While all sandpaper eventually wears out, the difference in durability between cloth- and paper-backed abrasives is only something you’ll truly appreciate after using both. Cloth backing lasts much longer, particularly in high friction applications such as sanding turned spindles and bowls.
That’s why Rockler’s J-Weight Cloth-backed Sandpaper Rolls will be so useful to turners. But this aluminum oxide abrasive will be equally helpful for general detail and finish-sanding, loading onto a sanding block for smoothing flat surfaces or even mounted to a piece of float glass for flattening and honing chisel blades, plane irons and plane soles.
Each 2-3/4″-wide roll has 20 linear ft of sandpaper. Tear off just the amount you need to complete the task at hand while minimizing waste. Rockler sells individual rolls in many useful grits: 100 (item 77435), 150 (item 70444), 240 (item 79292), 320 (item 76961), 400 (item 72776) and 600 (item 71319) for $9.99 apiece. Or, save some on the per-roll cost by buying it in a 3-pack of 20-ft rolls in 150-, 240- and 320-grits (item 76783).