Straight to 320 grit after filing wood?

[HighUintas]

I'm ready to sand and whisker my stock.

I used 2nd cut or kind of medium single cut files to do the final shaping on my stock and the surfaces were very smooth. There's not really any visible tool marks from rasps, etc

Started sanding lightly with 180 grit and it was leaving really noticeable furrows. I decided to try 220 and it was still doing it. I jumped to 320 and it's much much better but still possibly not as smooth as my filed finish.... Is that normal?

Is it ok to just start sanding the whole thing lightly with 320 then whisker? And if there's any areas with tool makes I'd drop down to 180 and work back up to get the marks out.

I almost feel like I could skip the sanding and go straight to whiskering.

Thoughts?

 

[CuNosecap]

Could try scraping, which gives a very smooth cut. But try using a low angle, raking light source to look for imperfections. If you miss them, you will certainly find them with stain.

 

[HighUintas]

Could try scraping, which gives a very smooth cut. But try using a low angle, raking light source to look for imperfections. If you miss them, you will certainly find them with stain.

I have scraped it a bit in some of the flatter areas, but my scrapers are too thick to bend easily to do curved surfaces, so I'm using sandpaper for most of it.

A low angle light is how I could see the furrows created by the sand paper.

 

[Phil Coffins]

A filed finish can burnish the wood to look smoother than it is. Try whiskering then light sanding. Also a light water based staining will reveal hidden flaws.

 

[HighUintas]

Thanks for the tip. I didn't know file would burnish the wood

 

[TDM]

As @Phil Coffins said.

 

[wiscoaster]

I'll go all the way down to 1500 for wood sanding. "Wet" with some oil if you want. You'd be surprised how that shines up the wood surface, even though it's not noticeably removing any material.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

220 is as far as I ever go.

 

[SDSmlf]

I'll go all the way down to 1500 for wood sanding. "Wet" with some oil if you want. You'd be surprised how that shines up the wood surface, even though it's not noticeably removing any material.

220 or so is as fine as one needs to go on a wood stock.

 

[Sam squanch]

If I’m building a rougher sort of gun, I just use a scraper. Come to think of it, I haven’t bought sandpaper in a long time…

 

[sdilts]

220 takes out all the visible scratches, why go further than that?

 

[Sam squanch]

Sharpening a scraper is free…. Sandpaper costs $$$ ….and then your wife steals it for her projects…

 

[wiscoaster]

220 takes out all the visible scratches, why go further than that?

Because you can feel scratches you can't see?

A beautiful firearm appeals to all the senses - sight, yes, but also touch, hearing, and smell. Taste? Well, OK, maybe not, unless you're pretty weird.

 

[HighUintas]

Ended up hitting it with 220. Upon closer examination, there were some areas that needed it.

I'll do 320, the whisker.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Whisker then 320. You won’t over do the whiskering. If the grain doesn’t rise that’s because you did enough

 

[Flintandsteel]

Anything over 220 or 320 is a total waste of time.
In the last 30 years, I’ve only gone further than 220, one time. It was a softer piece of maple. Wouldn’t stop whiskering.

 

[HSmithTX]

Use NEW 320 for whiskering, if you use the paper you were using to sand it isn't sharp anymore and will force the grain down only to stand up again when you wet it. Sometimes, depending on the wood, you may have to whisker 3-4 times until it stops.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I've always heard anything finer than 220 and you're doing nothing filling the pores with dust that might not all come out, thus affecting the staining process. I always stop after I use 220 grit.

 

[cannonball1]

Are you using a backer board for your sandpaper. If you don't you will get furrows.

 

[waksupi]

I stop at 320, no whiskering. A rifle I finished like that got Best of Show at S.H.O.T. some years ago. It's what you know about the actual finish process that counts.