Yet another finish first question.

[brian c miller]

This is the first time I'll be finishing something this large. This is the raw case, There are through mortices which the plan is to drawbore and glue the peg (not sure if I should glue the whole stub tennon??)

The uprights are sliding dovetails and I'll pin the ends (single pin in the end closest to the rear). This should allow the planes to move around a fair bit.
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I'lll be follow this schedule:

Sand 80, 120
Raise grain with distilled water
Sand 220
Stain with TransTint Medium Brown diluted at 1 oz dye to 1 qt. water
Apply one coat General Finishes SealACell Sealer. Let dry one day and scuff sand with 320 grit
Apply Bartley Walnut Gel Stain. Wipe clean and let dry overnight.
Apply 2 coats General Finishes ArmRSeal Satin Finish.

So, it seems a lot easier to sand / finish flat panels but what about the "glue-up"? d

[John TenEyck]

You're right, it's a lot easier to finish big, flat panels while you can handle them separately, but it can be done either way. If you don't have to do any flushing, etc. after assembly I would be inclind to pre-finish everything. Just be sure to cover the joints you want to glue with 3M Delicate Surfaces Blue Tape to keep those areas clean. I would sand to 150 or 180 prior to grain raising. However, if you use alcohol as the solvent for the Transtint you can eliminate the grain raising drudgery altogether. I only use DNA and have no problem applying the dye uniformly even on very large panels.
Also, you may need more than 2 coats of Arm-R-Seal if your wood is porous at all, like oak. BTW, I've used a finishing schedule very similar to yours on oak, and the results were beautiful.

John

[Scott Holmes]

I'd follow this schedule:

Sand 80, 120, 150 180, 220
Skip raising the grain not really needed... even with water dye.
Stain with TransTint Medium Brown diluted at 1 oz dye to 1 qt. water or Denatured alcohol
Apply one coat General Finishes SealACell Sealer. Let dry one day and scuff sand with 320 grit After at least 2 coats 3 is better or you may remove some of the color.
Apply Bartley Walnut Gel Stain. Wipe clean and let dry overnight.
Apply 2 coats General Finishes ArmRSeal Satin Finish.

So, it seems a lot easier to sand / finish flat panels but what about the "glue-up"? YES as John T. Said

[Jim Becker]

I pre-finish panels intended for cabinetry in most cases and take the time to carefully mask off specific glue areas. Yes, it adds some work, but it's so much more fun spraying flat panels than into a box...