Sanding live edge on a table can be a little tricky. For me, I want to take any sharp edges off of the bark so it isn’t an uncomfortable piece of furniture to have around, but I don’t want to dramatically change its shape or contours. I also want to use the sanding live edge process to double check the bark and make sure it’s going to stay stuck. This isn’t a good job for a random orbit sander; that would flatten the bark too much. It IS is a good job for a flutter sander, also called a mop sander.
What kind of sander?
The sander we’re using to sand the live edge goes by a few different names: flutter sander, mop sander, sanding mop…there might be more. It’s made up of layers of abrasive, each layer going onto a mandrel at a slightly different angle than the previous layer. As it gets used the sander softens up (like a mop head, get it?) which allows it to conform to unusual shapes. As with any sander, a variety of grits are available so you can take your sanding from coarse to fine with this tool.
Need one?
You may not find a mop sander at a big box store. You’ll have to head to a more specialized woodworking store or, like we did, order one online. This sander was purchased from Klinspor’s Woodworking Shop. It’s a good idea to get one mandrel for each grit you’ll be using.
Other uses
Mop sanders are great for any irregular surface. In addition to the live edge worked on here, it made short work of cleaning up turned table legs. Check it out.
‬I have found flap sanders but I am having a hard time finding something called a mop or flutter sander. In addition when I do find something which grit do you recommend?
Hello Steve,
Klingspor sells the flutter sander that was sourced in the video description https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/FS36120/
120-grit is a good starting point.
George
Woodworkers Guild of America
Nice idea. Thank you. Safety glasses?
Hello Blake,
Thank you for contacting us.
In regards to your suggestion, yes safety is #1. We highly suggest that you wear proper eye gear for this kind of project. Thanks for looking out for George!
If you are interested in this promotional discount, please chat, email, or call Customer Service.
Sincerely,
Sarah
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership
Do you have any videos, or can you provide a video on applying a finish to a live edge that has bark? Is spraying the only way to go? What type of product works best? How would you sand between coats? Thanks, Jim
Jim,
Spraying is a good way to go, but I typically use wipe-on finishes for this. Whether I’m using wipe-on poly or a penetrating product such as Watco, I just load up the rag with finish and give it an extra squeeze as I’m on the bark. Gently pressing and not as much wiping. The bark will soak up a lot of finish, but this approach will give you good coverage.
Paul
Woodworkers Guild of America
George, You forgot to mention what grit of mop you used. I have a couple of old cast aluminum Flex-O-Sand attachments for my drill, with 120 and 180 grit in them. They seem to work great. Cheers, Tom