Another sanding question

G

gunsandknives

Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Messages
10
When I'm shaping the scales, it seems no matter what grit, pressure, how gentle or how slow I use the belt sander, I think I'm "burning" the end grain . The wood turns a spotty, dark brown. It's about impossible to sand it out. I've started with as low as 80 grit all the way to 400 with almost no results. Is there a trick to this? Thanks.
 
I don't have too much experience. But what I've come to find, is that some woods like to burn. So, I'll just burn it and hog it off till I get somewhat close. Then with a sharp belt, use the slack portion. Mind you im only using a 1x30, but when I use the slack part I just use light pressure. You can't do it very long, but if your nice and easy you can work the burn out and pretty close to your intended shape. I also do most of my actual shaping by hand with files and sand paper. I do that because it only takes about 1/32 of a second to screw up with a grinder.
 
Weenie,

It an occupational hazard. And, unfortunately, the only way I have found to handle it is to hand sand to finish. It's great for building up hand and arm muscles, to leads to cramps and smooth finishes. Especially walnut and ironwood.

Larry
Tinkerer
 
that's kind of what I thought...good humor too....would getting the wood damp open the pores and maybe make life easier?
 
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