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I seem to accumulate all kinds of sandpaper pieces which are not worn out.  These accumulate over time.  Always seems expedient to grab a new piece rather that reuse the pieces.  Anyone have a good way of managing sandpaper?

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Hi Rich,
I use an accordion folder that has about 20 slots in it.
Works great!
Best, Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com

I use a "literature organizer". A couple of them, actually, that I picked up cheap at used office furniture outlets. Great for the whole sheets, anyway. Search it on Amazon to see what I mean.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I bought a little drawer thingy from grizzly, 1 drawer for each grit. Since the cut offs or slightly used pieces are put on the top of each drawer's stack, they are the first thing you reach for when you open the drawer for paper.

I have a plastic tub about six inches deep and a bit larger than a piece of sandpaper. Looks just like your sandpaper stuffed envelope.   

Recycling sandpaper is a pain, but it saves you money every time you grab something less than perfect.

I heard/read somewhere at the old Martin plant, that the boss Martin would walk around retrieving somewhat used paper from the trash and put it back in play to be worn completely out. Same guy extended pencil stubs with a short copper tube, until they were were completely used up.

Look after the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves.... Martin Guitars is still around to prove it too.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Now Hesh wouldn't have room for this kind of mess in his shop!!
Thanks for the suggestions!

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

I always quarter my sheets and try to get the most out of them, but, at a certain point I make myself throw them away and start fresh. 

Litterbug!  

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Waddy

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Great minds think alike Hesh
Best, Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com

I have ten or so cans, one grit in each, rolled up. I only ever have one sheet ripped into pieces in there, the rest complete, and I use the small pieces until they're used up then cut up another sheet.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

wow! y'all use a lot of sandpaper....

You would council a rock if it would stop rolling a listen

I have a very good system for organizing my sandpaper...............

What.....is that the alarm clock already...... time to wake up.

Ok, here's mine, as bad as it is. I'm so unorganized, I'm sure Hesh would need a Hazmat suit just to walk into my shop.

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Accordian file for me too.

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

I also do like Evan and Hesh, an accordion folder. It's cheap and keeps it well organized.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

I subdevided the space between two shelves with about 7 or 8 1/8" hardboard shelves for the different grits. I need to reorganize this system, it is breaking down.

On the subject amount of sandpaper used...

I watched Frank Ford refret an old Martin at the 2005 ASIA, he used a LOT of sandpaper! He had that old #5 plane body that he uses as a sanding block, and tore a series of sand paper sheet is half which would fit the plane body nicely. Starting with the coarsest paper, he quickly sanded that fingerboard for a few seconds, dropped the sand paper to the floor, picked up the next grit and repeated, until about six sheets of sand paper were on the floor and he was done a couple of minutes later. He said that back at the shop he would put an old worn out band saw blade in the saw and slice up big stacks of sandpaper to have them ready to go, and he would not bother to reuse any of them even after such brief use as in his demonstration. I guess he figures his time is worth more than a few extra sheets of sand paper.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

[QUOTE=grumpy] wow! y'all use a lot of sandpaper....
[/QUOTE]
Well Grumpy your so abrasive I can see why you wouldn't

Sorry Mario I just couldn't resist. Just a joke.

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I like to have things neat if I can. But I have to work at keeping it that way. So I like to make places for everything. This is just mdf sitting on screws in my shelf. Simple but very effective.
Dom

roflmao

I had studied to be a machinist at one point, and my teacher, a great machinist in any right, hid any and all sandpaper/emery cloth. He'd hand some over if we really needed some. As soon as you touch a machined surface with sandpaper, even if you back it with a solid block, he'd say, that surface is no longer true.

ya know what? I still believe him....

I have a couple dozen Sandvik scrapers around the shop, files of every shape and cut, but precious little sandpaper, not counting the fine stuff for finish work, and the thickness and long bed sanders.

As a first timer, I readied myself with lots of sandpaper, sticky rolls, and ROS pads of all grits from 40 to 6000.  Now I find that since I finally learned to sharpen blades, including scraper blades, I reach for the scraper first. I have about 7 or 8 straight ones and a couple of curved ones, including a couple of Lie Nielson ones that are my favorites. The scraper, in most cases, seems to do the job quickly and more cleanly than sandpaper.  It doesn't rub dust into things as much nor does it stain lighter woods like sandpaper.  I do use the sticky paper on rolls for making little sanding sticks and blocks of all shapes, for minor details. All that said, I have most of my paper either  in drawers, sorted by grit or in a business envelope box in packages, or hanging on the wall in rolls.  I do use belts and discs for my 4X36 sander and my Gilbert Thickness Sander I use for thicknessing veneer strips, among other things.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars