On a project like this, it's really hard to get into all the corners and whatnot with sandpaper after it's put together. So to make things easier, I installed the decorative ebony plugs in the legs and then pre-finished all the parts before gluing them together. The finish is some water-based dye stain followed by multiple coats of wipe-on polyurethane. I may or may not stain the inside later, depending on whether I have any stain left after doing the back, top, doors, and drawers.
