In article m7IOg.138563$LF4.128718@dukeread05, says...
I am building another hardwood rocking horse for a church raffle. This
years project has a high content of hard maple and I have some really pretty
wood. Previous projects have had maple accents but this one uses the maple
for rockers, mane, tail and accents.

I usually stain and then wipe on several coats of poly for durabity. Any
thing special I should know about staining this wood?

Now I know why they call it "hard" maple. The curly and knot areas are
hard -- and beautiful.

Ron


I get great results with a Minwax oil-based stain. It is easy to apply,
penetrates and gives really great results. Even with, or perhaps
especially with curly maple, the grain shows thru and looks great. One
of the good features of this stain is that if you don't get the
coloration you want you can lighten it with mineral spirits or darken it
with another application, even after it has completely dried.

The color I use is not one that's in their selection. I mixed it myself
to achieve just the degree of "browness" I wanted. That's not a problem
at all except you'll end up with several colors that might not be
usefull otherwise. I'd suggest that if one of their stock colors
doesn't please you that you get several pints in various colors and mix
them to your color preference.

After you get the right color (tested, REALLY TESTED on scraps), let it
set for 2 days, spray with 2-3 coats of sanding sealer, sand, spray with
SEVERAL coats of polyurethane (or whatever), lightly sand between coats,
and you'll get a really pretty, durable finish that can be polished to
perfection.

I note you said you wipe on the poly. I've found that if I spray it I
get a much harder and more durable finish than if I wipe it on. I'm not
sure why this is so, but since I realized it, I've only used the spray
method.

Good luck,
Tex