Unpopular opinion: hand sanding furniture isn't worth the time anymore

Last weekend I spent 6 hours hand sanding a nightstand I found at a garage sale in Portland, and my neighbor came over to say I should've rented a random orbital sander for $25. I get that hand sanding gives you more control and feels authentic, but my fingertips went numb and the finish still had swirl marks. These days I think using power tools (even cheap ones from Harbor Freight) saves you from carpal tunnel without ruining the piece. Has anyone else switched over or do you still swear by the old school method?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_burns6h ago

Nah, hand sanding is a complete waste of time. I did a whole dining table by hand once and my arms felt like spaghetti the next day. The finish looked worse than when I use my $40 Ryobi sander. You're not getting more control, you're just punishing yourself for no reason.

kimr744h ago

Not that serious, dude.

diana5124h ago

Ngl that Ryobi sander chews through veneer way too fast.