sand/finish/saw vs saw/sand/finish vs ?

[Rob Blaustein]

I'm making faceframes for the first time. I'm using two walnut boards and it seems like it would be easier to just run my ROS over the nice wide (8-10") boards first, sanding up to 220, before ripping the pieces for the faceframe rather than ripping and sanding the thinner pieces. Then I got to thinking that if I'm going to do some staining and finishing to maybe blend in some of the sapwood and match the color to some walnut veneered plywood (a la Jeff Jewitt), it might be easier to sand, then also finish before cutting down to size. But it seems like the books say to cut to size, sand, then finish. What order makes sense here?

[frank shic]

rob, perfectly flush face frame joints are hard to come by which is why most people wait until AFTER assembly to sand (or plane) the front of the face frame in order to even out the discrepancies and then apply the finish. the edges of the face frame are easiest to sand BEFORE assembly. if you finish first, you'll wind up having to deal with finishing the freshly cut edge.

you're on the right track by planning the finishing in advance. jim tolpin writes in wit and wisdom, "the best time to begin work on the finish is at the beginning, not the end of the project" followed by a cartoon showing him lying underneath a shelf while trying to paint the inside of a sideboard.

good luck with that bathroom vanity!

[Rob Blaustein]

Thanks Frank, I'd wondered about the joints--I guess I could do some sanding first, hold off on finishing, cut and assemble, then plane or resand spots as needed, then finish.

[Steve Clardy]

I sand after assembly.

[Jerry Olexa]

frank gives good advice...

[frank shic]

thanks jerry! i'm just sharing the crumbs of wisdom that have trickled off the woodworking table of knowledge with the other peasants. :D