To sand or not to sand...

[Joe Close]

What are the opinions on finish sanding a project? It seems to me that after using my smoothing plan, (with a sharp iron), the wood just seems sooo perfectly smooth.:D Why follow-up with sand paper? Are there reasons for sanding after you have obtained a nice finish w/ a plane, or is it just a preference sort of thing?

[Don C Peterson]

There are some woods and situations that will require sanding so I don't start out a project saying that I will leave the hand planed surface or not, I just do what the situation requires, but I certainly don't think it's necessary to always sand.

[Michael Faurot]

If the wood feels and looks good after I've gone over it with a smoothing plane--I'm done.

[Greg Cole]

I slipped on the Neander slope to get away from sanding.... to quote another Creeker "sanding is the devils work". Sure the devil is in the detail, but detail can be attained without sanding quite often.
It is a necessary evil as Don says, certain situations call for it regardless. I have been working towards only sanding coats of finishes and after grain raising et al.
With proper techniques, sharp irons & hands on experience only the gnarliest of gnarly grains see sandpaper.... after I give up on a scraper. Some very curly birch (with some neat crotch looking figure) kicked my posterior last year and I had to dig out the random orbit annoyance machine, but it's been put back in the drawer ever since.:D

Greg