Should I drill screw holes before or after sanding and oiling?

[Ghostnote]

It seems to make more sense to me to drill before, as I can save time touching up whilst sanding and oiling later.

But from the pictures I've seen of others' projects, they seem to drill after. Is this to prevent dust and oil from building up inside the holes?

 

[alexreinhold]

It seems to make more sense to me to drill before, as I can save time touching up whilst sanding and oiling later.

But from the pictures I've seen of others' projects, they seem to drill after. Is this to prevent dust and oil from building up inside the holes?

For a while I asked myself what's better. Over time, I have tried both with the exact same outcome (tried on poly and oil) - not much you can do wrong with either approach IMO.

However, I'm sure that there are some pros and cons which can be addressed by more professional members

 

[stratamania]

I would tend to drill the holes after finishing steps. Certainly if you were to do any wet sanding there is less chance of water getting inside the wood via a pre drilled hole if simply is not there. Also if you finish after drilling you probably will end up having to clean up the holes of finish.

 

[Rick]

After ... What happens if you get goop in the holes? 

 

[Ghostnote]

Thanks fellas!

 

[Bob Hoover Ross]

Funny, I believe it was in this very forum that the advice I got to essentially the same question was "It's called 'Finish" for a reason: You do it last!"