How long to sand a cabinet?

[Jim Becker]

Pre-finished ply for hidden components (backs and shelves) can be a real time saver, and the coating materials they use are typically tougher than what we use in the shop.

I used that for the first time when I did the replacement uppers for our kitchen. It indeed was a time-saver relative to finishing, although I had to make some adjustments/accommodations to my assembly process because of the finish not being compatible with my normal glue and screwed butt joints. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat and it wasn't any more expensive than other sheet goods that I typically buy from my supplier.

[Robert Engel]

The first shellac coat will be a penetrating seal coat & shellac will raise the grain just like water. So there isn't much benefit from sanding prior to shellac unless the grain on the ply necessitates. Maple ply should be pretty smooth I'm betting you don't need to sand at all.

Then 320 between shellac coats - always by hand.

A small panel shouldn't take more than a couple minutes. Over sanding is a common mistake with beginners.

@Jim - I've built quite a few cabs and never use glue, just screws, so IMO there's no issue there. Glue on a plywood butt joint is not doing much anyway.

[Frank Drackman]

I had similar issues when I first started to transition from DIY to making furniture & cabinets. After sanding through the face of sheet goods and trying to get scratched out of table tops I realized that I need a better system for protecting parts from dings & scratches.

When starting a project I take time to think about where to put things during the stages. I have carts covered in old pieces of rug. I put the pieces here instead to stacking on benchtop or table saw. It has really cut down on time trying to fix bumps.