqasY3V 0St-vOY6IVcHxahA2_NV4VS9s5ZBDs1_NxoCJzgQAvD_BwE

or

https://www.industrialabrasives.com/hook-loop-discs-sheets-58-hole-rhynogrip-hook-loop-discs-c-201_253.html?zenid=utgfltsgakooii4k6bhq23hmo3



PS, I'm retired and watch the $$.

[Jay Norton]

I haven’t really compared their prices to anywhere else, but I like their Rhynogrip hook & loop discs

https://www.industrialabrasives.com/

[Richard Coers]

I've never once made sandpaper a line item during the quoting process since it's such a small percentage of the overall cost of the project. It takes a money tree to buy sandpaper? How much are you folks spending on sandpaper? I must have been doing this all wrong for the past 50 years. I guess I got on the wrong track. I wondered about what retirement had to do with choosing a sandpaper supplier? My fault. so sorry to disrupt the discussion.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Joe, you are a better man that me. I think Richard's comments were a bit snarky and not helpful. I bought these from a recommendation and they work well. I purchased the 5" 8 hole for my random sander. Welcome back to woodworking.

Here are two places. I bought mine from Industrial Abrasives.

https://2sand.com/all-items/indasa-sandpaper/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAtt2tBhBDEiwALZuhAGL5wefQR5h_IrqasY3V 0St-vOY6IVcHxahA2_NV4VS9s5ZBDs1_NxoCJzgQAvD_BwE

or

https://www.industrialabrasives.com/hook-loop-discs-sheets-58-hole-rhynogrip-hook-loop-discs-c-201_253.html?zenid=utgfltsgakooii4k6bhq23hmo3



PS, I'm retired and watch the $$.


Thanks for the link, Mike. Have you tried the Indasa paper? Is the grit consistent? I find a lot of cheap brands have inconsistent grit, which leads to stray swirl marks. I have been looking for a better source for sandpaper.

Grizzly has a pretty good price on Diablo sandpaper. They also have a good price on rolls of sandpaper for hand sanding. For some reason the 180 grit is a lot more expensive than the 150 and 220. I see that Home Depot stopped carrying 180 grit, and few people are carrying 6” discs locally. I really prefer a 6” sander for bigger stuff, but it has been hard to find discs locally. I’m going to check out the ones in the link.

[Cary Falk]

Sheet sandpaper comes from Home Depot.
Sanding disks come from Amazon.
Drum sander paper comes from Industrial Abrasive.

[Derek Kessler]

I feel your pain on the sandpaper prices. I've been getting mine from Home Depot for sheets, but when it comes to online options, supergrit.com is my go-to.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I use Indasa 220 and 400 grit paper for hand sanding, and use their Rhynogrip discs for ROS. They seem to me to be good quality.

Supergrit has "bargain boxes" where you get 10 pounds of assorted sanding stuff for $20 plus shipping. I haven't bought one because I only hand sand at the finer grits, mostly, but they might be worth looking into for someone who wants an assortment.

[George Yetka]

I dont have any continual purchase history any one place. I google around when im looking at a product and the best price changes. For discs I started with the festool stuff and it was pricey. Switched to the mirka abranet and it was a little cheaper and lasted much longer. Just loaded up on a couple hundred 3m cubitron II xtracts, havent used enough of it to know if it will stay. I still have 150 or so abranet discs.

A good source is facebook marketplace
Just recently got 302 5" granat discs for $69 shipped
"Lot of Festool Granat Sanding discs, 6inch, 150mm 120 grit-qty 44 150 grit-qty 74 180 grit-qty 92 220 grit-qty 92 Perfect condition in original boxes."

[Rob Luter]

Being a frugal hobbyist I've also been put off by the increased cost of sandpaper. As some have opined, if the cost of sandpaper is a show stopper consider a different hobby. That said, here's what I do to stretch my sandpaper dollar:

1) Buy quality. I buy boxes of 3M Gold sandpaper. Amazon has proven to be a good source. My local Borg has a deal on some too. I'm sure there are other brands with equal performance but that's what is available near me. The grit stays put on the backing, it cuts well and lasts long.I find it lasts 2-3 times as long as cheap (relatively speaking) generic home center paper.

2) Use a proper sanding block. I picked up a couple of "Preppin' Weapon" sanding blocks on sale. They use a 1/4 sheet of paper and assure even pressure and even wear. It grips the very ends of the paper so it all gets used.

3) When the paper gets loaded up you can brush the impacted dust out of the grit and get back to work. More life extension.

4) Consider a different approach for fine grits. I caught a sale on ScotchBrite pads on Amazon. I got a box of each in Maroon (fine) Grey (Extra Fine) and White (Super Fine). They leave a silky finish with no discernable scratch pattern. Not cheap, but they really last.

And if I ever really get worked up over the cost of sandpaper, I look at the Lie Nielsen hand planes in my kit and remind myself that good tools might cost more than I want, but they usually deliver the value I need.

[Jim Becker]

One thing I have learned is that quality sanding media is less expensive in the long run because it tends to work longer. That means not throwing it out so quickly. I intend to move more toward mesh going forward, but am also exploring other options. "Santa Claus" brought me a pack of 80 grit from a company called Serious Grit just to try out as that's the one abrasive I go through a lot of for whatever reason. Other than that, I've stuck with the Festool Rubin and Rubin II but am considering both 3M and Mirka options.

