Basic Woodworking Part 2: Sanding and Staining

Sanding takes a long time. A really long time. Tiny swells that looked easily smoothable while assembling the piece could take hundreds of passes with an orbital sander to even out. The trick is to start with a rough grit (low number) sandpaper and gradually work your way upwards to finer and finer finishes. When I could run my hand across the wood without it sticking in any one location, I called it a day.

Keep in mind two things:
1). Inside corners might be difficult to properly sand, though this issue can be solved by using a square sanding block (basically a square scrap piece of wood wrapped in sandpaper).
2). Edges can be very delicate; when softening outside corners and edges, avoid over sanding and creating a curved edge, especially if that edge is supposed to sit flush with another surface, such as the floor.

Then comes the stain. The magic rule (at least for me) of staining is: if it can get stained, it will. This includes your clothes, your shoes, the floor, anything supporting the piece, as well as any tools you have lying around. Be sure to remove things you want to keep clean well before you even open up the can of stain. If something does stained, you may attempt at your own risk to clean it using mineral spirits, though these can be highly flammable.


The manufacturer's directions on the can of stain are usually very clear and easy to understand, though the basic principles remain the same:

1. Apply stain
2. Wait for it to sink into the wood and partially dry
3. Wipe off excess stain
4. Repeat

The number of coats reflect the desired darkness of the final stain. I wanted my bookcase to match another fairly dark set of shelves, so I used 2-3 coats. The final product has a bit of a shine to it while drying out:

All sanded and stained; only waiting on the books!

And the final product:

With all those books loaded on, the case is quite sturdy and stable. It leans back slightly to allow the wall to provide additional support, so I placed felt furniture pads along the top edge.