Do THIS and You Will NEVER Have Swirl Marks!

If you've ever had swirl marks show up on a woodworking project when you stain it, you know how frustrating that can be. I'll share with you a woodworking tip that shows you how to prevent swirl marks on wood. Pine and spruce are more susceptible to swirl marks because they are soft woods.

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[joeymccullough]

Excellent video. I’m a longtime professional finisher & I thought you did a great job explaining the process. This is one of the hardest things to teach newbies😆

[nolanbayer]

Just followed yesterday and this is the video I need 😅

[scottbyrd]

Hello!

I have been following your page for a couple months now. I would like to first say your videos are very helpful. I also admire your work, support, and sharing of your past and future. As a retired firefighter from injuries I’ve been trying to find projects to do and each time I sometimes find myself researching it on your page.

Thank you for your time and sharing information you provide here. Keep up the amazing work!!

[wadewassenberg]

To each his own, and I know some people's opinion is that finer grits are a "waste of time" but I go to 400 even on pine, and I can honestly say I've never had a swirl problem. I think we can all universally agree that if you take your time, you'll get better results.

[davidpeters]

Part of the problem is starting with such low grits. In most cases, it is not necessary to start with 60 or 80 grit. That is really aggressive paper and is really meant for stripping paint. Those are the grits that will cause the most swirl marks. Using cauls on glueup and scraping the glue off before it dries will make a big difference in the joint so you don't have to start with such aggressive sandpaper.

[JorgeM]

Beginner here...thanks for the tip. Very helpful tip when setting up work practices to keep in mind when moving forward.

[bonerhello]

I think you come up with more plans for folks to purchase. Like the dresser or also the coffee stand. You have so many projects but so few plans. Love 731 woodworks y’all are inspiring!!!

[mountaineers]

Just finished a table and this video described the issues I had perfectly. Great advice! Sanding back and re-staining is definitely frustrating! Enjoy your videos

[paulbrittain]

Ever try water popping? Very effective at raising the grain to eliminate swirls. Never used it on softwoods but it's a great technique for hardwoods. Should work equally well on softwoods. Cheers.

[joelw]

Great content. I like listening to it while I do yard work or even in the shop.

[johnlp]

This is 100% accurate I have had this problem many times. I start with a higher grit 120 or so then wipe the wood between grits. And like you said let the sander do the work I use to want to push on the sander makes it worse plus will burn up velcro on bottom of sander.

[hetedeleambacht]

SUPER helpful. Thank you. I can imagine when you do floor sanding and the floor is not entirely even, you might come across the same problem, even when you keep the sanding machine as flat as possible??

[PeterFloyd]

Great video about staining. What I have found is a huge difference (especially using Pine or Spruce) when using the pre-stain! If you have ever seen your staining come out with blotches, the pre-stain will virtually remove those blotches. Matt, maybe you can do a quick short on the difference between having pre-stain or not. Keep it up and god bless you brother!

[BushmanOutdoors]

Great tip, this has happened on a desk I made for myself and didn’t fix it as it was just for me. Will be getting one of those sanding blocks to go with the grain.
Thank you
JMP

[mattprevost]

Great advice. I'm getting ready to head on to the 120 stage of sanding on some shelves I'm making for my wife. Hopefully using this will prevent the staining issues I had on my stove cover...👊

[Corey_houston]

I really needed this video! I’ve resanded several projects for those same swirls🤬

[tom.coomes]

Awesome!! Thank you so much! I have that problem a lot and just thought pine was just finicky. This will help me a lot.

[melissapoole]

Thank you for this. I just started building tables and I just finished my first one. Only one of the boards had swirls. And I wasn't sure why. Sure enough, I was sanding away lips by turning my sander. I thought only sanding with 120 and now lower grits, I was safe. LOL. I didn't know turning it caused it too.

[Damon_Barber]

Great video showing the why and how to avoid! This is a common mistake we have all made as beginners!

[The_Ol_Bizzaroo]

Another tip is to wipe the piece down with mineral spirits after sanding. This will offer a preview of what it'll look like when the finish is applied. Swirl marks should show up when the mineral spirits are still wet.