Assemble of finish first?

[Sparhawk]

I have a couple of childrens rocking chairs that I am fixing, sanding back and finishing.
The project was originally only going to be one, painted gloss white, but I pick up a second in the hard rubbish last week. I prefer a more natural finish, and am going to do the second in WOP and Trad Wax.

Now to my question, should I re-assemble the chair before or after I put the WOP on? I can post photo's later if required.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I'm a believer in the ol' "half & half" system.

Any joints that are supposed to be flush with each other (eg lapped joints, some M&T's) I leave until the piece is assembled as I usually need to sand a little bit to ensure a seamless joint.

On the other hand, anywhere the joints don't give a flush surface (eg. chair spindles and the like) I prefer to finish pre-assembly because it's easier and I dislike the look of "finish-filled cracks." (Even though I may apply further coats after assembly, making the whole thing a pointless exercise. But we all have our foibles.)

At the end of the day I've often had pieces scattered around the shed that're only finished on one or two sides... quite confusing sometimes...

[Tung tied]

Don't forget not to get the finish on any glue surfaces as it will inhibit the glue's ability to stick. (I originally learned the hard way). Good luck Cheers Bryan