Sanding With The Grain

Can a conventional palm held vibrating sander ( DA I gess they are called) work ok when sanding wood? Or must I sand by hhand to keep with the grain? They say there is no such thing as a stupid question but this one just might be borderline. Anyway please advise.
Thanks & take care. Bob

I looked up da sanders, and you prob don't want to use those for sanding a body. What you need is an orbital sander like this one. (it vibrates) A dual action sander is wrong for the job...imho. I try to go with the grain as much as possible and use finer grades than I'd normally use with hand sanding.

http://media.toolking.com/catalog/product/cache/1/image/275x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/d/2/d26451k_k1.jpg

thanks flyingbanana i googled the sander I have and traced the image to getwoodworking.com so I think its not a da but a vibration. here is the photo:
http://www.getwoodworking.com/sites/5/images/article_images/makitaSander_header.jpg

i`m going to give it a try (under the pg) since i`m only @120 grit. thanks again & take care. bob

That one is not a da sander...you'll be ok. The DeWalt pictured is the one I use. I'd use a finer grit. 120 in my opinion is way to course unless you are removing paint...then work your way to 320/400. Honestly, starting with 220 would be better....less gouges and fine sanding later.

Yes i am removing stain & contouring edges. I have 220 ready to go next then 400 which should be enough. Then will finish with tru-oil & 0000 artificial steel wool. Thanks again & take care.

Yes i am removing stain & contouring edges. I have 220 ready to go next then 400 which should be enough. Then will finish with tru-oil & 0000 artificial steel wool. Thanks again & take care.

Post pic of your progress here....we all love to see how things are coming along. Keeps things exciting around here...:grin:

OK Will do. Take care. Bob

thanks flyingbanana i googled the sander I have and traced the image to getwoodworking.com so I think its not a da but a vibration. here is the photo:
http://www.getwoodworking.com/sites/5/images/article_images/makitaSander_header.jpg

i`m going to give it a try (under the pg) since i`m only @120 grit. thanks again & take care. bob

That is commonly referred to as a 1/4 sheet sander, and I have built dozens of guitars using either a Milwaukee or Rigid brand 1/4 sheet sander to sand the bodies and necks of my guitars.

On rough wood, I start with 60, then 100, then 150, then 220.

On wood that has been run through a planer or isn't that bad, I start with 150.

The trick is to let the weight of the sander do the work. Don't try pushing down or angling the sander.

Thanks Colt. I too began at 60 grit because I had a LOT of sealer to get past in order to be able to use stain (not paint).So you think I will be good to go when I finish 220 grit huh. I will be using 400 to feather the edges where the burst colors blend. Hopefully I can make that work. If not I will stain one color. I am not set up to spray. Take care. Bob

flyingbanana you asked for photos here is a brief update on my progress to date.
Shown here is various stage of sanding.
Sealer partially sanded away:

http://northland.smugmug.com/Music/Bass/i-cZsqsFm/0/L/010-L.jpg
http://northland.smugmug.com/Music/Bass/i-Zpws9XL/0/L/030-L.jpg
Bare wood:
http://northland.smugmug.com/Music/Bass/i-z87j4xR/0/L/010-L.jpg

Applied yellow food color in nail polish remover:
http://northland.smugmug.com/Music/Bass/i-26k6wh4/0/L/008-1-L.jpg

Was too lemon so I added a little vanilla flavor to warm it up trying to get a honey blond for the center of my burst:
http://northland.smugmug.com/Music/Bass/i-nQmXQTR/0/L/009-1-L.jpg

Next I may use worchestershire sauce for the medium shade & soy sauce for the border if I can ger nearly black from it. You can tell I`m a retired cook. Stains are hard to get here.

This is all experimental & being done at 120 grit soon to be sanded away before applying 220 grit. More later. Take care. Bob

Hi Bob, are you going to eat it or play it?:confused:

Just kidding, I am all for using what is on hand.

I'm not sure about using nail polish remover. Let me know how that works out. There are often other chems in there like oils, scents and coloring. Depending on your final finish, oils could affect it.

Looks pretty good so far.

Thanks flyingbanana. still have a long way to go & a lot of obsticles to overcome before reassembly. Will keep posting photos as I go. Take care. Bob