How to Use an Orbital Sander on a Wood Finish Counter
- 1). Attach a piece of 220- rit sandpaper to the sander's platen. The sandpaper must be tight against the platen with no slack to allow the paper to move. Loose sandpaper will cause unpredictable results.
- 2). Turn the sander on and sand a small patch on the surface of the counter. Apply light, even pressure while sanding.
- 3). Lift the sander from the working surface and turn it off. Inspect the working surface carefully for signs of gouging. Noticeable small circles or wavy lines indicate trouble. If your sanded surface is uniformly smooth and free of blemishes, continue sanding until finished. Stop periodically to inspect the surface.
- 4). Turn the sander off. Remove the 220-grit sandpaper from the sander. Replace it with 400-grit sandpaper. Turn the sander on and sand the counter. Lift the sander from the surface and turn it off. Inspect the surface for blemishes. It will take longer to smooth a project with a finer grit sandpaper but there's less risk of gouging the surface.
