Finally realized I was sanding in the wrong direction this whole time
I was refinishing a pine tabletop in my garage last month and kept getting those ugly cross-grain scratches no matter how many passes I did. My neighbor Dave walked by, looked at my work, and asked why I was sanding sideways like a maniac. He handed me a scrap piece and made me go with the grain, and the difference was instant. Has anyone else had a basic technique click for them after years of doing it the hard way?