Questions about finish/assembly

[Jim Tobias]

I am finishing up a table and I was thinking that I might do all the finish work on the top (shellac-filler-USL) and legs and aprons (shellac - USL) and then do glue up afterwards, leaving only 1 finish coat of USL to apply after assembly. I know I would need to cover/tape off mortice and tenons to prevent them from being coated, but what other considerations are there for doing it in this manner?

Thanks,
Jim

[John Michaels]

I prefinish most of my small tables that I build. I finish the legs, top, and aprons then I cut the mortise and tenons. I cover the aprons with blue tape to prevent scratches from the table saw when making the tenons. I dry fit the table and put more blue tape where the glue squeeze out will be. When the glue squeezes out I use q-tips and a damp sponge to remove glue in the tiny border between the tape and the joint. It might sound like a pain, but not compared to sanding into the corners and trying to prevent drips from the finish after the table is glued up. I find it akward to finish a table after it's assembled. Not to mention the discoloration from glue getting on raw wood.

[Jim Tobias]

Very interesting John. I had never even thought about finishing before cutting tenons and mortices. I am afraid I would beat the parts up before I could ever get them cut and put together.
Thanks for the help,

Jim

[John Michaels]

Very interesting John. I had never even thought about finishing before cutting tenons and mortices. I am afraid I would beat the parts up before I could ever get them cut and put together.
Thanks for the help,

Jim

I have a shop fox mortising machine so it might be easier not to damage the legs compared to say using a router. I even use blue tape on the do-dad that holds the workpiece down on the mortising machine to prevent scratches. I should buy stock in 3M. I still get a couple of minor dings here and there. I often use tung oil as a finish so after the table is glued up I might do a little wet sanding here and there. Then one really light coat all over and wipe off it real good. I've been doing woodworking for about a year and a half. I've made about 4 or 5 tables in my spare time. One of the tables got accepted into a fine woodworking gallery north of Seattle. I guess my point is for the kind of work I'm doing where a perfect finish is a must, prefinishing makes the most sense for me. Here's a couple of them.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=80235

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=68034