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Keep the Surface Clean
Connecting to a vacuum doesn’t just cut down on dust. It actually allows your random orbit sander to work faster. Even with the sander’s built-in dust collection system, the sander rides on a thin cushion of dust that prevents full contact between the grit and the wood. So, by increasing dust removal, a vacuum improves sander efficiency. On some sanders, hooking up to a vacuum doubles the sanding speed.
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Slow and Steady Wins the Race
For faster hand sanding, you just press harder and move faster. But with a random orbit sander, that strategy will actually slow you down. Too much pressure or speed creates tiny swirling scratches that you’ll have to sand out sooner or later (often later, after stain makes them visible).
A light touch and patience are the key to avoiding those swirls. Just rest your hand on the sander; don’t press. The weight of your arm provides enough pressure. Move at a snail’s pace; no more than 1 in. per second.
Going that slow feels unnatural and takes some self-discipline. So try this: stretch out a tape measure along your project and watch the second hand on a clock while you sand. After about 30 seconds (or 30 in.), you’ll get used to the right speed.
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Know When To Stop
How smooth is smooth enough? We put that question to professional woodworkers—and couldn’t get a straight answer. (Woodworkers are notoriously noncommittal.) “It depends…” was the typical response. Here’s what that means:
“Open-grain” woods like oak and walnut have coarse grain lines and a rough texture. So sanding to very fine grits is a waste of time. “Closed-grain” woods like maple and cherry have a smoother, more uniform texture. So they need to be sanded with higher grits before the sanding scratches will disappear.
The finish matters too. For thick coatings like polyurethane, varnish or lacquer, most of the guys we talked to stop at 150 grit on open grain woods, 180 on closed. For oil finishes, which don’t create much buildup, higher is better; 220 on open grain, 240 on closed.
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