Achieving the Perfect Finish: No BS Guide to Sanding like a Pro

switching to this sand paper brand now!

Thank you!

Great content! The interface pad is the game changer and for sure needed with Cubitron

A local body shop gives me their old sandpaper in 55 gal drums. Back at the shop we put on our dust masks and go through and sort it all. OMG those guys waste some awesome sandpaper!! I usually recover about 40 gal barrel of great 3M Cubitrton and have not bought sandpaper in years. Ask if you can "Help" them dispose of it.
Pro tip- pick up the drums near lunch and take them pizza, etc. and the quality of the thrown out sheets increases over time lol.

I bought the Festool ETS 125 something something something with the angle adapter strictly for square-edge sanding, and I have to say... best move I've made in terms of "beyond the basics" for sanding. I couldn't find other (read as: more affordable) sanders with a good 90* adapter, so I completely overspent on the Festool. However: *worth it!*

They really do make good tools, much as I hate to admit it.

Thank you.

I see you’re rocking that Arkfleld Pro. I too keep one in my pocket everyday for inspection. I highly recommend that light

Gotta say, I really like my Black & Decker Mouse sander. That baby saner gets in all the small corners and is perfect for small items like knife and tool handles.

You sound just like Jimmy Kimmel

Thanks for this great video! I wonder if you have any tips and tricks for getting into small nooks and crannies that a CNC could make?

One time, my boss made me sand the edge of the floor in an entire apple store with ryobi random orbit sanders. IT WAS STONE!

It felt like how apple would do it, it also killed 3 sanders, the 4th was basically done and got chucked.

Pretty sure that combination square that has nothing to do with sanding cost more than at least one of those sanders.

Bench flair.

Its like that diner in office space. Where Jennifer Aniston wore the 52 pieces of flair!

great video like always. What is the 3M sander that you had in the video?

I really wish they made cubitron sanding belts for the drum sanders. They do make cloth backed cubitron up to 220 or so grit, so why doesn't any one have that available. Not sure how much of a turner you are, but I can not live without an angle/close quarters drill for my bowls.

I NEVER blow off any of my pieces. That puts way to much dust into the air.

You guys should add this to your No BS playlist when you get a chance 👍

You can also sand hard to reach spots with a multitool. Fein sells a set of very handy sanding pads that take sandpaper. However, most of the time I prefer scrapers for those tight spots.

Sandtronix 3000

Thanks for the video, can you help me figure out the connection piece i need from my ridgid shop vac to a ryobi router or a dewalt sander? my Ridgid hose says 2 1/2" which is standard im guessing, but when I measure it its actually 2 1/4" is that a nominal 2 1/2"? Anyhow, im either going to 3d print some attachments of would like to check out what you have used in the video with that universal connector.

I never thought I could get excited or even passionate about sandpaper. Then I met 3m net. Unbelievable

Sanding all my doors coming up on project list, good advice, isn’t writing with that Black Wing the dream?

Upgrade your sandpaper is a good tip, but also don't stick with your $60 hardware store RO sander forever. If your wrist hurts after 30min of sanding it might be time for a higher end sander, it makes a big difference. (plus they can also remove more material in many cases, but that's secondary in my view)

While skipping grits is bad, you're using too many grits. No need to go from 120 to 150 to 180, for instance. The rule of thumb I learned is that the next grit should be 50% higher than the last grit. So, if you start with 80 grit, then 120. After 120 you can go right to 180. From 180 you can go to 240 since 270 isn't generally available.

Can you say more about how to burnish end grain?

How's that Hook and Loop Scotchbrite Pad or cleaning up a table saw surface?

Protect your ears too - even battery-powered orbital sanders can exceed safe decibel levels and you’re often running them for a long time.

My problem is I bought a cheap sander that’s hard to control. I’d like to get a new one soon for sure but the price for what’s considered a good sander is ridiculous. Your 3m sander you have there is nearly 500$. That’s nearly as much as my table saw. I’d take recommendations for a decent priced sander that would be a good fit.

Really great channel! I am learning a lot

Jonathan, I wanna sincerely thank you for the teaching you provide. You’re a great communicator.

When walking through the grits, I'm really surprised about the steps. Like, 80 to 120 is a 50% increase in number, while 150 to 180 or 180 to 220 are just 20%.
I settled on 80 - 120 - 180 - 240. Or is that a bad idea and the very fine steps are the way to go?

