When cutting out wood parts, it is common to get rough edges or even lots of excess material that does not come off cleanly (see part on left). While hand sanding will usually remove this excess material, when making lots of parts, the labor time and cost can become excessive.
The key to getting smooth edges and surfaces is choosing the right process and the right abrasive. Barrel tumbling is the most common method for this process which involves using a loose abrasive to ‘sand’ the parts. A barrel tumbler will keep the parts and media mixed to provide the optimal results.
This small part was tumbled with Hardwood Pegs and White Aluminum Oxide Grit. The Pegs were needed as this part shape is not conducive to tumbling and a media is needed to provide the soft tumbling action required. As this is lighter wood, White Aluminum Oxide Grit was used to sand the edges and surfaces. The Pegs essentially act as small sanding blocks during tumbling.
As the grit can sometimes get stuck in the pores of the wood, tumbling the parts in Corn Cob Grit after the sanding step will help to clean out the part.