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In my work as a luthier, I sand a lot of curved surfaces. I’ve found that I can make perfect sandpaper backing pads from “kneeling cushions” sold for garden work. Available at home-supply stores [...]

Tool: Edge-Sanding Guide Shop Now  Manufacturer: Festool MSRP: $99 Sanding the edge of a table or interior of a face frame with a power sander can be a fraught affair. There is huge [...]

Deluxe Sanding and Dust Collection Tool: Dust Extractor Shop Now Sander Shop Now  Manufacturer: Uneeda MSRP: $1289 (dust extractor) $499 (sander) You may not be familiar with Uneeda, but the [...]

  If you’re unhappy with how your stained finish is turning out, the problem might be in the way that you’re sanding. Follow these tips and you’ll be good as gold! Go E-Z [...]

I like to use purpleheart pen blanks because they’re less expensive than other exotic hardwoods. Recently, I stumbled on a cool trick. I discovered that I could cause the wood to overheat and [...]

One of the most mundane – but important- tools in our toolbox is a sanding block. We, and I include here my students in grades four to twelve, are using our sanding blocks during the last [...]

Tool: Pro Grade Precision Sanding Sheets Shop Now  Manufacturer: 3M MSRP: $4.79/pack Everyone knows using the right tool for the job is the way to go, and that rule definitely applies [...]

When turning, I like to have all my supplies close at hand, ready for use.  I use an index card box to store and organize cut pieces of sandpaper. It has a lid and dividers,  so everything is [...]

Tool: Workcenter Buy Now Manufacturer: Festool MSRP: $415 Remember the old adage “a place for everything and everything in its place”? Well, Festool’s CT Workcenter puts everything right at [...]

I’m making and installing approx. 5000-bd.ft. of hard maple trim. Keeping track of what I’ve already sanded is difficult, so before sanding, I rub artists non-oil pastel chalks (also available at [...]

Efficient, cheap and simple to make. This magazine puts a lot of emphasis on hand tools – that is, tools without motors. Common subjects include handplanes, chisels, scrapers etc. But when it [...]

Tool: 5″ Random Orbit Sander BO5041k [Buy Now]  Manufacturer: Makita MSRP: $89.00 Ever wish you had an extra handle on your sander? Not for extra pressure—that would create unwanted swirl [...]