Festool Sandpaper For Wood. Which Grits?

[classicflytyer]

Hi,

I own an ES125 5" RO sander and I am looking at the Rubin paper for wood.

Festool offers this paper in 50, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180.

When you do have to sand a piece (as rather than scraping) do you typically use all of the grits? If so why? I would think that I should be fine with say 80, 120, 180? No?

Thanks.

Stephen

 

[Lou Miller]

I keep all the grits on hand, but I use mostly 120,150 and 180. My planer leaves a pretty nice surface, so I never really need to start with anything rougher than 120 and often times go right to 150.

You can get away with skipping a grit if you want. Basically, each grit leaves a slightly different scratch pattern. Each finer grit is just removing the scratches left by the prior grit. IME, skipping grits just makes sanding take longer with a paticular grit. If I go from 120 to 180, it takes longer for the 180 to remove all of the marks from the 120 than if I had used 150 in between. As long as you end up with the results you're shooting for, what's the difference?

 

[sroxberg]

I have 80.100,120.150,180 in Rubin.

Most of my sanding goes 120,150,180 and I stop. I wouldn't skip any and agree with the prior poster about the next grit taking longer if you do.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Agree with the advice above.  I rarely use 80 or 100.  I use a lot more 120 than 150 or 180.  If I'm making a very formal finish that will be rubbed out, I might go to 220, but that's rare.  Rubin is best for bare wood.

 

[Ned]

Check me on this.

Assume that you're always sanding in one kind of situation, let's say table tops.

It seems to me that you will always use more of the starting (coarsest) grit, whatever that is, since the starting grit is smoothing the wood from some unsanded state to that grit's smoothness.

All other grits you use are just removing the scratches left by the previous grit.

For example, if you start from 120, that first grit takes the work from unsanded to 120 smoothness, and the amount of sanding required to get there may vary from project to project.

When you change to 150, you're always sanding a 120 surface and bringing it to 150 smoothness.  Because the 150's job is always the same, the amount of 150-grit paper you use would vary only with the area, and should be predictable.

My conclusion:  you will always use more of your starting grit than the grits that follow.  My experience seems to confirm this, but I'd like to hear other opinions.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Check me on this.

Assume that you're always sanding in one kind of situation, let's say table tops.

It seems to me that you will always use more of the starting (coarsest) grit, whatever that is, since the starting grit is smoothing the wood from some unsanded state to that grit's smoothness.

All other grits you use are just removing the scratches left by the previous grit.

For example, if you start from 120, that first grit takes the work from unsanded to 120 smoothness, and the amount of sanding required to get there may vary from project to project.

When you change to 150, you're always sanding a 120 surface and bringing it to 150 smoothness.  Because the 150's job is always the same, the amount of 150-grit paper you use would vary only with the area, and should be predictable.

My conclusion:  you will always use more of your starting grit than the grits that follow.  My experience seems to confirm this, but I'd like to hear other opinions.

That's always been my experience.  Of  course, if you use wayyy more 120 than others, maybe you should start with a lower grit.