Imagine you have taken a great deal of time and care to create an intricate profile for a special project. No matter if this profile were created by hand, by manual router, by a CNC style machine or a molder. The next step is going to be how to sand this intricate profile without destroying the detail. I know of only one method that works well, the flap wheel head. Flap wheel heads are designed to be flexible. This flexibility allows the head to conform to the shape being sanded. When a flap wheel head of the proper configuration is applied to your material multiple things will happen.

 In Raw Wood Sanding

 First, the process of flap wheel sanding denibbs your product. This is to remove the small fibers that pop up when sanded in any other way or when any type of chemical or water is applied to the surface of the material. These fibers if not removed will raise up and set in a dried position causing a rough primer or stain and seal coat. This will require additional sanding time being needed between coats to achieve a smooth top coat. Utilizing a flap wheel head will remove these fibers resulting in much less sanding time between coats. In some cases less finish materials will be required because there is less fiber to cover.

Second, you will benefit from the fact that finish sanding will insure a uniform pore opening in the material. Uniform pore openings result in uniform color balance throughout the work surface. Third, you will slightly soften the sharp edges. Softening these edges eliminates the area that is almost impossible for stain, sealer, or paint to find enough mass to adhere. Incorporating a slight radius in these areas eliminates the weak area in a finish. It also makes sealer or primer sanding much easier in that you are less likely to sand through the finish in these areas.

 In Sealer or Primer Sanding

First, you will have a more thorough and uniform scuff of the sealer or primer coat. This scuffing will ensure a superior bond between seal or primer coat and the top coat. Second, if the material was properly sanded in the raw, you should now be able to flap wheel sand the sealer or primer coat without burning through or white lining your product. Third, a more uniform and overall higher quality of the finish. Biggest benefit in both raw and sealer or primer sanding? You increase quality while decreasing LABOR!