Abrasives
Why net abrasives outlast paper discs
A disc that has stopped cutting is usually clogged rather than worn out. Understanding that changes what you buy.
The extraction hole problem
A conventional disc has six, eight or fifteen holes punched through it. Those holes cover perhaps five percent of the face. Everywhere else, dust has nowhere to go, so it packs into the spaces between the abrasive grains.
Once the grit is buried, the disc burnishes instead of cutting. The abrasive underneath is still perfectly good.
What a mesh changes
Net abrasive is a woven polyamide mesh with grit bonded to the strands. There is open area across the entire surface, so extraction pulls dust away everywhere rather than at fifteen points.
In practice the disc keeps cutting several times longer, and the finish stays consistent from the first pass to the last rather than degrading as it clogs.
The dust argument
The same property that keeps the disc clear also keeps the dust out of the air. For anyone sanding indoors or working with MDF and hardwood dust, that is arguably the stronger reason to switch.
Use the right backing pad
Net abrasive fitted to a standard hole-pattern pad works, but the pad then becomes the restriction and you lose most of the benefit you paid for. A net-compatible pad has open area matching the mesh.
Where to stop
On most hardwood, P240 is the sensible last grade before finishing. Going finer tends to burnish the surface, closing the grain and causing stain to take unevenly. If a surface still needs work at P240, the problem is usually the grade before it, not the one you are on.
How we write these. Guides are written by the people who pick and specify these tools. We sell the products mentioned, and we say so, but where the honest answer is that a cheaper tool does the job, that is what the guide says. If you think something here is wrong, tell us at support@exelprod.com and we will correct it and note the change.
