If you could only have 3 grits of sandpaper?

[Redtails5]

Hi
This is some thread i think the choice of abrasive grit(s)
Really depends on how good your finish off your tools is?
Thats all you need to concentrate on
Go watch a good wood turner .
As for tools learn to walk before you can run go get yourself
Some lessons you will learn a lot i promise.

[Twisted Trees]

It's good to see a lot of interaction on a forum, nothing worse than a bunch of people with nothing to say!

Tools v Abrasive is quite a bit different. thing is you can spend serious money on a gouge that you will not ever use after day one, but with abrasives they are relatively cheep in small quantities for experimentation. I honestly can't remember how I found my selection, but I know I did in the early days make the mistake of buying some paper backed abrasives which was worse than useless for turning, but it got used in other places so it wasn't dead money.

When all is said and done the range of advice is not far apart, preferences aside

• You will want lots of the middle range, and a bit on the extremities.
• It will need to be decent quality just because of the serious miles of cutting you can achieve on a lathe 
• it needs a cloth backing
• If you want to use velcro attached tools sometimes then it makes sense to get a velcro backed roll

But when all is said and done it is a fairly easy thing to find your own preferences, which will depend on what timber you are using and what shapes you are cutting as much as the finish required.

Try small quantities of a range of products, buy in bulk once you have found your happy place.

Love the  carvings, shows great sympathy for the nature of the timber as well as skill in the eye of the creator. If you turn with that appreciation for the wood and the object you will need  a lot of abrasive grades and a range of  polishes. So the best bet is to get involved with your local club, and pinch a bit of wax / oil / abrasive from a wide pool of people to find what works for you.

As for starting tools roughing gouge, spindle gouge, bowl gouge, skew and parting tool. There are more things out there than you can ever use, and they will be cluttering up your workshop sooner than you think. same advice goes really, get people around that you can borrow from try things out find what works for you.

[John D Smith]

 Hi Windfall I have kept out of this subject as i have now expected there is no definitive answer but I think members of this

Forum have been most helpful I guess your last posting means you will only be reading the comments in future that's a

shame taking part is the fun bit and we do not always get the answers we want but I consider the information we get is

invaluable so I guess you will read this but there will be no REPLY

                                         Regards John

[Paul Hannaby]

Having read the question again, I still think this is being approached from the wrong direction. Trying to cut corners on finishing will only have one result - a poorer finish. If your aim is to produce the best quality possible, scrimping on something so fundamental won't achieve that goal.

Also, persevering with the wrong grit will take a lot longer to get the desired finish so labour costs will be higher. This will more than outweigh any saving in abrasives.

[John Plater]

Sandpaper is what you put on the base of a budgie's cage and all they do is **** on it!
ATB John

[Tim Pettigrew]

Well I have gone to the other extreme and my regular abrasive armoury starts with 80, 100 These first two grades only used if required, otherwise I start with 120 then 150, 180, 220, 240, 280, 320, 400, 600.
These are purchased as 2" wide 10 metre length rolls direct from the manufacturers.  I use each piece of torn off abrasive once only. Using this method minimises sanding time and gives a consistently excellent base for whichever finish I wish to apply.

[Tim Cornwall]

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

Agree with Les  1 got a good supply of 120 to 600  (+ a small roll of 80 grit for emergencies) and been sanding through the grits starting at 120 hand sanding then 120 with a hope spinning sanding arbour and doing this right up to 600, But just lately i bought some yorkshire grit and sand 120 180 240 by hand then arbour, then sanding sealer, de nib, with green nyweb, then yorkshire grit which seems to get  me to where i was when sanding to 600 on most pieces ,  so maybe If you are determined to just buy 3 grits and use yorkshire grit 120  180  240  may do you, but i still use 320 400 and 600 on some work, also now using home made yorkshire grit, as i can buy ingredients and make it for less than £4 for the equivalent of a 227 g tin

[John D Smith]

  What happened to Wind fall ??