Things You'll Need:
- Sandpaper
- Palm sander
- Safety goggles
- Dry cloth
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Step 1
Choose the sandpaper that you will use for your project. You will need several grits of sandpaper, from coarse to fine, to get a smooth finish on your wood. Begin with the highest grit sandpaper that will get the job done. Generally, if your wood is rough, you should begin with 60- to 80-grit sandpaper. If your wood is smooth, you can begin with 100-grit sandpaper.
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Step 2
Your palm sander will accept a quarter, third or half sheet of sandpaper. Cut the sandpaper to the appropriate size and attach it to your sander. Start with the lowest grit, or most coarse, sandpaper first.
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Step 3
Put on your safety goggles and place your wood on a sturdy, flat surface. Turn the palm sander on and apply gently pressure as you move it along the wood. Follow the grain of the wood and use long, even strokes so that it is sanded evenly. Never move the palm sander back and forth across the grain or you will leave visible scratches. Use the palm sander to sand all the flat surfaces of your wood.
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Step 4
Sand inner corners, decorative details or areas that are too small for the palm sander to reach by hand. Make sure that you sand all the surfaces of your wood completely before switching to a different grade of sandpaper.
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Step 5
Wipe the dust off with a dry cloth. Switch to a finer grade of sandpaper and continue sanding your wood with the palm sander as described in the steps above. Progressively use finer grades of sandpaper until your wood is smooth.
