All turning must be completed before any sandpapering is attempted; otherwise the small particles of sand will work their way into the pores of the wood, and should it then be necessary to do any further turning, it will be found difficult to keep an edge on the tool.

For most work, numbers 1 1/2,1/2, 0 and 00 sandpaper, used in the order given, will be found to be sufficient. When the work has been turned, instead of scraped, No. 1/2 will be found to be coarse enough and very little sandpapering will be necessary.

It is a mistake to use too fine a grade of paper at the start, as much time is lost in getting all the irregularities out of the wood. If No. 1 1/2 sandpaper is used properly the wood can be brought to an even surface, all small nicks worked smooth, but it will be left with large scratches of the coarse sand, which in turn should be removed by the No. l/2 sandpaper, and so on with finer sandpaper until all scratches and imperfections have been entirely worn out of sight.

Fig. 26. Sandpapering.

Many a well turned job is entirely ruined by the careless use of sandpaper. All the character can be worn from the work by taking the edges off corners, fillets, etc. It is just as necessary to shape a bead or cove with sandpaper as with your skew or gouge. On the other hand, it is quite possible to improve your poor turning by carefully sandpapering each part as a separate part, and not merely slurring over them, Fig. 26.

In working for a good finish, the first essential is to get the surface of the wood as nearly perfect as possible, and this fact can be emphasized by trying the following experiment:

Take a piece of maple and turn to a smooth form, sandpaper carefully, and then, instead of adding varnish or shellac in order to obtain a gloss, simply polish the piece of maple mentioned above by rubbing in the lathe with a smooth piece of soft wood, being careful not to cause too much friction lest the wood become burnt. If this is worked carefully a high permanent gloss will result. This experiment will prove that good finishing is very much dependent on good sandpapering.

Where possible, it is advisable to sandpaper on the top of the turned piece, as this gives the turner a better chance to watch the work. Fig. 27 illustrates a quick method for truing up a cylinder. A long straight strip of cork or wood is held under the paper; the operator can bear down with the one hand and up with the other, giving twice the cutting capacity, and at the same time causing no spring to the work.

When sandpapering the inside of a box (and this is doubly important for boxes with covers fitting on the inside), Plate XXII, great care must be taken not to allow the sandpaper to drag over the edge, thereby wearing away the entire neck of the box.

Small fillets, V's, etc., are often left without any sandpapering, as it is next to impossible to work with paper on such small surfaces.

Fig. 27. Sandpapering with Both Hands.