How do I sand a carved sign without ruining the crisp V-carved edges?

The core rule

The flat face and the carve get sanded differently. Aggressive sanding across a v-carve rounds the crisp top edges, which is the exact thing the V-bit gave you. Protect the edges; chase fuzz only where it lives.

The sequence

1. Sand the face BEFORE carving when possible. Surface/flatten, sand to near-final grit (150 to 180), THEN carve. Now post-carve sanding is minimal.
2. After carving, flat areas: hard flat block or ROS with light pressure, final grit (180 to 220). A HARD backing pad matters: soft pads dip into the carve and round edges.
3. Inside the carve, fuzz removal only:

• Nylon abrasive brush (drill attachment or hand) is the workhorse for v-carve fuzz; it conforms to the V without cutting edges
• Fine ScotchBrite pad pushed into grooves
• Folded 220 paper for stubborn spots: stroke ALONG the groove, never across the top edge
• Compressed air + stiff brush first, because half the "fuzz" is just packed dust

4. The pro move, seal then de-fuzz: spray a light seal coat (dewaxed shellac/sanding sealer) into the carve and let it dry. It stiffens the fuzz, so then brush/light-sand and the fibers snap off clean instead of bending. Repeat once for furry species (pine, cedar, oak).

Species notes

Maple/walnut/cherry need almost no in-carve sanding with a sharp bit (a dull bit CAUSES the fuzz, see that entry). Pine and MDF always fuzz, so budget the seal-and-brush cycle.

Pro tips

• Paint-fill jobs: don't chase perfection in the carve. Primer + paint hide minor fuzz (see the paint-fill entry).
• Raised-letter signs invert the problem: the background gets the cleanup (see the raised-lettering entry).