Joe

I agree with everything you said.  Although - even with an oil finish I don’t go
beyond 220 and have not had a problem.  I finish guitars with heardening oils,
natural or waterbased varnishes, and for a couple, shellac.  I have no spray
equipment wo everything is either brushed or padded, then I level and polish
through the grits.  Once you have a finish on, there is no grain direction and
that makes it easier.

Here is  some wet-dry sanding on a nice piece of oak - I use up to 2000 grit
sandpaper, then sanding screens up to about 8000 grit, then some car compound



Here is a nitrocelluose lacquer finish I had a local car painter put on for me
and I hand polished from his 1200 grit:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/16816946375/in/album-72157646344
222304/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/16816946375/in/album-72157646344
222304/ <https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/16816946375/in/albu
m-72157646344222304/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/16816946375/in/albu
m-72157646344222304/>

And here is an experiment with wipe-on poly.  I took the last coat up to about
2000 grit, then carefully wiped on a slightly thinned last coat.  Othere than a
coupl eof dust goobers, it looks quite good

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/45654628201/in/album-72157688488
198220/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/45654628201/in/album-72157688488
198220/ <https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/45654628201/in/albu
m-72157688488198220/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/45654628201/in/albu
m-72157688488198220/>