I finally stopped hand-sanding drawer boxes and it’s a game changer

For the last two years I’ve been sanding every single drawer box by hand before assembly. I thought it gave me better control and a smoother finish. But last month I had a rush job for a kitchen in Austin and didn’t have time for my usual process. I grabbed a 5-inch random orbit sander with 220 grit and just went to town on the plywood before cutting the dovetails. The finish came out just as smooth and I saved about 45 minutes per cabinet. Now I’m kicking myself for all those hours hunched over with sandpaper. Has anyone else found a hand sanding step that turned out to be totally unnecessary?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.miles1d agoMost Upvoted

Is the random orbit sander something you'd use for all the plywood surfaces now, or are you still picky about certain spots? I had a similar thing happen with face frames last year. I always hand sanded the inside corners and crevices because I thought the orbital would leave swirl marks in those tight spots. Then I grabbed a foam sanding pad for the orbital and it worked way better than I expected. Now I only hand sand if I'm dealing with some really tricky grain or a glue squeeze out I didn't catch quick enough. It's funny how we get stuck in these habits and don't question them until a deadline forces us to try something different.

cameron_craig5h ago

Foam pads on plywood can still leave swirls if you're not using a vac, Miles.