[George Yetka]

One thing I have learned is that quality sanding media is less expensive in the long run because it tends to work longer. That means not throwing it out so quickly. I intend to move more toward mesh going forward, but am also exploring other options. "Santa Claus" brought me a pack of 80 grit from a company called Serious Grit just to try out as that's the one abrasive I go through a lot of for whatever reason. Other than that, I've stuck with the Festool Rubin and Rubin II but am considering both 3M and Mirka options.

Jim those are the 2 I'm currently running.

Both seam to last very long. The 3m breaks apart faster at the edges but is half the price. I feel that the Mirka has better extraction because its more open mesh. I have used much more of the Mirka abranet.

The 3m tests well because they use a machine to test it super flat on a board. This doesnt show real life. Sanding face frames, I broke a bunch when moving from rail to style. I also broke Abranet but not as much.

Mirka offers an Abranet Ace HD in low grits 40-120 so if you are using a lot of 80 that may be best option. Its Ceramic and has very high wear resistance. Im using the standard Aluminum oxide stuff and its great.
Leevalley sent out a Mirka catalog that details all of their offerings pretty well. They also have a ton of different sample packs of all types of Mirka paper/pads

[James Jayko]

Sharpen up those hand planes. Sanding sucks anyway; use the rising costs to get better at getting a finish ready surface off the plane?

[Jimmy Harris]

HOT TAKE ALERT!!!

I go cheap on sandpaper. Maybe the expensive stuff lasts longer, but the way I sand is I go through various grits really quickly, so I don't stay on one grit long, so wearing sandpaper out isn't usually an issue. Sometimes I have to get the expensive stuff because it's all I can find locally in the grit I want, and while I agree it's usually better paper, it doesn't produce better results and still costs me more in the long run.

The one sandpaper I absolutely hate is the 3M Precision Pro Grade. The sandpaper side is great. No complaints. But the sticky back side always winds up creating a huge mess for me. It melts, peels, or dissolves. Other 3M sandpapers are great, if a bit expensive. It's just that sticky back junk that I hate.

Generally, I get the Ace Hardware brand or Harbor Freight brand (especially in the lower grits). They work well enough and are usually a good bit cheaper. The Harbor Freight stuff in the higher grits doesn't last very long, so I tend to lean more towards the Ace Hardware brand, as it's generally better paper, yet still remaining reasonable in price. But if the HF stuff is on sale or if I'm nearer to that store when I need some, I don't mind using it in the higher grits. It works.

Often times sandpaper wants to get clogged before it actually wears out. If it's doing that, and I don't want to use a lubricant with it for one reason or another, I'll clean off the sandpaper with a shop vac with a brush attachment. It just takes a split second, and since I'm sanding, I already have the shop vac out.

Oh, another thing about me that might matter, I don't really use power sanders very often. I own a few and will on occasion, but generally prefer to sand by hand. More control. Less noise. And by switching through grits quickly, it doesn't usually take too much more time than using a power sander, so long as I'm not doing any heavy shaping (which if I am, I'm usually using a plane, spokeshave, rasp, file, Dremel, etc.). Plus it's therapeutic for the mind and soul.

[Paul F Franklin]

I buy sheets and discs, and drum sander rolls from Maverick Abrasives headquartered in CA. I believe they manufacture their own products in the USA; in any case the quality is as good or better than other products I've used. I use mostly mesh discs now because the dust collection is so good and that extends the life of the discs. I find the Maverick disks resist tearing better than the Mirka discs I used before.

I do intend to try the cubitron discs next time I need some, since they seem highly regarded and I'd like to compare with the Maverick product.

[Justin Rapp]

This can become a pretty hot debate. There are a lot of options out there for sandpaper, and while there is a wide range of quality. I tend to go for Norton or 3M for sheets, which I don't use all that much of. For sanding discs for my ROS I have fully gone to 3m cubitron II xtracts. This is so far the 2nd best sandpaper i've used for my ROS. Festool granat i felt lasted a little longer, but not worth the added cost. I still have some Norton discs left in various grits but once they are used up, that is it. I also have a festool RTS400 and got some sandpaper with a powertec hand sand block that happens to fit the RTS and it's pure crap paper. When this is gone, i'll get the Festool packs. As far as purchasing, I grab them when I need them with whoever has the best price at the moment, total cost delivered.

[Joe Delfino]

I want to thank everyone who responded with their favorites. I just recently got back into woodworking as it's something I really enjoy and should keep me busy as I enter retirement.
Sanding and sanding media is dependent on the project at hand. At the moment I'm mostly into small projects that range from frames to bandsaw boxes so not a lot of need for my ROS at the moment.
My initial intent was that I was looking for sheets for now, but I got a lot of good leads for discs that I'm looking into for the future. I do a lot of hand sanding using blocks and I also got a few good leads that will help with that as well. As time rolls on, I know I will be doing bigger projects just because I really enjoy this hobby.

I never thought this subject would take off like it did, again thank you all!

[Mike Congiusti]

Thanks for the link, Mike. Have you tried the Indasa paper? Is the grit consistent? I find a lot of cheap brands have inconsistent grit, which leads to stray swirl marks. I have been looking for a better source for sandpaper.

Grizzly has a pretty good price on Diablo sandpaper. They also have a good price on rolls of sandpaper for hand sanding. For some reason the 180 grit is a lot more expensive than the 150 and 220. I see that Home Depot stopped carrying 180 grit, and few people are carrying 6” discs locally. I really prefer a 6” sander for bigger stuff, but it has been hard to find discs locally. I’m going to check out the ones in the link.

Malcolm, I've only purchased the ROM sandpaper to which I think works very well. I bought a 3 year supply for sure.