There are some times when it helps to finish (including stain) before assembling your piece.

 

Just be sure to mask off any areas that are going to be glued because glue won't stick to finish.

 

Tight spots

If your piece has lots of tight spots such as spindles that are close together, staining and finishing before assembly will be easier than trying to get your rag and/or brush into those areas.  (And I've found it's way faster to spray things like chairs than to rag or brush).

 

Shrinkage

When you are doing panels such as raised panels, rabbetted panels, shiplap, car siding, or tongue and groove where the pieces are going to shrink in the dry parts of the year, getting your finish in there before assembly will help avoid those "tan lines."   (I've seen plenty of Asian furniture that had this problem.)

 

Concave areas

When you have a lot of concave areas (often with 3 corners) that's hard to get a brush or rag in, leaving one part off until finished makes it much easier.  This avoids a build-up in those hard to get to areas.   Likewise if you're spraying an enclosed area like a bookcase or cabinet, you can avoid a lot of finish "blow back" if you just leave the back off until the finishing is done.

 

So don't always be in a rush to assemble and think about the finish.   As a Navy buddy of mine used to say, P^7 (Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance).

 

Convenience

If you have an awkward piece such as a dining table with legs that remove via hanger bolts simply removing the legs and working on them separately will make the whole process a lot easier.   When I do this, I put the top on turntable so I can get all around it and I have a box that I screw the legs onto for staining and finish.   Just be sure if you're working on the legs upside down to turn them over to make sure you're getting stain and finishes in the turned areas that will eventually be top side (and vice versa).

 

Likewise, things like attached drawer fronts are easier to finish prior to attaching to the drawer box that won't get stain/finish on it (or will get a separate finish -- shellac is a good finish for inside enclosed areas because it won't smell like oil for ages.)  If you are doing two-tone finishes, again separating the pieces avoids slopping the wrong color stain or paint on an adjacent piece.  An example of this might be a chair with different legs and spindles than seat, or table with different color legs than top, or doors/drawers than face frame.

Edited November 7, 20178 yr by kmealy

All good stuff.......

Sound advice also pre finish keeps your freshly milled wood stable in case you are not assembling in the same day.

 

I think it depends on the complexity of the project.  Simple pieces that have minimal corner joints and other simple joinery..  might be OK to finish after assembly.

More complex items with many tongue and groove joints and many inside corners..  I think it's much easier to prefinish.

Because I "finish the finish," it's much easier to achieve that great all-around consistency.

 

Larry

Edited December 23, 20178 yr by Larry Jenkins