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.