Reccomendation for best sandpaper

[Justin Urbantas]

What brand/style of sandpaper would you folks suggest that does the best job on maple with the least clogging and longest life. Basically hunting for the best sandpaper I can get. Thanks.

[Gordy]

Justin, shootin buddy and I were at Woodcrafters and happen to stumble across a little sanding block made by Norton. It included various grits of Norton brand sandpaper with it. It's similar to a velcro type backing on the paper. That thing was unbelievable, and the life of the paper is very impressive. I just finished a SMR build and used this sanding block. It's the perfect size for our purpose, the paper you can use over and over. Here's the info,
Norton - MultiSand Detail Sander Kit
Item 161432
Model 07660768240
Actually I was at the AOLRC show in Marietta Ohio this past weekend, so I ran over to Woodcrafters in Parkersburg, WV. and bought another one of these little gems. I gurantee you won't be disappointed.
Have a great day !

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I buy my sandpaper at Home Depot.  Norton brand is the best I've found. I buy the yellowish/tauny coloured stuff.

[Tim Crosby]

 I have stayed with 3M Advanced Abrasives W/No-Slip Backing ever since I first used it some years ago. It is tough stuff and doesn't tear like some, seems to be more flexible and it stays in place on your block/stick whatever you are using better.

  Tim

[Scota4570]

I have stayed with 3M Advanced Abrasives W/No-Slip Backing ever since I first used it some years ago. It is tough stuff and doesn't tear like some, seems to be more flexible and it stays in place on your block/stick whatever you are using better.

  Tim

What he said.  The grains are sharper and cut easier.  My pack is marked "3M pro grade precision advanced sanding sheets".  I used to use the black metal oriented type.  I never liked the tan old fashioned type.  I have not seen flint paper for years but it was terrible. 

[ron w]

best thing you can do is stay away from abrasives from places like Harbour Freight and other similar discount stores. secondly, learn to recognize when your sandpaper gets dull, and change it before that happens.  third,...keep sanding to a minimum on any hard wood and use progressively finer grits in small steps. sanding is a lot work and using small steps in grit seems like not much is happening, but your finish will expose the results.

[Flint62Smoothie]

... keep sanding to a minimum on any hard wood and use progressively finer grits in small steps. sanding is a lot work and using small steps in grit seems like not much is happening, but your finish will expose the results.

True!

And most don’t recognize it ... or may have never heard it expressed properly ... but the way that progressive sandpaper grits were “designed” is that the next highest grit number’s only purpose is to remove any sanding lines from the lower preceding grit number.

[Bill Raby]

I usually get that purple stuff at Home Depot.

[ron w]

yup, I find that to be pretty good sandpaper, too. "Sandbaster"  I think it's called.

[Dphariss]

What brand/style of sandpaper would you folks suggest that does the best job on maple with the least clogging and longest life. Basically hunting for the best sandpaper I can get. Thanks.

I bought some "non-clogging" 120 at Ace with a really shiny backing. Seems to last better than the usual garnet paper.
Works pretty good for evening contours if double stick taped to a steel rod or what ever fits. Does not clag as fast so I don't have to replace it as often. YMMV..


Dan

[ron w]

I think the biggest box of "scraps" that I have in my shop is a box of used sandpaper. in building furniture, it's a considerable layout of money to stay well stocked in the various grits that are most used.

[RichG]

what ever brand of paper you buy it will  last longer and clog less if you face your sanding blocks with cork or rubber so that it flexes slightly. I use surgical tubing slipped over pieces of old ram rods for small corners/contours.

[Mike Brooks]

I never ever use a backer of any type for sand paper. I always use my hand. I wouldn't recommend that to every body, but I live pretty close to the edge. I have seen a lot of guys really ball up a sanding job with out backers.

