1. Sand Before Assembly – It’s tempting to jump right into assembly once your joinery is complete, but that can make it harder to properly sand interior surfaces and corners. Spending just a bit of time sanding these surfaces before you reach for the glue will save you time, not to mention leave you with a better finish.

2. Remove Glue Before It Hardens – Some woodwork­ers use a damp cloth to wipe up glue immediately after tightening the last clamp, but I find that risks leaving glue streaks on the work­piece. Leaving it to harden only makes removing it more difficult. Every situation is slightly different, but I tend to let the glue dry for 30 to 60 minutes before using a sharp scraper, blade or knife to remove it. It will be dry enough to not leave glue streaks on the surrounding area.

3. Start with the Right Grit – Sometimes solid wood is extra rough from machining or because of its grain. In these cases, you can start with about 60 grit, maybe rougher. If your solid wood is fairly smooth, you can probably start at about 80 grit. When working with veneer, you can usually start at 100 grit, as the surface is already quite smooth. You also risk sanding completely through veneer if you start with a rough grit.

4. Remove Machine Marks – Ensure the first grit removes all the machine marks from your planer, jointer, table saw, router, etc. After that, each grit will only need to smooth the scratch pattern left by the previous grit.

5. Sanding Power Tools and Machines Are Your Friends – You can hand sand your entire project, but it will take a lot of time and energy. Power sanders will greatly help ease this process. Hand sanding just at the highest grit is also an option.

6. Replace Your Sandpaper When Needed – Sandpaper only works well when there’s enough fresh grit on it. Once it gets worn down it stops working and will tend to burnish the wood fibres, rather than cutting them, which will poorly affect the look of the finish.

7. Watch the Edges – As you sand, be more careful around the edges and corners of a workpiece, as the lack of surface area and support may cause you to remove extra wood near these areas. This is especially true when using power sanders and sanding veneer.

8. Use a Light – A raking light will allow you to see any scratches and imperfections on the wood’s surface. This is mainly helpful during the final grit, but will help new woodworkers see all the imperfections as they work through the grits.

9. Know When to Stop – Sanding more than necessary isn’t added insurance. Not only does it take extra time, but it also causes stain to absorb into the wood less than the stain manufacturers intended. You also risk sanding through a veneered surface.

10. Wear a Dust Respirator – Sanding dust is the finest dust you’ll come across in the workshop. This makes it especially dangerous, because it gets farther into your lungs. A dust respirator is a simple approach to keep that dust out. The next step would be a proper dust collection system.