Sanding Before the Finish

I always think sanding will be a quick task but it never is. I used 60 grit to get rid of saw blade marks and remove remaining sharp edges. Then I hand-sanded the whole thing with 120 grit, and then a third time with 320 grit. I know the 320 is overkill since I plan to use wiping varnish, but I didn't have any paper between 120 and 320 left and I was too lazy to go buy it.



I used blocks of wood to hold the paper for most areas. There are lots of cracks, grooves, and hard to reach places on this table. And once I started using the 320 grit, it revealed all the scratches and blemishes. I tried to back down the grits and polish most of the defects out but after about 6 hours I was sore, bored, and feeling like it was good enough for a weekend warrior, such as myself.