Sanding Helpers

Changing sandpaper isn’t just a frequent and slightly annoying task. It also describes how grits and backers are constantly evolving as technology rumbles along. While much of the innovation begins with the automotive industry, woodworkers also benefit when new abrasive products help us work faster, safer, and better.

Here’s a quick look at some of the new or updated products that make our lives easier while improving the quality of our work.

Mirka USA’s new Ultimax Ligno is specifically tailored for wood sanding. The manufacturer (mirka.com) notes that it “combines a fast cut with long life” and says that it is especially resistant to clogging when sanding substrates. The instantly recognizable ‘bowtie’ grain pattern has a segmented surface that increases sanding pressure on each abrasive grain, and it also directs dust into the channels between the bowties. Its resistance to clogging minimizes swirl marks, and a special latex impregnated paper prevents edgewear and tearing. Each segment of grain has four sharp corners and two angled surfaces, which creates additional cutting edges during sanding. And this product also has Mirka’s Multifit hole pattern, which lets air circulate under the abrasive to reduce heat during sanding. Ultimax Ligno comes in 5” and 6” diameter discs in PSA and hook-and-loop, and it’s also available in 3” x 4” and 3” x 5” sheets, plus 4-1/2” x 5” sheets in a roll of 150 that come with soft backing. 

Festool USA (festoolusa.com) notes that its new Granat Net abrasive “is the perfect solution for sanding materials that produce a large amount of dust. The open net structure enables dust extraction across the entire surface for working cleanly, a high material removal capacity, and long service life of the abrasive.” It’s available in a wide variety of shapes (discs, rectangles, etc.) and in all the popular grits.

The 2025 Klingspor Abrasives’ catalog (klingspor.com) features several products with silicon carbide grain that’s resin-bonded to a new, tough polyester/cotton blended backing that the company says has “high flexibility and extra durability.” And many of the discs that Klingspor makes for a grinder have a paper flap system that now uses a new ceramic grain. The catalog also includes new 10mm thick Fusion Foam, which has the capability to scuff and sand both flat and contoured surfaces without leaving deep scratches. That makes it handy for final sanding on curved and sloped surfaces, cabinet door profiles, raised panels and turned workpieces.

The new SurfPrep ProFoam pads from Total Finishing Supplies (totalfinishingsupplies.com) are 3” x 4” and 10mm (2/5”) thick. These hook-and-loop pads deliver consistent, even cutting, and flat sanding. That makes them especially handy when sanding inside corners such as drawer boxes where discs sanders won’t go. And the oversized version also conforms to profiles.

Woodworkers who have been using Black & Decker’s ‘mouse’ shaped sander to get into cabinet and drawer corners will like the ZipDetail sanding kit from Ali Industries (gatorfinishing.com). It’s a foam pad shaped like a computer mouse that uses the same paper as the B&D sander, but this is just a manual support pad. It has hook-and-loop for quick changes and the paper is available in Zirconium oxide in 50, 80 and 120 grits.

Among the new product listings from Global Abrasive Products (globalabrasiveproducts.com) in Lockport, N.Y., are Filmbac aluminum oxide discs in both PSA and hook-and-loop formats. The backing is a tear-resistant film that is ideal for random orbit or low-speed DA sanders. The film is more durable than paper, and the discs are stearate-coated to resist loading. 

Empire Abrasives (empireabrasives.com) has introduced a new line of Green Film hook-and-loop and PSA discs that come in 5” and 6” diameters. Sold in packs of 50, they can be used wet or dry and are coated with treated aluminum oxide and a unique stearate coating. The backer is tear-resistant polyester film, and the coat is semi-open. Notable is the fact that they come in grits all the way from 60 to 2000. Empire recommends them for hardwood, softwood, composites, and plastics such as acrylic, polycarbonate, ABS and PVC.

New from Wurth (wurthwoodgroup.com) is the 5” hook-and-loop ‘Silver’ silicon carbide disc that comes in grits from 80 to 400. This is a no-hole disc designed for sealer and lacquer sanding, and fine grain woods. It has a weighted, latex-impregnated paper that ensures flexibility and water resistance, and an open coat for long-lasting resistance to clogging. 

Red Hill Corp. in historic Gettysburg, Pa., purchases large volumes of high-quality close-outs from abrasive manufacturers and then sells them under the Supergrit private label. There’s always something new to check out on the website, supergrit.com.

