A crate corner can look square at arm’s length and still have one proud rail, a glue bump, or a small repair patch that catches the hand. Those little high spots tend to show up after finish, when they are harder to correct cleanly.
Before calling the sanding done, make a light pencil rub across the corner and along the repaired joint. Use the side of the pencil, not a hard point, so the mark sits on the surface without digging into the grain.
Take a flat sanding block and work only until the pencil disappears from the high places. If the mark remains in a low hollow, leave it alone or address it separately; chasing every shadow can round over a crisp crate edge too far.
This check is especially useful around handles, dividers, feet and corner blocks where several small pieces meet. A minute of marking and block sanding can make the box feel calmer in the hand without making it look overworked.
Wipe the dust away and run a fingertip across the corner before applying oil, paint or clear coat. Your hand will often catch what your eye missed, and the pencil will have kept the sanding honest.
Practical takeaway: keep a shop pencil beside the sanding block and use a light rub as a high-spot map before finishing crate corners. Sand the proud marks, protect the shape, and stop as soon as the corner feels even.
Shop HabitsCrate RepairsFinishing