# What is the best order to construct?



## bananas (13 Aug 2019)

I've got all my pieces cut for a kitchen helper stand but need some help with the order to get it all together. My plan currently is in this order:

Sand all pieces to smooth finish
Cut mortices and tenons
Round over edges
Apply knotting solution, prime and paint
glue and assemble
Is this the best order or should I do it differently? I feel painting should be last but I have some internal corners and my thinking is that it will be easer to paint apart than when it is together.


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## MikeG. (13 Aug 2019)

I'd never do the final coat of anything whilst dis-assembled, but you could happily apply a coat or two, and then a final coat once it is assembled and the glue dried and cleaned up.


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## Trevanion (13 Aug 2019)

Always do all the joinery first! No point in sanding it smooth if you’re going to mark out joints, cut the tenons and hammer out the mortices which might cause dings in the wood which you’ll end up sanding out again. Do the rounding over at the same time as you’re sanding as well, preferably before just in case you get tear out or something like that and end up sanding it again. Paint what’s going to be difficult to get at later on, assemble and glue it, then give it another coat of paint all over.


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## dzj (13 Aug 2019)

It depends upon your design really.
For instance, if you have traditional frame and panel, the corners where the rails and stiles meet, often need some sanding or hand planing after the joint is glued up.


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## thetyreman (13 Aug 2019)

Trevanion":166xvpvx said:


> Always do all the joinery first! No point in sanding it smooth if you’re going to mark out joints, cut the tenons and hammer out the mortices which might cause dings in the wood which you’ll end up sanding out again. Do the rounding over at the same time as you’re sanding as well, preferably before just in case you get tear out or something like that and end up sanding it again. Paint what’s going to be difficult to get at later on, assemble and glue it, then give it another coat of paint all over.



+1 

joinery and shaping first, sanding should be the second to last stage, then finishing.


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## will1983 (13 Aug 2019)

I agree with the above but one little exception to the rule is when I'm making frame and panel doors from MRMDF that are going to be painted.

Once I have all my frame parts cut to width and length I give them a quick thin coat of primer on the inward facing edges. As this is an MDF edge it takes more work to get looking good so this first coat is just to bind the fibres and raise any that may pose a problem later in the finishing process. I use whatever I have to hand, WB primer undercoat, Zinsser BIN, it doesn't matter as most of it will be sanded off anyway.

Once dry this is easy to sand back flush before the grooves are cut and the door assembled.


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