[ron w]

a lot of misunderstanding when comes to the use of sandpaper. some guys seem to think it should/can be used for shaping,.....that's usually when things get all balled up as Mike Brooks said. shaping should be pretty much done by the time the sandpaper comes out. the other issue is that it's fairly common to skip grades when sanding down to finish surface. a lot of god work is over sanded because of this. good clean, sharp, fresh sandpaper should be used sparingly if you want all the detail of the wood's grain to come out when you apply your finish. over sanding results in flat surfaces not being truly flat and the grain being crushed or flattened, which kills the clear and vibrant appearance of the wood's grain structure.  it's pretty much impossible to not use any at all when making a stock, but the knowing when to use it and how much to use it can make or break a stock's appearance.

[Justin Urbantas]

I never ever use a backer of any type for sand paper. I always use my hand. I wouldn't recommend that to every body, but I live pretty close to the edge. I have seen a lot of guys really ball up a sanding job with out backers.

How do you keep it from wallowing out around patchboxes, inlays etc..? That's my biggest trouble area without using backing.

[Mike Brooks]

I never ever use a backer of any type for sand paper. I always use my hand. I wouldn't recommend that to every body, but I live pretty close to the edge. I have seen a lot of guys really ball up a sanding job with out backers.

How do you keep it from wallowing out around patchboxes, inlays etc..? That's my biggest trouble area without using backing.

I don't over sand. I scrape all of the file marks out then sandpaper is used to whisker. I'm really not removing any wood, just fuzz.

[ron w]

yup, knowing when to stop is the key. keeping sanding to a minimum. most guys don't stop son enough and end up sanding low spots or knocking off sharp corners that should stay. never sand without a stiff backer,...never. I have some that I shape to fit closely to the curves I most often shape and am always making specific balers as I build a stock. nothing ruins the clean lines of a nice stock more than over sanded surfaces that don't look flat anymore or over-rounded corners from the sandpaper wraping around an edge while sanding at flat area because you just had the sandpaper on your fingers. the only time I ever don't use a backer is for the very final sanding with 220 grit or so evn then I pay special attention to stay away from edges and keep flat surfaces flat with paper that doesn't cut much more than a very fine dust. I personally would rather a few small scratches in a finish that areas that are obviously over sanded.

[ron w]

recently I came across some sandpaper I really liked, but never saw anywhere before. it was fine, 220 or so and had a Mylar (I think) backing instead of any kind of paper. I don't even remember where I found it, but I sure would like to find some more. it cut real clean and lasted a long time and was great for small areas of high detail. anybody have an idea where it came from ?.

[Craig Wilcox]

For most sanding, I use Shop Smith's "Film Finishing Sheets".  It comes in P120-P320 grades, and is really fairly long lasting,  The film backing does act a wee bit as a backer.  It does NOT fold too easily with that backing film, so I cut it into smaller pieces for use.  As for years I have used a 1/4-sheet random orbital sander, that is the size I still get.  It is not real cheap, by any means, but as I said, it seems to last well.

Generally available at Lowe's in their hand tool area.  Use double-sided tape to fasten it to a backer.  It does claim to have an "anti-clog coating", and it seems to work well.

[ron w]

good sandpaper isn't cheap. it's one of those things that..... "you get what you pay for". a lot of it's cost comes from knowing when it is used up and time to change pieces.  the quality of your finish is contained in that statement as well.

[Jim Kibler]

I like to use Mirka.  Works pretty well.  We buy the PSA backed rolls.

Jim

[Justin Urbantas]

 Thanks for the tips, guys. I'll try a few and see what I like best.

[TommyG]

Years back silicone carbide paper was the way to go.  Was more readily available, more affordable, cut fast and had a decent working life. Seems like it is harder to find these days as opposed to AO paper.  I have been using the flexible stuff 3M makes (pics below).  My local Lowes carries it, 150, 200 & 320.  A bit pricey, but does last longer than paper backed and is easier to work with when backed on longrifle contours.  Maybe this is the stuff that RonW was talking about as it does have sort of a "Mylar" looking back to it.  Works really well on metal as well.  You can cut it into strips for polishing guards, thimbles, etc.  You can stretch this stuff like taffy to get into some really hard to reach places.  Still need to use paper backed for certain things as you can fold it to make it stiff for detailing.  As others have said, I shape with tools and finish with paper.  Also, I never use anything coarser than 120g and move up from there.