woodscrap/finger/dowel

Advanced Techniques

When smoothing wood in tight quarters or in unusual situations, special tools can help. Consider buying or renting a detail sander or a contour sanding attachment for your drill. Often, however, you can get the job done with a sheet of abrasive and a little ingenuity, as these three examples show.

To sand two surfaces where they meet at an inside corner, wrap a creased sheet of abrasive around a sharp-cornered block. To smooth inside edges of bored holes and small cutouts, wrap abrasive around your finger or a small round object. For sanding outside curves, wrap a sheet of abrasive around a dowel.

small piece

When you need to smooth the surface of a small item, sand it on a full sheet of abrasive held flat with your free hand. This keeps the surface of the piece even and flat. If the abrasive fills with dust, wipe it with a clean cloth or give it a few slaps against your bench.

edges

Because wood edges are susceptible to nicks and splinters, it is a good idea to blunt them with a light sanding. Hold the sanding block at an angle; use gentle pressure combined with a rocking motion. A molded rubber sanding block like the one shown, above, is ideal for this purpose because its base gives slightly.

tape

Sometimes you'll want to sand one surface without scratching an adjoining surface. To do this, protect the surface you don't want sanded with masking tape. Affix the tape carefully, making sure it is stuck down tightly at all points. Watch closely as you sand and immediately replace any tape that gets ripped or damaged.