Tried sanding pallet wood with a belt sander and ruined three boards

Everyone online says to sand pallets down fast with a belt sander to save time. I set mine to a coarse grit and went at it. Ended up gouging deep grooves into the wood that I couldn't sand out by hand. Learned the hard way that old pallet wood is softer than you think and needs a lighter touch or a hand plane instead. Has anyone else had success with a different tool for cleaning up pallet wood?

2 comments

2 Comments

evaperez15d ago

Find the right tool for the job is something I see people mess up all the time, not just with woodworking but in every hobby. Everyone wants the fastest method but forgets that different materials need different tools and techniques. Sometimes going slower with a hand tool saves you way more time in the long run.

jamieburns15d agoTop Commenter

Man you're totally right. For me it was with carving spoons - tried using a power carver at first cause it seemed faster, but the tear out was awful. Switched to a simple hook knife and suddenly everything clicked. Sometimes the old ways just work better for the actual material.