I finally hit 100 cabinet doors without a single reject and it made me rethink my whole sanding setup

Everyone says you need a $2,000 wide belt sander to get consistent results, but I did it with a cheap ROS and a lot of patience on a tiny 10x10 shop in Denver, has anyone else found that fancy gear doesn't actually matter as much as technique?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel_martinez841mo ago

That part about letting the paper do the work is huge. I found the same thing with my Bosch ROS when I stopped pressing down so hard and just let the weight of the tool carry it. Switching to a 5 inch hook-and-loop pad also helped me get better dust collection with a shop vac, which meant way less clogging and longer paper life. What grit progression ended up working best for you on those cabinet doors?

coleman.christopher1mo ago

Took me forever to get consistent results with my old Craftsman ROS but once I dialed in the grit progression and let the paper do the work... it's like everything just clicked. Spent years thinking I needed a big drum sander to compete with the pros but my rejects dropped way more from slowing down than from buying new gear. Funny how simplifying your setup can actually make you a better woodworker, huh.