Since you don't have any glass cloth
> on the deck you can sand into the wood a good 1/64 th of an inch,
> and still be in wood that is protected by the resin.

WOW! No cloth on deck? what prevents your knee from pushing through? Ply or strip?

My approach to sanding has been to only use abrasives when absolutely necessary. A well-sharpenes cabinet scraper does wonders in fairing an epoxy job, making fine shavings instead of airborn dust. I still wear a mask though, that smell makes me itch.