I'm just a short few steps away from gluing up my cherry cabinet. It's built in a Shaker style, as a frame with panels. I'm planning to finish it with just oil of some kind. I was thinking Tung oil, but I'm not here to open up the BLO/Tung oil debate!
What I'm wondering is a real noobie question: should I oil the parts before glue-up or assemble everything and then oil? Ideally I'd like a finished interior, so that calls for oil first. Also, as you can see from the photo there are lots of tiny corners, and I wonder if those are places where oil would build up too heavily. Oiling first enables me to rub out the wet oil before glue-up, and then have rubbed, dry panels to assemble that will need no further finish.
The photo shows the back's three rails and two panels (22" w x 41" h), and one side (11" w) with only its frame, to show how this piece will come together. You can see the grooves into which the panels will fit. Panels are double-layer 1/4" cherry ply made from MDF. By doubling them I have the cherry veneer both inside and out.
pre-glue-up.jpgAttachment 419129
I know if I oil first I need to keep oil off the tenons and out of the mortises, so I was thinking of blue-taping them first, and avoiding the tenon shoulders altogether as well.
I'm leaning toward oiling before assembly. Any advice to the contrary?
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