Hi Jay;

Thanks for the experience. If a 100 grit surface is adequately strong, I will be quite happy with this level of finish. As a long time hobby woodworker, I have always sanded with the grain. With the glass and epoxy finish, I'm not convinced it's wholly necessary. The ROS with good paper does not seem to leave any visble swirls, even at 80 grit. The only disks I had any finish problem with were the "Ace" brand, so I used those up early on, rough shaping. The sanding boards with fresh 80 grit quality cloth paper, stroked with the grain, left a very poor finish as well. Great for fairing, but not ready for epoxy in my opinion.

Thanks again, Spidey