I find myself needing a lot of small circles for use on wooden toys. When I cut those disks out with a circle-cutting jig on the band saw, the edge is a little too rough, so I’ve made a fixture [...]
Tool: DEROS Manufacturer: Mirka MSRP: $625 Editor’s note: This review originally appeared in the April 2015 issue of Popular Woodworking. The tool is still available and just as great as [...]
Tool: Contour Sander Manufacturer: Arbortech MSRP: $79 I’ve been building a stacked-lamination piece with plenty of concave and convex curves that require a good deal of sanding. Arbortech’s new [...]
Tool: Table Saw Setup and Sanding Disks Manufacturer: Infinity MSRP: $29.90 This tablesaw set-up/sanding kit from Infinity really hits the mark for me. As I’ve noted in the past, a tool [...]
Sanding is nobody’s favorite task, but if you use these tricks, you might find it just a little more bearable. Flexible Sanding Tool A complex moulding can be difficult to sand. Softening [...]
Clogged sandpaper is really a pain, rendering useless your sandpaper and your effort. I was mindlessly sanding a project a while ago when I looked at my pile of discarded paper and had a [...]
Sometimes I prefer to sand by hand using a rubber block. This method gives me a better feel for the work than using a random-orbit sander does. Blocks like mine have been around for many years, [...]
Before I give my students their sandpaper for the first time, I ask them if they have noticed the depressions in the treads of our school’s stone stairs. Most of them have not, so I continue to [...]
Sometime early in your woodworking career you probably learned that you were supposed to sand sharp edges to soften them. What you’re really trying to avoid is “fat edges” when the finish is applied.
The new Mirka Iridium abrasive paper has proven to be a workhorse in the Popular Woodworking shop. I’ve used it on several builds and I’ve found myself not dreading sanding quite as much.