Started with the benches so practice before the main event.
80 wasnt enough so tried 50 and finally 36 grit. The 36 tears up the wood but makes good progress. For giggles i brought surface up through the grits 50, 80, 120, 180 then 220 on random orbital. Surface ends up feeling like a slab of steel.
But I had to take a lot more wood off a bench to get to the bottom of some hatchet marks (that were there when it was new), and i uncovered a huge void. Tried to fill with epoxy but it would need gallons. And realized one side of the bench is constructed around that big void. Next i poured 12 oz in, taped the hole and inverted bench, next morning it was a surface. I need to wait some days for it to cure.
Today i started on the table with the 36 and it went so fast, maybe 30 minutes and the big gouge is gone. Started on the 50 but it was my last belt and it wore out so more tomorrow.
Really something how much harder sapwood is than the regular stuff. Can see the big gouge in original pic is gone now.
Whats neat is once material is removed each grit takes a few minutes. Check carefully that i got all the scratches then swap belts.
Cant wait to try the osmo. I called them and guy recommended the extra thin fir first coat, then a layer of gloss polyx.
Edit: oh and i forgot to say wow the sanding frame is great. It aggressively sands any rises, ignores low spots so table is much more flat than when i started. Sanding frame good!
