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How to Best Prepare A Wood Surface For Finishing

A horizontal wood surface will show all of its flaws in the light, which is why a good craftsman never rushes the preparation of a surface before finishing. A woodworking project with a horizontal surface like tables, chairs and other furniture should receive extra attention when it comes to achieving a smooth surface. In order to get that clean surface that will shine flawlessly even in the light, avoid the use of sawdust-flying machine planers and jointers that often result in a not-so-ideal surface. Via an article from  FineWoodworking.com by William Duckworth, here are the three tools that will best prepare your surface for finishing.

  1. A hand planer is best for cutting clean slices of wood for a smooth finish.
  2. A scraper can cut thing shavings for a shiny burnished finish.
  3. Sandpaper is used to scratch off wood fibers for a soft finish.
No matter which tool you choose to prepare your surface with, making sure it is well-tuned is the only way to get the best possible results. For this reason you have an advantage when using sandpaper, as you can dispose of worn pieces and replace them using as many as necessary to get the job done.
Before any woodworking project, visit the Schutte Lumber Showroom at 3001 Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City for a wide selection of timbers, cedar, hardwoods, softwoods and exotic woods.
Photo via Flickr.