Reply by paratrooper34

I rarely use sandpaper. Cannot stand the dust and mess. I read about this subject somewhere and the main point of the article was that planes cut fibers which leaves a surface that is truly open and is excellent for stain/finish to absorb into. The point made about sandpaper is that the fine dust left in the pores and fibers give the appearance of better saturation, but it does not allow the same level of saturation as a planed surface which leaves the surface almost completely dust free. My experience is that planed wood has no issues accepting finishes.

-- Mike