Found out the hard way about grain direction when sanding my bookshelf

I was sanding a piece of oak and it started to tear out. Now I always follow the grain, even on small projects.

3 comments

3 Comments

Ugh, I learned that the hard way with maple too. Using a sanding block and going with the grain helped a lot. Now I always check the direction first.

wendys361mo ago

yeah that grain check @shanef71 is key

the_alex23d ago

Wait, I actually go across the grain first with a high grit to knock down the fuzz. Then I go with it. Works for me, even on tricky stuff like @shanef71 mentioned.