Replies

1. 
   RickL | Feb 29, 2008 06:22pm | #1

   I was dealing with this stuff in the factories 30 years ago and things aren't any different as far as technology.  Inside rail stile and profiles are still best hand sanded or all detail will be lost. Best bet is to use a power feed and best feed speed and cutter speed to minimize ripples and hand sanding.

   As for the outside edges when the doors are glued up there are different methods depending on hard or softwoods. We used several methods but the one most used was a j weight belt and profile sanding blocks on a machine for profile sanding. We also used the stroke sander and a j weight belt and profiled graphite blocks.

   Flap sanders, mop sanders and brush sanders tend to soften and destroy crisp edges.

   We experimented with the Larick machines and their special wheels but it didn't work in our application. 
   There are other special wheels that actually tuck sandpaper on special profile heads  but aren't good for small details.

    

   
   

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   Edited 2/29/2008 10:34 am ET by RickL

2. 
   oldusty | Mar 01, 2008 07:27am | #2

   The type of set up you need is called a profile sander or grinder or a molding sander . I have a profile sander that I can make profiled die blocks and use the J wt or very thin abrasive belts to conform to the detail or profile .

          As Rick said the molding sanders  have a special shaped head or wheel with abrasive strips or otherwise sand paper on a crepe type wheel that can be shaped to the profile of your choice .

        The brand name that I remember was called Whirlwind and had a variable speed control for better results in hard and soft woods .

      I hand sand all my profiles , stile and rails and moldings for the extra time it takes it really shows up in the finished product imo .

            regards        dusty

1. 
   Nathan Barnard | Mar 01, 2008 07:51am | #3

   Well, profile sanders are definitely out of my league. I am not as concerned about sanding the actual profiles but more about easing any sharp edges to give it that hand sanded feel. I think I'll just do the hand sanding of the corners after my first coat of lacquer. Then start building up a finish.P.S. I can see a profile sander being useful for sanding the raised panels, before assembly.

3. 
   cowtown | Mar 01, 2008 10:26am | #4

   I find a lot of use for a busy-bee pneumatic sander over the past 20 years. After cutting out my drawer sides (1/2" baltic birch) and rabbeting them, I ease the edges of the top surfaces with this beast mounted in a drill press.

   It works well and good.

   Somehow, my way-back memory tells me that there used to be really hard 3m-ish sanding pads that you could shape to a profile, but I've not been able to find them.

   To expedite yer hand sanding, you could make a custom profile sanding block by folding a piece of sandpaper to fit the profile, lay it on top, cover it with saran wrap, and then slather a rather large dollop of bondo type auto body filler to it, working it in so that it conforms to the shape while allowing space for the sand paper.

   I do have a flapper wheel, salvaged off of a B&D grinder/buffer/sander- methinks it was called a shop-mate or something like that, but it's too aggressive on the details, so it's not appropriate.

   I've tried the PC profile sander, but if yer door has convex/concave profiles, you spend more time changing shapes than it takes to sand it by hand.

   In fact, I do a lot of my door profile sanding by hand anyway.

   I make or find specialized blocks for the concave, convex, flat areas etch, put an appropriate piece of paper on each, and just step through them. A tad tedious, but so would moving a door back and forth from one machine to another. So I figure the hand sanding is faster in the long run.

   Oh ya, one other tip....I'm sanding a lot of MDF doors, , and when it comes to the 90 degree aris between curves surrounding the pseudo panel, I generally don't bother till after they are primed, but then after sanding all the areas that are easily done, I use a 1/2" dowel and simply "burnish' them corners. Tidies it up a bunch it does.

   Eric

1. 
   Nathan Barnard | Mar 03, 2008 07:16pm | #5

   Eric, I just finished a set of kitchen doors. (7.5 hrs, three coats, all edges hand sanded 320 after 1st coat, including crown, baseboard, end panels). Only hand sanding was after first coat. This worked well, and I guess I'll continue, without sanding before finishing. Only thing I wish I had done was sand the rail and styles groves before assembly. This is second kitchen that I have sprayed and am loving it (spraying). Guess it's hard to beat hand sanding, and most of the time is just handling each piece (regardless of if it's against a wheel or just a sanding block).Nathan