What grit do you start with when sanding?

[Brad Barnhart]

Mr. Mark, no offense, but if you're having to "sand the crap" out of your work piece after hand planing, several things may be happening. 1)you may be trying to plane to deep at once, & leaving marks. 2) you're using a plane in dire need of a good sharpening. 3)possibly using the wrong plane for the job, or planing to fast. My experience with a hand plane is it should take very little sanding afterwards. You should end up with smooth surface.

Sandpaper can do more quicker than most realize. Depending on the wood, & I use all rough sawn hardwoods, I'll start with 100 grit, & finish up with 220. Sanding has its limitations, & every grit has it's limitations.

[Cary Falk]

80 grit to eliminate defects and finish with 120. Remember that too high a grit accepts less finish so beware unless going natural...

This but I usually start with 120 and end with 120 on most things. The guitar I ended with 220. Most things that I have to stain or dye I stop at 120 so the color takes. I use 320-400 between laquer, poly, etc. for most stuff. If it needs a high gloss high polish then I have some micro mesh in the 1000s.

[Rich Riddle]

80 or 100 grit is typically the starting point. There have been terrible projects where 36 grit was needed, but that's few and far between.

[Chris Padilla]

As to dying maple, I've found the best result taking it to 180 grit and spraying the dye on. I've had to do A LOT of this lately and this works for me.

[Erik Loza]

..There have been terrible projects where 36 grit was needed, but that's few and far between.

I remember when the crew was refinishing our hardwood floors and they were loading a 20-grit disc onto the machine. Had to stop and stare for a second because I had honestly never seen a disc so coarse.

Erik

[Wade Lippman]

80 or 100 grit is typically the starting point. There have been terrible projects where 36 grit was needed, but that's few and far between.

In general that is my answer also, but for the OP's question it is more likely to be 120. He should have a pretty good finish as it is.
Ending is a matter of what the particular wood.

[Joe Calhoon]

80 or 100 grit is typically the starting point. There have been terrible projects where 36 grit was needed, but that's few and far between.

We have one of the few wide belts in the area and do sanding for other shops. We see a lot of poor joinery, cupped and uneven glue ups and planer chip out. We keep a 40 grit belt around for this and call it the "road gravel"
Certan customers pull up and we say "better get the road gravel out"

[Shannon Cuffe]

I start at #180 for machine marks from a thicknesser or router. #320/#400 if I have smooth planed the surface prior to sanding. I will remove machining defects with a card scraper or plane.

[peter Joseph]

Yeah, not to sound like an elitist but I remove any and all "tooling marks" with a plane or card scraper. Only in certain woods can I go from the plane to a finish (ie. tiger maple) which is preferable in some instances. When I do sand, I start with 220 and go up to 600.

[Cody Colston]

I normally start with 120 grit and go up to 220 if I'm using a film finish. For an oil or wax finish I'll go much higher on the grit.

[Chris Fournier]

This question can only be answered intelligently if it is framed by the material, profile/face, condition off machines, use of hand tools etc.

For flat surfaces excluding commercially sliced veneer lay ups I'd start at 180 and maybe even 220 because I have cleaned things up with a hand plane. For the veneer mentioned previously 120 to finish.

For profiles and curvy edges usually 150, 120 if things are rough in spots and the rough spots get the coarse paper only, up to finish.

80 grit is for floors and turnings with some terrible tear out.

If you machines are properly tuned, cutting edges are sharp, feeds are appropriate for the material and depth of cut sanding should only really be needed to touch things up. Sanding at 220 actually kills a hand planed surface in my opinion but sanding an entire piece is best for the finishing stage as colour and films seem to like it best.

A good selection of files is an alternative to coarse paper on some surfaces.

I don't mind sanding at all but I have learned over the years that careful stock preparation and sharp tools reducing sanding greatly.

[peter gagliardi]

We have one of the few wide belts in the area and do sanding for other shops. We see a lot of poor joinery, cupped and uneven glue ups and planer chip out. We keep a 40 grit belt around for this and call it the "road gravel"
Certan customers pull up and we say "better get the road gravel out"

Joe, now that there ^^^^^^^ is funny!
I tried a 60 grit belt, only once in our SCM machine, and it couldn't handle it- wouldn't track well at all.
Of course, it is an entry level machine, made for light work.

With 40 grit, I bet you can almost hear the individual grains hitting the board,

[Martin Wasner]

Joe, now that there ^^^^^^^ is funny!
I tried a 60 grit belt, only once in our SCM machine, and it couldn't handle it- wouldn't track well at all.
Of course, it is an entry level machine, made for light work.

With 40 grit, I bet you can almost hear the individual grains hitting the board,

The shop next door bought a few 36 grit belts. They were making tables from recycled fir and the customer wanted a rough finish. It made an eerie sound. The belt also weighed way more than a typical grit.

I keep a 60 and 80 belt(s) for hogging in the widebelt. Full width passes and I can take .040" passes in most materials with pulling too hard on the machine. Though the 60 is doing the majority of the removal.

It amazes me, (and i can't wrap my head around), how a fine belt removing almost no material pulls so much harder than course belt that it's just hogging material off.

[Chris Padilla]

It amazes me, (and i can't wrap my head around), how a fine belt removing almost no material pulls so much harder than course belt that it's just hogging material off.

Sitting here thinking about it a bit, I would say that there is more surface area grabbing the wood the finer one goes with the grit level.

[Martin Wasner]

Sitting here thinking about it a bit, I would say that there is more surface area grabbing the wood the finer one goes with the grit level.

Yeah.... but if you think of it longer you swing back the other way. Give it more time yet, and you're back to the other conclusion.

I've just succumbed to the fact that widebelt sanders are all made at Hogwarts, and we just aren't told that