Reply by a1Jim

Hey Walt
It seems that your skipping to many grits to get a good finish . Usually I would suggest going through the grits in order . Use a Roa start with as course of sand paper as you feel necessary to get ride of the defects. Lets say your starting at 80 then 100,120,150,180,220. Depending on the wood I usually don’t sand beyond 150 before putting on a stain because the finner you go the more you seal of the wood. On pine It is advisable to give it a 1lb cut of shellac coat first to help prevent blotching(pines notorious for blotching)then sand with 220 and then use your finish. as far as using Roa I find it works well on most woods except woods like cherry were you will see swirls unless you sand the last there grits by hand or with a pad sander sanding with the grain. some of the swirl problem can be the type of Roa you use ,some are much more aggressive than others.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/