Anyone here skip hand sanding?

[endgrain]

I bought an ETS EC 125/3 a few weeks ago for a pantry and kitchen cabinets I'm building. It's been a fantastic finish sander--I'll  say significantly better and much easier to handle than the RO/125 (which I never really got along with), and the finish is so smooth after I'm done with it I'm wondering why I should even bother hand sanding.

My usual MO is to start with the EC at 180, then 220, then hand sand "with the grain" with 220 garnet.

I was wondering, does any one else here find that the finish from RO sanders is good enough that hand sanding can be skipped?

 

[semenza]

    Yeah, I skip hand sanding. In fact I really can't say that I skip it because I never started doing it in the first place. Exception is sometimes between coats of finish. But I will power sand that too if I can.

Seth

 

[Cheese]

I was wondering, does any one else here find that the finish from RO sanders is good enough that hand sanding can be skipped?

There are 2 reasons to sand the surface between coats. The first is to level the surface and then to abrade the surface so that the next layer of finish will lock into the previous layer. Whether you do it by hand or via machine, das macht nichts, it all really depends upon the finesse of the finisher.

I find that when I abrade the surface by hand, I have more control over the finished product and tend to remove less of the previously applied coatings. This is especially so when applying multiple coats of a water based finish, which seems to be applied in thinner layers.

 

[Paul G]

When spraying general finishes milk paint and clear I typically hand sand between coats so I don't remove too much material. YMMV

 

[sancho57]

depends on what IM doing. Using a water ase finish like GF Endure yes I use a seal coat lightly sand , then the 1st cost and lightly sand then spray finish or finish coat. It I decide to use another coat , no I dont sand

 

[HarveyWildes]

I usually use an oil or Maloof finish, and then I hand wet sand the second coat just to make sure everything stays flat.  If I'm going all out on a finish for a small piece, I'll hand wet sand it to 1200 - 2000 grit.  I'm building a small over-armchair table that is at the finish stage, and I'll probably wet sand the top to 2000, and the rest to 600.  Since I dry sanded everything to 400-600 with Festool sanders to begin with, wet sanding the table top is the only real work.

 

[Poindexter]

I only hand sand on odd profiles, small surfaces, or when I do a 1/3 poly/mineral spirits/linseed oil mix.  All other times I either skip sanding between coats or use the 150/3 sander. 

That odd profile stuff (most of my hand sanding) could be answered with a LS 130 that I haven't pulled the trigger on yet.

 

[semenza]

I bought an ETS EC 125/3 a few weeks ago for a pantry and kitchen cabinets I'm building. It's been a fantastic finish sander--I'll  say significantly better and much easier to handle than the RO/125 (which I never really got along with), and the finish is so smooth after I'm done with it I'm wondering why I should even bother hand sanding.

My usual MO is to start with the EC at 180, then 220, then hand sand "with the grain" with 220 garnet.

I was wondering, does any one else here find that the finish from RO sanders is good enough that hand sanding can be skipped?

  Do you mean skipping hand sanding on bare wood or between coats of finish?

Seth

 

[ear3]

If we're talking about just the wood rather than the finish -- you're right, the surface you get from the Festool sanders is good enough that I don't feel I need a final pass by hand. 

Being spoiled by the dustless sanding on the electric sanders, a while back I picked up the HSK sanding block, which I find to be excellent for spot sanding and touch ups.  I'm not sure if the cost justifies what you get over, say, the Mirka version, but I do find it very useful:http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-reviews/hsk-80-x-130-hand-sanding-block-and-hoses/ 

 

[Coen]

I skip hand sanding wherever and whenever I can. Some odd corners and curves are hard to sand with a machine when you lack a specific sander, but otherwise; no way, I'm not hand sanding anything. I find it a huge waste of time plus the dust irritates in my respiratory system.

 

[sigmatango]

I skip hand sanding when it comes to flat surfaces. Profiles and corners get hand sanding, as well as in between coats of finish.

 

[endgrain]

  Do you mean skipping hand sanding on bare wood or between coats of finish?

Seth

The final hand sanding on bare wood...I was taught the final sanding on bare wood should always be by hand. It just seemed to create more unnecessary work and it looks like it's time to ditch what I was taught.

I do hand sand in between coats if needed, especially after applying sealer (usually dewaxed shellac which raises the grain), but the in-between coats sanding is usually just one or two swipes with a sanding block I really don't mind. Anything more than a few swipes, the sander gets used.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Depends on what I'm doing.  For cabinet panels, machine sanding does the job.  For furniture sanded to the final grit, I always clear out any sander dust - yeah, Festool is darn near perfect dust free, but run a clean rag with some thinner over your piece and see what winds up on the rag.

Then I inspect the piece with a low angle light, and hand sand with the grain.  Then another thinner wipe to double check.

By the way,  I also use compressed air to blow out dust and grit between grit changes.

Hand sanding makes you look at every inch of that piece and gives tactile feedback on flaws you may have overlooked.  Call me anal, but I feel it makes a difference.