If you could only have 3 grits of sandpaper?

[windfall]

I'm attempting to get more overhead's and time focused and cutting down on wasted materials, I have now loads of different grits, and know there are always times you might need a particular one.
But I'm trying to get to the point where I use sandpaper etc more efficiently.. so the question is, sanding dry hardwood what 3 grits would you use if that's all you could buy. Also i finish most things with Yorkshire Grit.
I'll buy the one's recommended in a roll - so cutting down on costs.. that's why I'm asking

[Wooddust]

Are you actually achieving savings using just 3 grits?  by using more grades for a shorter time, surely doesn't work out any more expensive than using 3 grits for longer?

[windfall]

Are you actually achieving savings using just 3 grits?  by using more grades for a shorter time, surely doesn't work out any more expensive than using 3 grits for longer?

Agreed but I want to know what people would use so I can buy them in bulk lower the overhead

[Les Symonds]

I think that the concept of buying only three grits is fundamentally flawed. The starting point for your coarsest grit, is the finish that you get off your tool. There are experienced turners whose toolwork is good enough to be able to start working with 240 grit....ok, many of us achieve this very occasionally, but rarely, I guess. On the other hand, my experience tells me that many, many turners start with 120 grit.
The finishing point also varies. Many of us sand to 400 grit, following which I use 600 or 1000 Nyweb pads when I feel that they're needed, especially on dense woods like blackwood and yew, with which the finest of scratches from 400 grit often remain visible.
So, with there being variation between starting point and finishing point, it would be foolish to limit yourself to just 3 grits. Don't fall into the trap of believing that you can skip a grit, i.e. going from 120 straight to 240, it just doesn't work. What "Wooddust" has written is very valid.....there will not be a saving by limiting yourself to 3 grits, and it won't work anyway.

Les

[windfall]

I think that the concept of buying only three grits is fundamentally flawed. The starting point for your coarsest grit, is the finish that you get off your tool. There are experienced turners whose toolwork is good enough to be able to start working with 240 grit....ok, many of us achieve this very occasionally, but rarely, I guess. On the other hand, my experience tells me that many, many turners start with 120 grit.
The finishing point also varies. Many of us sand to 400 grit, following which I use 600 or 1000 Nyweb pads when I feel that they're needed, especially on dense woods like blackwood and yew, with which the finest of scratches from 400 grit often remain visible.
So, with there being variation between starting point and finishing point, it would be foolish to limit yourself to just 3 grits. Don't fall into the trap of believing that you can skip a grit, i.e. going from 120 straight to 240, it just doesn't work. What "Wooddust" has written is very valid.....there will not be a saving by limiting yourself to 3 grits, and it won't work anyway.

Les

Ok I tak eon board what you say - maybe reword the question - What are the 3 main grits you use the most of?

[Les Symonds]

Ok I tak eon board what you say - maybe reword the question - What are the 3 main grits you use the most of?

....OK....but I still can't give a straight answer. I guess my single "main grit" is the first grit that I use, which removes minor tool marks and blemishes. That is usually 120 grit. Following that, I use 180/240/320/400 every time. Thus I can state my main grit, but I couldn't state which are my 3 main grits.
Les

[Derek]

I know I will get ribbed but I have in stock 60grit right through to 600grit. But like many, I will start at whatever finish I get off of the tool anywhere between 120 to 240grit. The 60grit is not for turning by the way.
Buying in rolls start with 120 grit and take the first three from there to start with then buy the next grits from there up to at least 400grit

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Fine , medium and coarse 

[otterbank]

As the man said, don’t know which one, use sandpaper like someone else is paying for it 😁

[seventhdevil]

ok i'm a production turner but i sort of only have 3 grits anyway.

100, 180, 320.


if i do turn a bowl i start with a fresh bit of 180 then use a very worn bit of 180 then 320 then danish oil and buff.

[windfall]

ok i'm a production turner but i sort of only have 3 grits anyway.

100, 180, 320.


if i do turn a bowl i start with a fresh bit of 180 then use a very worn bit of 180 then 320 then danish oil and buff.

Thanks sounds like a good set of grits to use..

[Derek]

When sanding don't be tempted to miss a grit by using a worn out piece does not make it the next finer grit as you have already taken the cutting edges off of the grit and makes it useless.

[bodrighywood]

Worn 180 still leaves 180 scratches. False economy IMHO. As most are saying you can't have 3 main grits. I use 120 occasionally for woods that rip, or 'cos I left tool marks but if I want a really good finish I will go through the grits up to 600+  Like so many questions there is no single answer and what works for Steve wouldn't work for most of us., To save money ( I am a professional skinflint as well as turner) get a good load of every grit between 120 and 600 and use wisely. Each grit will (or should) remove the marks from the previous one so a quick flash should be enough once you have the initial sanding done.

Pete

[Twisted Trees]

In my workshop I have a set of lengths... by the time I get down to 240 grit I am on the polish stage certainly 320 I only ever use less than half as much 600 onward's I am still using the rolls I bought 10 years ago as by that time they are in contact with the wood for seconds so it lasts forever... so your savings will come from the quantities rather than the grit type:-

I use:-

80 grit in small quantities while the wood is stationary for smoothing out natural effects I want to retain or emphasis, sort of a carving tool. So I buy that in sheets as and when.

120 is my final gouge for difficult wood, overly dried end grain etc, as well as second cut to the 80 grit features, as a cutting tool it needs to be sharp so I use a lot of it.
180 is my first finishing abrasive and will be used quite a bit by the time I have finished with the 180 I am just removing the scratches left by the abrasive.
240 second polish and depending on the finish required may be the final polish too. I need about half the quantity of 240 to 180.
320 & 400 about a quarter of 180
600 - 1200, 5 meters bought 10 years ago is still going strong.
Beyond that I use pads which have also lasted years.

I have all my rolls of abrasive on an old broom handle hung by the window in order...

Another tip BEFORE they get covered in dust I use a sharpie and write 1 2 3 etc on the backs as the printing soon becomes unreadable!

People often say never skip a grit, but seldom say why... so here is my attempt at why!

The point of abrasives is to reduce the scratch pattern of the previous abrasive until it is so small it looks polished (it actually will have a scratch pattern in it if looked at through a lens)

A good scratch pattern is sharp peaks and trough's this only happens with good unworn abrasive a worn abrasive will give curved scratch marks which are hard to remove.

So if you draw a series of sharp scratches something like MMMMMMMMMM your next level abrasive needs to cut off the peaks and most importantly reach the trough, cutting it's own smaller set of MMMMMMMM's skipping a grade will flatten the peaks but miss the troughs so the original scratch marks don't get removed just spaced between new scratch marks.

While you can eventually cut down to the bottom of the trough with a too high grade, it takes a lot of time and a lot of abrasive risking the curved ripple effect that nothing can polish out.

Not a great explanation... but I hope it makes sense...

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Windfall apart from my flippant answer earlier, I would advise that go for at least 4 grits. 120, 240, 320 and 400. There are many sanding systems out there made by manufacturers who are just waiting to seperate you from your wallet. I go to a local tool hire company , they also stock nuts and bolts and stuff and they order in for me. I sometimes buy 4" wide rolls of cloth backed abrasives (J) weight and tear thm in half length ways so I get two for the price of one. I would also learn to refine your ciuts so that you can start on a higher grit. And the other thing is to learn how to abrade correctly and so avoiding wasteage. I also buy paper backed rolls for commercial work, the highest I go on that is 120 grit but I have just done a job that came in from India, a clean up job, and I started at 40 grit. I would avoid buying from places like B&Q as they are very expensive. Sharpen your tools more often and see what a difference it makes.