Generally, the answer depends on the furniture type. For refinishing furniture, a palm sander or detail sander offer the best result. For their compact shape, they can accommodate both smaller and larger projects without trouble. On the other hand, belt, random and rotary sanders are suitable for multiple woodworking projects.
What is the fastest way to sand furniture?
Sanding furniture is a strenuous task and can take a long time to finish. With the below tips, you can sand furniture quickly.
Required Items:
The below handy tips will require some tools and products.
- Belt sander
- Random orbital sander
- Sandpaper
- Hearing protection
- Safety glass
- Shop vacuum
- Rags
Tip# 01: Skip Grit
While sanding, using every grit option is unnecessary. In order to get a faster result, it would be best if you chose sandpaper of different grit. For instance, you can choose the 80/120/180 or 100/150/220 grit option sandpapers.
Tip# 02: Use Suction
The responsibility of suction is to remove the dust from the workpiece. We recommend you use a different suction system, even if your sander has a built-in suction mechanism. This way, your efficiency will improve a lot and reduce the required time to finish a sanding project.
Tip# 03: Prevent Swirls
While hand sanding, you will need to press harder and move faster to achieve an expected result faster.
If you put more pressure and move quickly on the flipper side, the result will be the opposite. Moreover, small swirling scratches may appear. Consequently, you need to sand them down, which means adding extra steps in the process.
In this case, applied pressure plays a vital role. We advise you to go slower when sanding using a random orbit sander.
Tip# 04: Stopping Point
Learning when to stop is significantly essential to achieve a good sanding result within a short time. You will most probably continue sanding if you don’t know when to stop. Finally, the expected result will not come.
However, the stopping point relies on the grain and finish type of the wood.
Open Wood Grain: Oak and walnut woods fall under this category. Generally, both wood types have a rough texture and coarse grain lines. So sanding a fine grain line can be a waste of your time.
Closed Wood Grain: Maple and cherry have closed wood grain. A more uniform texture is the characteristic of the closed wood grain. Use finer grits to sand down this wood type.
Tip# 05: Pre-sand
If the wood piece is large and you plan to cut it into small pieces after sanding, use 80/100 grit sandpaper for sanding it down before cutting. This will help you save valuable time. The initial sanding will eliminate milling marks, dents, or scratches. Finally, you don’t need to stop, start, or set up the sanding for individual parts.
Tip# 06: Use High-quality Paper
Avoid buying poor-quality sandpaper because you will not get the required result. Although you will have to pay a bit more for buying high-quality paper, your money will be valued.
Also Read: How To Use Electric Sander On Furniture: 7 Secret FAQ