Preparing the wood for finishing means getting it all
the same as well as getting it clean, smooth, and level.
What do I mean by all the same?
Sandpaper leaves a scratch pattern in wood. Different
types and grits of sandpaper leave different sizes and
shapes of scratches. Scrapers and planes leave still another
type of surface.
When you put stain on wood, especially stain that contains
pigments, the stain "takes" to the wood darker, lighter,
more or less even depending on the wood surface. To get
a uniform surface, always prepare all areas of the piece
the same. If you scrape, scrape all areas. If you sand,
sand all areas with the same type and grit sandpaper. That
way, your stain will go on more evenly with more uniform
color.
Try this experiment. Sand one half of a maple, pine,
or cherry board with 120 grit paper and the other half
all the way up to 220. Now take your favorite wiping stain
and stain and wipe both sections. Look at the color. Do
the same test with scraping one half and sanding the other.
See what I mean?
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