My buddy Duane asked why I still block sand by hand and I didn't have a good answer
He stopped by the shop on Tuesday while I was working a fender and asked why I was burning hours with a hand board when the DA and a soft pad would get it flat in half the time. I gave him some line about feel and control, but he just nodded and said the old timers who taught him said the same thing right up until their arms gave out. Been chewing on it for three days now, and honestly I'm not sure if I'm holding on to a skill or just a habit. Any of you actually made the switch to mostly machine work on blocking, or do you still finish by hand?
That line about the soft pad getting it flat in half the time is what gets me, cause flat and straight aren't always the same thing on a curved panel. I still hit the long boards by hand for final blocking but I'll rough it in with the DA first now, saves my shoulders for the stuff that actually matters.