Coated abrasive articles having spacer particles are formed by providing a production tool having a dispensing surface with a plurality of cavities, guiding the production tool past an abrasive particle feeder, dispensing shaped abrasive particles onto the dispensing surface and into the plurality of cavities of the production tool, guiding a resin coated backing sheet adjacent the production tool past a spacer particle feeder, and dispensing spacer particles onto the resin coated backing sheet and/or the production tool after the abrasive particle feeder prior to a deposit point for the shaped abrasive particles. The spacer particles are selected to have a thickness that is greater than a thickness of a resin coating of the resin coating backing sheet and a thickness and density once dispensed that are sufficient to substantially prevent the production tool from contacting the resin coated backing sheet at the deposit point.