What kind of wood ya got there? My turntable plinth is a fatty slab of western juniper. It was fun to polish it, but sanding by hand was a mistake. 2 years of tennis elbow was torturous. You're smart using power tools!
Discussion
It's walnut. It's got a few knots and some nice grain. It's cleaning up nicely. Juniper can be really pretty, especially the twisty pieces.
I'm not very skilled with power tools but I'm also not very skilled at woodwork, so they're helpful in that respect.