Know your true grits

Smoothing turned pens requires a wide array of sandpaper grits to obtain a silky finish. I found it difficult to keep track of the multiple abrasives—and keep them off the floor—until I developed this simple organizational system. For each grit, I screwed a small binder clip to my turning-tool shelf. If the grit number doesn't show on the back of the sheet, I simply jot it with a permanent marker.
—Bruce Melton, Rolling Prairie, Ind.