I sanded them smooth after milling because the mesh was a little rough, and the surface is usually a little "furry" inplaces where the wood grain is softer. After milling the mesh grid structure was actually visible in the wood. Hehe. I have since smoothed the mesh out a lot so my next blades will not require much sanding. I usually coat wooden parts with a few layers of epoxy resin and sand between the layers, and then paint.
I tried the propeller on thursday. It worked great.