Acoustic Guitar Construction

I'm happy to be back home after a health scare. Now, to pick up in the shop. Tools and fixtures aside (I think I ought to be lent that nice neck holder for extended testing), what inside-the-box activities are woodworkers' delights, but not especially relevant to playability, sound quality, and longevity of the instrument? I don't want to make a career out of my first scratchbuilt projects, but I also want to do the necessary work correctly.

For example, I've seen braces that out to be framed in felt and displayed on the wall, the woodwork was so beautiful. Did it help the guitar? Is loving sanding of braces producing a brace that will perform better than one cut carefully and given a lick-and-a-promise with sanding blocks?

I'm sure that there are a whole bunch of things that don't need doing to perfection, save for satisfying the aesthetic sense of the builder. Noble notions, but I want to get to the endgame.

Comments/advice? Thanks!

Pore filling

Gloss finish

Ken, thanks. Got that covered. Z-poxy/rattle-can Deft satin. Sure looks nice to me, too.

I "adjust" the bracing to increase responsiveness after gluing them to the top. On the mando I'm building now, I decided NOT to smooth out the chisel marks from the tone bars entirely. First, because that would remove additional wood; and second, because I'd just as soon have anyone snooping around inside know that the braces were finalized after attachment. I did sand off the "whiskers".