Things to Know About Sanding

• Poor wood cannot be sanded into high quality wood, no matter how hard you try. The solution is to begin with better wood. I know it's too late for that at this point.
• Preliminary sanding (anything done with less than 100 grit sandpaper) should be done before joinery.
• The belt sander is not a toy. If you attempt to use it to fix something, you will probably make it much, much worse. Use carefully and with great attention to detail or do not use at all. Actually, you're not good enough with it, just put it down.
• The palm sander, for all its noise and vibration, does not make sanding easy. Easier, yes, but not easy.
• Plan on inhaling an unhealthy amount of dust, no matter how careful you are. It will remain in your nose, throat and lungs for much longer than you think it should.
• Go in with good intentions and do your best, but do not feel bad later when convincing yourself that "it's smooth enough." Chances are, it is smooth enough. However when you notice this attitude becoming prevalent, it is important to stop for the evening and resume when your motivation returns.
• Smoothness is relative. Use that as you see fit.