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My grandpa told me to always hand sand the final coat before assembly
He said the machine marks would show through the finish on a big oak dresser I built in 2010, and I ignored him to save time. Sure enough, after three months in a dry house, the tiny swirls from the orbital sander became super obvious under the light. Anyone else have an old piece of advice they wish they'd listened to sooner?
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phoenix_carter12d agoMost Upvoted
Winter heat showing your sander scratches" is just the universe's way of saying "told you so.
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gavinramirez12d ago
Oh man, that hits home. I did the exact same thing with a walnut table, skipped the final hand sanding because my arms were tired. The finish looked perfect... until the winter heat kicked on and every single tiny scratch from the power sander just popped out like a sore thumb. It's crazy how wood moves and shows stuff you thought you hid. Your grandpa was totally right.
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thomas27510d ago
Grandpas know wood like we know our own bad habits. That final hand sanding smooths out the tiny grooves power tools leave behind. Skipping it is just asking for trouble later on.
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