FRETS.COM
Shop Tip #071
© Frank Ford 2004; Photo by FF

You should always sand with the grain, right? Well, not necessarily. Take spruce or cedar for example. These woods have such soft grain between the hard winter growth rings that particles of abrasive from the sandpaper that break off just roll around in the soft grain, scarring it. If you sand across the grain, you'll cut the hard and soft grain equally. And, as you get to the finer grits, the sanding scratches become so small that they don't show under even the most transparent finishes.

Give it a try. . .