The new #SavageDisc from Maverick Abrasives (maverickabrasives.com) is a ceramic abrasive grain on a film backing that pretty much can’t be ripped. The manufacturer uses “a brand-new ceramic abrasive grain technology” that is perfect for sanding both softwood and hardwood. Maverick also says that these ceramic discs have three times the life of paper discs and twice the life of other film discs, and the mylar backing can’t be torn. The discs come in both Festool and universal hole patterns that can be used for five- and eight-hole sanders.

Sparky Abrasives (sparkyabrasives.com) in Willmar, Minn., offers a comprehensive range of abrasive products including new 4” and 6”-wide ceramic belts in lengths from 21” to 132” and grits from 36 to 120. They have bi-directional tear and break resistant joints, and all of Sparky’s ceramic belts have a polyester backing.

Red Label Abrasives (redlabelabrasives.com) in Belding, Mich., carries a large inventory of abrasive products. Among the latest additions are 14” discs with sticky backs, and the company also carries 18”, 24” and 30” discs. Red Label has just added 6” Indasa Whiteline Rhynostick discs too, and these come in a roll of 100. They have a closed coating with a D weight backer and an anti-static treatment that reduces airborne fine dust. 

And while it’s not new, it’s worth mentioning that Cubitron from 3M (3m.com), has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. This sanding disc has a net backing that allows virtually dust-free sanding, as there’s almost no structure to resist airflow.  

For shops installing solid hardwood flooring, Norton Abrasives (nortonabrasives.com) now offers an alternative to its standard X-weight poly-cotton backing. The new and thicker Y-weight polyester backing improves both the strength and toughness of its belts. And a new grain weight upgrade on Norton’s Red Heat 36- and 40-grit rolls and belts offers longer life. The belts all look the same, but the product numbers have changed, so keep that in mind when ordering.

A new variable-speed oscillating spindle sander from Grizzly Industrial (grizzly.com), model G1071Z, has a cast-iron table, a 1-hp motor, digital readout for speed adjustments, and a tilting table. The variable speed range is 900 to 1,800 rpm, which can allow a woodworker to avoid burn on sensitive species and end-grain. The impressive stroke (1-1/2”) moves up and down 72 times a minute, and the sander takes sleeves from 1/4” to 4” in diameter.

From river tables to turning, epoxy resins are playing an increasingly popular role in woodworking. That’s in part because they can be worked with many standard tools and machines such as routers and saws. But when it comes to sanding epoxy resin, old skills don’t always transfer. That’s why 2Sand (2sand.com) recently uploaded an article by Rebecca Henderson titled “How to sand epoxy resin”. Woodshops who are entering this field, or seeking to improve techniques when working with resin, might want to check it out. They will learn about amine blush, when to use wet sanding, what grits to choose, and even which coatings work best for fast or fine sanding.

A new collection of sanding blocks from Rockler (rockler.com) let sticky-back paper reach into curves and corners. These are strong, lightweight, EVA foam that will release PSA adhesive-backed sandpaper. There’s a 6”-long block with a curved bottom (item 77373), plus 8” and 16”long blocks that can help preserve a straight edge or a flat surface. Beyond their foam feel, the idea here is that the blocks do away with the need to wrap and hold loose sandpaper around a wooden scrap, or fuss with clips on some other sanding blocks. And the angled ends let the abrasive work right up to an edge.

Cordless belt sanders can make life a lot easier, especially on the jobsite. Last year, DeWalt introduced its first 3x21 version and Milwaukee, Craftsman, Makita, Ridgid, Ryobi, Wen, Kobalt and Porter-Cable are among a long list of manufacturers that have now introduced models. Most of them have variable speed and brushless motors. High power consumption tools such as vacuums, routers and belt sanders took a while to become cordless, but new motor and battery technology has overcome the torque challenge. So, expect larger cordless sanders soon.

Finally, there’s another ingenious solution from the folks at Woodpeckers (woodpeck.com). The SandStand is a metal base that holds just about any palm sander, and it can be tilted at any angle between horizontal and vertical. It’s an ideal way to accurately sand because it’s easier and less aggressive to hold a small part against an upturned orbital than a stationary belt sander.

Originally published in the February 2025 issue of Woodshop News.