FWIW . . .

A lot depends on the wood, 'buildability' of the finish, and what YOU are
trying to achieve.

Stains, in my engineering opinion, are most effective on 'raw' wood. {AND
water soluble DYES are the most even}A quick hit with 80 to 100 grit to
remove the 'whiskers' and even everything out, then apply. At this point, if
you need a 'quicker' glass-smooth surface, apply a pore-filler. Then another
stain application. This is what I did on the Maple top of a kitchen piece.
This way the pores weren't exaggerated by the stain, or by 'dimplies' in the
final finish.

The finish in this case was about 4 coats of water-borne clear Poly. A hard,
tough, and relatively fast recoating film. The individual coats were
'scuffed sanded' with increasingly finer grits - 220, 320, 400, 600. It was
then waxed & buffed.

The same general approach is used on boat trim. Depending on the wood and
the function, I may start with 60 grit. For broad, flat surfaces maybe 120
is where I stop. End grain, especially if shaped with a router, may get 220.
{This tends to inhibit the increased absorption, and evens out the
staining}. Then the finish schedule. For exterior it's about 6 coats of a UV
inhibiting Varnish.

Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard boatshop


"foggytown" wrote ...
Hax Planx wrote:
foggytown says...
I stop at 150, usually worn out 150. No matter how much you sand the
wood, you will still need to sand the finish coats. That is where the
action is as far as I'm concerned.

Oh I understand about sanding the coats of finish - usually I use fine
steel wool between coats but that's more to cut down any dust nibs.
I'm just wondering if stains, varnishes, etc. have a better marriage to
the surface if the bare surface is 400 grit smooth as opposed to 220
grit smooth.