Call me a masochist Jonathan, but I kind of like sanding. Taking a rough, uneven, discolored piece of wood and transforming it into a near perfect surface that will finish beautifully is a joy (albeit a slow one). I work with imperfect live edge slabs that can start out needing serious belt sanding, working from 40 grit up, and then going to a random orbital through all the stages shown in your excellent video. Belt sanding is not much fun, but I find finish sanding can be a calming, almost meditative process. Your body goes through smooth, repetitive motions that allow you think about anything... or nothing? That doesn't mean that I stretch it out - as the son of a cost engineer and OR nurse, seeking efficiency is bred in the bone. This video and your other related ones have certainly improved the quality of my work and cut down on the time spent sanding, leaving me able to do stuff I enjoy even more. Many thanks!

Great video Jonathan! So much good information in here! I hope the No BS series continues!

Sanding - It's the only time I use a BT headset to listen to something (mostly JRE or The Why Files). It's mostly mindless work and you can't really get hurt.

use a pad saver in between your random orbital sander's pad and your mesh disc. friction and heat eventually wear out the hooks and the pad saver is much cheaper to replace than the pad. Non-mesh discs cause less wear.

Jonathan, I always enjoy your videos and have learned so much from them. Been a woodworker now for about 7 years and have a long ways to go. I have a Festool sander and have found the blue sandpaper to be the most durable. How does it stack up to the Cubitron?

Great video again! And thanks for doing the most reliable sandpaper test ever. Bought 3M cubitron straight after seeing the video and it actually turned sanding in to something nice to do. Never thought I would say that 😅

Arthritis, Oh sanding sucks, what hurts more is applying stain by hand (not using a brush), and furniture wax. I use an old rag so I don't have to keep buying brushes between projects and I'm able to apply a more even coat. Please make a video on how to do these finishes without all the pain.

Great Information! Question: I am building a lap steel guitar which is essentially a 3" x 3 3/4" oak board with a thinner headstock. As soon as I cut it to size, I used a hand planer and then a card scraper to smooth the surfaces. Since the card scraper did such a great job (thanks to your instructional vid on how to use them!), should I by pass the coarser 80 and 100 grits and jump to 120 on up?

whether or not you agree with grain popping, if you're sanding to, for example, 220 grit, there is no negative consequence of raising the grain after sanding to 180, waiting for it to dry, then sanding to 220. You'll have done this step without adding any extra work (I consider spraying the wood with water and wiping off the excess to really not be any added work let's be real)

Great sandpaper! Swear by it after stumpy nubs turned me on a year ago or so

Thanks great video 👍
I guess I’m kinda strange, I actually like sanding it means that the project is nearing completion. I’ve been doing woodworking for a very long time at one time the easiest way to flatten a top was with a belt sander, I’ll be using it until I get space for a flatting jig for a router.

Love this series

Came for the knowledge drop, stayed for the double entendres.

"....most of the time...." 😆

The blue tape trick for already sanded surfaces was totally worth the price of admission.

Loved the comment about your parents!

Thanks for the info, appreciate you JKM. I would suggest skipping the 80 grit, life will be better

Question regarding grit progression. You have 80-120-150-180-220 listed, perfect progression through what 3M offers. I generally skip 150 and do 120-180 from the school of thought being your next grit shouldn't be any more than 50% finer than your previous grit. I've personally never experienced any issues with swirl marks by not using 150, but otherwise following this process. Do you use 150 based on personal preference or do you feel it's necessary?

That blue tape is f*cking genius for protecting the faces!! 🤯🤯🤯

Back in the ninety's I worked in a commercial shop and we did a ton...I mean a TON of sanding. One time in the junk mail we got a catalog from a woodworking vendor that had several pages of data on abrasives. Types of grit ( garnet, aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, etc) and also showed the results of an independent lab test, adding that for a small fee, the lab would send a 24 page report. I paid the small fee and was frankly blown away. I had been sanding wrong all my life!

The test focused on productivity. How long does it take samples A, B and C to remove 'x' grams of material...AND how effective is product A, B and C after given times...like 5, 10 and 15 minutes. The lab proved conclusively that Mirka had the best 5" random orbit discs in terms of 'bang for the buck' when factoring in cut speed and wear time. I have used Mirka since...

...until I saw your robot test. I found a starter pack of 3M Cubitron and tried it out. Much better results...much better. While cost is an issue here, the overall time saved in the sanding progression is far more than enough to absorb the 25% increase over Mirka A/O discs. I now have boxes of 80, 120, 150 and 220 on my shelf, and will buy 180 and 320 soon. I would highly recommend this product to ANYONE who operates a random orbital sander for more that one hour a month.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing does not sponsor me in any way, shape or form.

Your voice is all over the place. I turn up the volume, and still cannot hear some words while I can hear most other words fine.

You deliver the best woodworking information on the net, Jonathan. Thank you!