Follow-up to earlier Tru-Oil questions: rout before or after finishing?

[Bob Hoover Ross]

So, in part due to a lot of feedback I received here in a previous thread (thanks everyone!) I'm moving forward with my Warmoth build, albeit now using an Alder body with a Quilted Maple top.

Still hoping to do a DIY Tru-Oil finish (unless someone can suggest an easier product? I'm looking for something that requires the least investment in infrastructure, would love something that just requires wipe on/wipe off/sand/repeat).

I want to install the neck & bridge before deciding on the final pickup locations; gonna play around with an over-the-strings pickup mounting jig to decide on the best location for a single pickup. My question is this:

Should I wait until the pickup location is decided on and routed out before applying the oil finish? Or is it okay to finish the body and then do drilling & routing?

Thanks.

 

[stratamania]

You could do it either way around but if you are finishing it yourself I would do it after the routing etc.

 

[Cagey]

There's always the risk of tool marks, and finishes are notoriously fragile. Plus, they're time-consuming. If it was me, I'd do all the drilling/routing you need to do before putting any kind of finish on the thing. The big clue is right in the name - finish. It's the last thing you do.