Torge wrote:
a friend is making a low wooden stool to sit on. he is using oak and seems
very keen to put linseed oil on it, which he says will bring out the grain.

since this stool will go on to a japanese type padded mat, i dont want a
greasy finish on it. he says that i could put a water based semi matt clear
varnish on it, on top of the linseed oil. can this be right? putting
varnish onto linseed oil seems a bit strange to me. if its not right could
anyone advise me on what kind of varnish to put on top of the oak please.

It's a bit strange to me too. In the first place you would be defeating
the purpose. Linseed oil is great by it's self. When the surface gets
scratched, you just apply more oil and the scratch will be unnoticed.
Linseed oil is great for the wood. It will keep it from cracking.
Linseed oil does dry out in time and you will need to clean the surface
and apply more of it.

Personally, I would use a Poly finish. It is a tough finish and will
last for years.