I just realized I've been using my orbital sander completely wrong for like 2 years

I was sanding down some old kitchen cabinets last weekend here in Austin and finally read the manual for my Ryobi sander out of boredom. Turns out I was pressing down hard the whole time thinking that would make it sand faster. The manual literally said let the weight of the tool do the work and pressing harder just clogs the paper and burns the wood. I felt so dumb because I've probably ruined like 3 projects doing it wrong. The giveaway was when I flipped over my sanding disc and it was completely smooth with no grit left after 5 minutes. I tried just guiding it with light pressure and it worked way better and the paper lasted twice as long. Anyone else have a moment where you found out you were using a basic tool backwards?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahward28d ago

Huh, I gotta respectfully disagree a bit. I've been sanding stuff for years and I definitely push down harder on certain spots, especially if I'm trying to blend out a rough patch or an old paint drip. Letting the tool float sounds like it'd just take forever on anything that's not already smooth.

thompson.christopher28d agoMost Upvoted

Ha, yeah fair enough! I mean, I've definitely been there myself. Sometimes you gotta lean into a stubborn spot, especially with old paint drips. But in my experience, if I push too hard on the softer stuff around it, I end up making a divot that I gotta fill later. Your mileage may vary though, sandpaper is one of those things where everyone has their own weird habits that work for them.