Technique Question

[garfield]

Hi,

Just wondering what the technique is of most of the experienced woodworkers here for staining and varnishing their projects.

I have in the past built a couple of projects where I've had shelves and little crannies spots that are really hard to get to after it's all been put together and I have found that after satining and varnishing them tight and hard to get to area's that it looks darker or not as neat as the area's that were easy to get to.

So bottom line I guess is do most stain and varnish their wood - or just stain before building their project?

Thanks for the help,
Geoff

[Christos]

As you said. Some tight spots.

If it is going to be a tight spot when I finish the item. I will stain or varnish it covering the area (joint) that is going to be glued. So far not much that I have stained in tight spots.

I will add that I tend to sand all the pieces before the final glue up.

[silentC]

I tend to finish all surfaces that are going to be recessed or hard to get to before assembly. If I can't get free access to edges after it's assembled, then it is finished first. I leave surfaces that can be gotten to afterwards raw and I sand and finish after assembly. This allows you to clamp etc. without worrying about damage. Since I generally finish with shellac and wax, this works OK for me.

If I was spray finishing, I would probably sand, then assemble, then finish.

[garfield]

I'll be spraying my next project (a Conner TV unit I'll be making for my parents) and I'm tossing up whether to sand and spray all the parts as I put them together, especially the shelved areas where it will be hard to stain on completion.

I'll try and draw a picture of the unit and post it to see what is recommended.

Cheers,
Geoff