To stain or not to stain #1: Love me some stain

I personally prefer not to stain wood, but let their natural colors show through. That said, oak is the one exception for me. Stain away. :-)

-- "hold fast to that which is good"

Oak is an exception for me as well. Min Wax Gunstock and Dark Walnut are 2 that I like for red oak. I don’t think you will be able to stain it very dark regardless of what stain you use. Get some scrap and experiment until you get a look you like. Don’t waste your time with MW Red Oak stain. It looks terrible on red oak!

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

I think MW Red Mahogany looks good on Red Oak. I haven’t really found any local Hard Wood Dealers. So for now I practice with wood I get from Lowes or Home Depot…. So Red Oak is getting fancy for me.

-- Mike Merzke

I finished the plaque and posted a picture in my projects. I think the finish turned out great.

-- Mike Merzke