Used to think that final hand sand was a waste of time. Figured the machine did good enough. Seeing that clear coat peel up changed my mind fast. Now I won't skip it, the old way just works.

Yeah, that's the best way to shop... @sanchez.mary is right about pork shoulder too, it's another good one.

Hey, about learning "the loud way"... that makes it sound like one big mistake you can't miss. But tool wear often creeps in quietly. Like, a slightly worn gear cutter will make teeth mesh poorly, so the clock runs slow after a month... not right when you build it. Or a dull pivot drill makes holes a tiny bit too large, and the gears never sit right. It's those slow fails that really teach you to watch for wear before things break.