>> OK, I think I've got it. Sorry to be so dense. I will try two
>> experiments and choose the best result.
>>
>> 1. Adding more stain after filling the wood with the filler/stain mix. >
> Keep in mind that the binder in your filler is varnish. That varnish is
> also going to seal the whole piece of wood so - after the filler is
> *totally* dry - you may have to sand lightly before the rest of the wood
> will accept an appreciable amount of stain.
>
>> 2. Filling the wood with the filler/stain mix followed by the dewaxed
>> shellac, sanding, and restaining.
>
> That is essentially the same as #1, just a coat of shellac on top of the
> varnish from the filler. I suggested the shellac originally because I
> didn't know what was in your filler.
>
>> I'll report back my results in case anyone is interested who has
>> followed this thread.
>
> I'll look forward to hearing.
>
>> Thanks for clarifying your posts for me.
>
> NP
>
>
>
> --
>
> dadiOH
> ____________________________
>
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>>I have completed my experiments. As dadiOH predicted, there was no
difference between the sample I did with a grain filler mixed with stain followed by light sanding/more stain and the sample where I applied shellac over the grain filler/stain mix followed by sanding of the shellac/more stain. Thanks to all of you I think I have a good workable system for finishing oak though I did learn one other useful thing with these experiments and all of your help. When I did a sample where the oak veneer on the plywood had the strong V pattern you get from plain sawn boards (versus the veneer from quarter sawn boads), the open grain in the V was too dark. If I get this kind of oak plywood in the future, I will mix less stain in with my grain filler to minimize the dark color in those large pores. Then when I sand and apply more stain, I will get a more even coloring of the wood. .