Sanding Issues

[Matt]

Total noob question:

Sometimes when i sand ply, and go to wipe off the excess dust my rags catch on the wood and leave little fibers hooked in there. I found a great way to remove them is with steel wool, but why? Why does that happen? I use an disc sander and sand to 220, then i hand sand one more time.

any comments appreciated.

NOOB ALERT!

[Ken Darga]

Plywood has a very thin veneer.

The softwood veneer material is subject to the wood fibers easily separating and splintering.

 

Hand sand ---DO NOT USE a power sander.

Power-sanders are more aggressive.

( "light-weight" palm-sanders are on the market, that are suitable for light sanding).

 

Use 220 grit---with light hand-pressure--- perhaps only the weight of the hand-sanding block.

 

For large areas, cut a full-size sheet of sand paper in half---

fold it over 2x4 block material---sand with light hand- pressure.

 

Sanding blocks can be shop-made from 1x stock, or thinner.

Sandpaper wrapped over a sponge will also suffice.

 

Applying a sanding sealer will reduce the potential of splitting and slivers.