re: Making a small box to take abuse

Well, I discovered something useful today. I was dreading sanding down those little key splines that stick up a little after cutting the waste off. I got the idea of using a whole sheet of sandpaper on a piece of cardboard and it worked amazingly well. I could not have done it quicker it flatter with a ROS. It went FAST. I started with 120 grit sanding in a circular motion. After that I did a little sanding with the grain, then I laid some 220 over it and did more with the grain. Had the whole thing finished in less than 20 minutes. And the corners were super sharp because it’s very flat. I rounded them off with a sanding block because this little box is going to live in my pocket and I can’t have sharp edges tearing up my clothing.

And now it’s done. I just put some Danish oil on it. Love that stuff. I think this one will last a few years at least. I hope so anyway.

This little sanding trick is going into the knowledge bank. I wonder how it could work with larger things like a table top. I’m going to try that somehow, like going a whole sheet to piece of plywood with handles or something along those lines. I really hate the ROS – it’s loud and I have a tendency to gouge with it. The whole-sheet method could prove to be quiet and super flat.

I just had an idea – I have a couple of marble cutoffs. I’ll make the block from that. Holystone sanding!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holystone