Question for those who work with wood a bit

[shannonc60]

I purchased some 1mm thick sheets of maple and they are all fuzzy on both sides. I really need these sheets, but need them to be nice and smooth both sides. Anyone got a great way of smoothing them without the need for fancy machines like thicknessers? They need to be flat as well as smooth. Might need to just use a sanding block but was wondering if anyone had any quicker brilliant ideas. Thanks!

[KathieB]

No better idea here. I'd try the foam sanding blocks.

[shannonc60]

Thanks Mike. I remembered I was so disappointed because they were rough, not just fuzzy. They have not been milled well at all (odd given that the sheets of thicker stuff I purchased are really smooth) and the surface is really up and down, possibly to do with the grain. I don't want to ditch them as finding thin wood sheets is almost impossible (they came from the Uk so I paid a small fortune for shipping). 

Also, I am laser cutting these for kits to sell, so I am not finishing them.

[mesp2k]

Scotch-Brite™ General Purpose Hand Pad 7447, 6 in x 9 in

Superior alternative to steel wool, wire brushes, sandpaper, and other nonwoven products for cleaning or finishing tasks

Very fine grade aluminum oxide abrasive cleans, finishes, grains, denibs, and defuzzes

Suitable for use on wood, metal, plastics, ceramics, porcelain, glass, rubber, or composites

Reusable pad resists tearing, splintering, shredding, loading and will never rust, providing a long, useful life

Can be folded, stacked, or rolled for effective cleaning or conditioning on flat, irregular, or contoured surfaces

Its the maroon pad bottom-left.

You should be able to find them in a hardware store.

 

If you have Corner Cat sander it has this & a white pad, (plus a foam rubber pad for polishing.)

 

[havanaholly]

At only 1 mm thick I think I'd try crumpled brown paper bag first.

[shannonc60]

8 hours ago, mesp2k said:

Scotch-Brite™ General Purpose Hand Pad 7447, 6 in x 9 in

Superior alternative to steel wool, wire brushes, sandpaper, and other nonwoven products for cleaning or finishing tasks

Very fine grade aluminum oxide abrasive cleans, finishes, grains, denibs, and defuzzes

Suitable for use on wood, metal, plastics, ceramics, porcelain, glass, rubber, or composites

Reusable pad resists tearing, splintering, shredding, loading and will never rust, providing a long, useful life

Can be folded, stacked, or rolled for effective cleaning or conditioning on flat, irregular, or contoured surfaces

Its the maroon pad bottom-left.

You should be able to find them in a hardware store.

 

If you have Corner Cat sander it has this & a white pad, (plus a foam rubber pad for polishing.)

 

Thanks Mike. Might be worth a shot. Not sure how even it would be across the surface, but given it is currently useless to me, I might as well try on one of the sheets. I did have this idea that I could use a book press thingo with sandpaper on either surface, put my sheet in the middle, screw it down so it's touching the sheet and then move the sheet side to side. 

 

5 hours ago, havanaholly said:

At only 1 mm thick I think I'd try crumpled brown paper bag first.

I think it would take the rest of my days just to do one sheet. The surface is pretty rough. I would say a sander thicknesser would be the best option but they are very pricey. I just wish I could find good materials. With my laser cutting, it is my #1 problem by a very long shot.