12/20/06 - Extra-fine Sanding Makes Cedar Harder...sort of.

One of the most common complaints about cedar paddles is that they dent easily unless they're given a hard finish. Unfortunately, hard finishes tend to crack and trap water underneath, and get slippery over time. I did some experimenting with sanding recently and found that the finer you sand the surface of your paddle, the harder it is. The reason is quite simple:

A wood surface sanded with coarse sandpaper (80-100 grit) is like a freshly plowed farm field in miniature; it's full of furrows surrounded by loose material. In this case, the loose material is wood fibers that have been dislodged by the sanding process. There's a lot of air space in the surface, too. Fine sanding with 150 grit gets rid of most of the loose fibers and flattens the microscopic contours of the "field" somewhat. Finish sanding with 220 grit smooths and consolidates the surface even further. That's usually where I stop sanding, but I found that when sanded with 400 grit, the surface starts to take on a polished look, even on cedar. It feels smooth and hard. A simple test will show the difference. Take a piece of wood and sand one area only with a coarse grit, then sand another area with progressively finer grits down to 400. Tap each surface with a fingernail. The coarse sanded surface will sound dull and your tapping will leave marks. The extra-fine sanded surface will sound and feel hard and there won't be any marks left.

Granted, extra-fine sanding doesn't turn the surface into oak, but it does make the paddle more resistant to dents.  Finish the surface - or not - as you usually do, then hit the water!