Anyone finished like this?

[Thompmd]

I’ve done this now 2-3x and the results seem ok.

I used to sand up to 1,200 but feared I wasn’t getting deep enough penetration with general finishes Arm R Seal so what I did was sand up to 220 and apply 2 coats and then sand at 1,200 and clean well and apply the final coat of Arm R Seal and it seems fine.

 

[Packard]

When I use wipe-on oil based poly, I sand to 600 grit and apply 50:50 ratio of oil based finish:mineral spirits. 

When I brush on oil based poly I sand to 220 to 400 max.

I think sanding to 600 or 800 grit will affect penetrating stains the most.  I always wipe on a coat of Seal Coat first.  It seals well, and improves adhesion.  Seal Coat is a 2 pound cut of dewaxed shellac.  That is a fairly thin coating of shellac, and is mostly thinner.    I mostly do it because Seal Coat dries really fast and functions as a first coat.  It is one less coat that I need to apply and the re-coat time is about 2 hours (though I have recoated on warm dry days in much less time than that.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

As Packard said, start with a lower grit before the first coat. This will get the finish into the wood, rather than laying on top. Then you can do a finer grit on later coats, as the finish is more sticking to itself, instead of the wood.
Some of this depends on the ultimate goal. It's only really important to sand so fine if you are going for a full gloss finish, think piano. As you get more toward the satin end of the spectrum, the flattening paste is going to obscure the lower grit scratches anyway, so no need to do it.
Also, if there is any stain involved, fine sanding blocks the ability of the wood to absorb it. Most manufacturers recommend no finer than 220.

 

[sancho57]

with gen finishes I usually just sand to 180, spray the first coat as a base coat, hand lightly sand the finish with 220 then spray a build coat repeat the sanding 220, finally the finish coat which i will sand polish or whatever you want to do

 

[woodferret]

The OP had another thread somewhere similar to this.  I think the problem area they have is doing a 1200 before the final coat.  That's too high for proper bonding of any urethane finish.  Sanding 1200 after applying that last coat is the way.

 

[ChuckM]

I’ve done this now 2-3x and the results seem ok.

I used to sand up to 1,200 but feared I wasn’t getting deep enough penetration with general finishes Arm R Seal so what I did was sand up to 220 and apply 2 coats and then sand at 1,200 and clean well and apply the final coat of Arm R Seal and it seems fine.

With Arm R Seal, I more or less follow the instructions on the can:
- Do no thin
- Shake well
- Wood sanded to 220x
- Between coats at 320x
- Do not bluff final coat.

Depending on the article, I may or may not apply a coat of wax after the third (final) coat.

In the old days, I used mostly Minwax polyurethane, now more of the Arm R Seal. I also use it with the hot bath trick in winter days.

I don't quite recall having used 1200x sandpaper in any furniture projects; maybe 600x on pen turning.