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My wife asked me why I always sand by hand before staining
We were in my shop yesterday and she saw me working on a maple dresser. She just said, 'That looks so slow, why not use the orbital for that first pass?' I told her it's how I was taught, that hand sanding gives you a better feel for the wood. But then she asked, 'Or is it just a habit you never questioned?' I've been thinking about it all night. Has anyone else had a moment that made them drop an old, time-consuming step?
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taylor.jessica7mo ago
I read a woodworking blog that called those "sacred cow" steps.
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jesse_lopez147mo ago
Man, that hits home. My dad always taught me to hand-plane edges before gluing, and I did it for years. Finally tried a sharp block plane and got the same joint in half the time, felt like a total goof.
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juliaa654mo ago
Oh, who among us hasn't wasted years on a "Dad special" technique? I spent six months sharpening my chisels on a polishing wheel before someone told me I was just making them shiny, not sharp. Felt like a real genius when I finally got a proper stone and my chisel actually cut wood instead of just reflecting my dumb face back at me. If it makes you feel better, I still catch myself doing the "sacred cow" thing with new tools. Bought a marking gauge last week and immediately tried to use it like my grandpa's rusty old one until I realized it actually has a screw adjustment.
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