Here's what I suggest. Youve have the stock sanded now. Take a steaming hot , wet towel and wipe the stock off throughly, then let it dry. Let it dry throughly. Sand one more time with very, very fine steel wool .... 000 or finer.The "hot towel" will raise the grain. The fine wool will knock down the raised grain, leaving a super slick surface.

If you want to stain, now is the time. Very, very lightly apply stainthat matches the natural wood color. Again let it dry. Rub the surface hard and vigorously with a cotton T-Shirt or towel. This should remove any excess stain.

I do not care for high gloss, so I use a flat of semi gloss polyeurathane ( I use a spray can) to coat the stock very lightly. Let dry and sand gently with the fine steel wool. Wipe off with a clean cotton cloth, being sure to remove any steel wool thatmight have embedded in the grain. Repeat 4-5 times. You will end up with a durable,multi coatfinish that lets the wood show through.

Whatever you do, be sure that the poly is 100% dry beforeapplying a follow up coat.If you do not, you will end up with a sticky mess and be forced to start over.