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Tips

Cool Tip
by American Woodworker Editors Monday, March 8, 2010
Changing the sanding sleeves on a spindle sander can be as tough as removing an old rusty bolt. Next time, try this trick: Put the drum in your freezer for 15 minutes. The cold will shrink the rubber drum and the sanding sleeve will almost fall off.
Fingertip Protection
by American Woodworker Editors Friday, January 22, 2010
I discovered the hard way that sanding on a lathe can be hard on the fingers. Now, to protect my fingers, I cut the fingertips off a latex-dipped work glove and wear one or two of the fingertips while sanding. Not only does this protect my fingertips...
12 Tips for Faster, Smoother, Better Sanding
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, December 2, 2009
by Eric Smith People give me strange looks when I tell them I don’t mind sanding. Yeah, it’s dusty and a bit tedious, but I enjoy watching the fine detail in the wood grain pop out as I go through the grit sequence. That silky smooth surface...
7 Tips for Better Drum Sanding
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, November 4, 2009
If you hate sanding (and who doesn’t?), a drum sander can be a godsend. Just feed in your boards, or even completed doors and other projects, and out they come, perfectly sanded, flat and smooth. And for a modern cabinetmaker looking for speed,...
Super Sandpaper
by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Whenever I was sanding by hand, the sandpaper would roll or slide in my hands, eventually tearing and turning into small, useless scraps. I tried folding it every which way until I finally solved the problem with a little spray adhesive. Now I cut a sheet...
Sanding Guard for Inside Corners
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Sanding inside corners used to leave nasty buzz marks from my sander banging into the adjacent face. I still haven’t tamed my sander, but now I get buzz-free results by protecting the adjacent face with a painter’s edging guide. It costs less...
Duct-Taped Sanding Block
by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, August 18, 2009
by John Vasi 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, but I believe I’ve made an improvement...
Sandpaper Saver
by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, August 18, 2009
by Chip Harding Sanding between coats of polyurethane is tough on sandpaper. And I make it tougher, because I never wait the recommended 72 hours before recoating. But if the finish isn’t bone-dry, the paper is likely to gum up. When my sandpaper...
Toggle Clamp Sanding Block
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, August 12, 2009
I made this quick-release sanding block from four pieces of 1/2-in. -thick birch plywood. The top three pieces are glued together. Wrap a quarter sheet of sandpaper around the bottom piece and slip on the top assembly. The toggle clamp (www.rockler.com...
Dual-Grit Disc Sanding
by AW-Editor Thursday, January 29, 2009
My disc sander is indispensable for both quick wood removal and final smoothing. I got tired of changing and wasting discs every time I needed a different grit, though, so I made one disc out of two. To make the dual-grit disc, I lay two 12-in. discs...

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