Like your beaded face frame tutorial. I was just wondering about finishing. That little bead would seem to need some addtional sanding as well even if the pieces are presanded. any suggestions about how to do that nicely?? I'm concerned about my stain looking uneven.
-Paul
Ottawa, ON
Our Expert
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the article on beaded frames; keep coming back to the Amana website to see new articles.
Prior to finishing a piece of furniture I sand nearly every surface including profiles created by a router or shaper. However, like most woodworkers, I don't care for sanding and so I use woodworking techniques which keep sanding to a minimal. For example, I use a sharp plane to smooth flat surfaces prior to sanding. When sharpened and adjusted for a fine cut a plane will leave the wood surface incredibly smooth and so very little sanding will be required.
When shaping profiles on a shaper or table mounted router the feed rate is important for minimizing sanding. If the feed rate is too slow, the wood may burn. Some woods, such as cherry, are especially prone to burning and the burn marks are difficult and time-consuming to remove by sanding. If the feed rate is too fast the surface will appear rippled. With a bit of practice it's easy to find the ideal feed rate that will leave the surface both smooth and burn-free.
Another method that I use when routing and shaping is to create the profile in at least two passes. For the final pass I make the cutting depth extremely light, just a few thousandths of an inch. This technique creates a very smooth surface that requires minimal sanding. It also removes any burn marks that may have occurred during the initial pass.
To sand the bead and quirk (the groove adjacent to the bead) I use a quarter of a sanding sheet and lightly sand it by hand. The edge of the sanding sheet fits easily into the groove to effectively sand the entire profile. If the above techniques are used, a light sanding is all that is needed to ensure that the bead absorbs stains and dyes evenly.
