I'm well into this stage right now on my (seemingly) never ending bunk bed project. I don't know which process is more frustrating and revealing of one's own failings as a woodworker--glue-ups or finish work. I managed to get past the glue-up stage in this project (94 M&T joints didn't make it easy) with my dignity and self-respect intact, only to find myself questioning my very existence now that I'm seeing where I clearly didn't spend as much time sanding as the LOML wanted me to think I did. Dark stain on prime ash can be a brutal and revealing experience.