Another cabinet question - face frames this time.

[Larry Fox]

What type of sanding / finishing sequence have yielded success for you when building face frames for cabinets? Do you sand and finish prior to assembly? Sand only before assembly and finish after? Sand and finish after?

Sand before assembly and finish after seems most intuitive but I am doing it for the first time so I thought I would seek the advise of the experts. How about the back of the frames - do you follow the same finishing schedule without sanding?

Thanks in advance for your time . . .

Larry

[Donnie Raines]

I apply my face frame, allow to dry, block plane it flush(if that's what I want) and then sand. Finish is applied when everything has been assembles for me.

[Cecil Arnold]

Larry, simular to Donnie, I slightly oversize my face frames, then when installed use a flush cut router bit to get them down, sand, fill and finish.

[Larry Fox]

Just giving this thread b "bump" as I would like to get more input if possible. Thanks for your replies Donnie and Cecil.

Thanks in advance for your time . . .

Larry

[tod evans]

larry, i run them through the wide belt both sides prior to attaching them to the carcase........02 tod

[Greg Heppeard]

I build 1/8" oversize, sand the face and the back, install. If the end of the cabinet is going to be seen, I trim with a flush cut with a V groove then lightly sand the edge.

[Steve Clardy]

I assemble everything, then sand and finish

[Fred Voorhees]

Like some of the others, I always make the face frame just slightly oversized width-wise and trim it flush with a flush trim bit, sometimes with the v-notch and sometimes without. I do sand the inside of the frame before attaching to the carcass. The face of the frame is sanded with the rest of the cabinet after it is built. Finish is always last, with the exception of the panels of raised panel doors which I always do before assembling the doors due to the expansion and contraction deal.

[Kent Cori]

Yep, what Fred says goes for me too.