I have not written anything for a few days because it has been so easy just installing then sanding. We started a small job today: a 1,200-foot sand-and-finish of 4-inch white oak No. 1 common. The underwood and overwood was just a bit high. We started with 40 grit on a slight angle-7-10 degrees-and as odd as this sounds, the paper was talking to me. You can hear each time the paper would hit a bad end joint or if the machine would dip, lift and pull. I recall when Daniel Boone put me behind the big machine-the way he expressed the sounds and taught me the way a unit can tell you so much about the floor. At the end of the day you will know everything about the floor.
The control handle was running up, then down on the first cut, so in my head listening to the unit it told me to go back with the same grit straight; at that point the handle was very still. I went to a 60 grit and the floor was not so loud; the paper made a smooth, relaxed sound. Not screaming at the end joints like the 40 but rather a constant scratch sound. The control handle was so still that I did not even feel the high and lows. I stopped and did all the spot filling and made sure all the nails were set and filled along the walls. I did not want to start the final cut today so we cleaned up and made it about five more minutes when Joey got a call that his son broke his arm at school. He is getting a rod in his arm right now-eight years old and he has to have his first surgery.
Looks like I will be doing the last sand and finish alone.
