Ok, looks like I am going with Watco Danish "Natural" on the hevily grained stock and a Cabernet red stain on the other with a gloss polyurethane top coat. Headed out to grab the finishing products and get started.
CCW, you are on the right track but the gloss poly is hard to get perfect, brushing or spraying. Plus it's hard to touch-up. Here's how I've finished a number of wood projects I've created:
Make sure the stain is good and dry. To start, mix some of the Danish oil with the Poly in about a 2 to 1 ratio (Oil/Poly). Using a piece of clean rag, apply it liberally on the piece, let it soak in for a minute and then sand with 220 grit. The finish will lubricate the sandpaper until it soaks in. Apply more of the mix and let it soak while starting the same process on other pieces. Take a clean cloth and buff the first piece and let dry overnight (you can do this several times if the wood surface needs additional smoothing)
For the next coats, mix the Oil and Poly 50/50. Again, apply with a clean rag, let it soak in for a while and then buff it, let it dry overnight. Repeat with at least 3 coats. After the last coat, let it dry for a week or so, and then apply several coats of a good paste wax, and buff out. If you don't have a furniture wax, a good carnauba car wax will work fine.
If the finish gets dinged-up, remove the wax from that area with ammonia and apply the finish as needed. Also, apply another coat of wax once a year or so as needed.
It's a little more handwork, but will give you a nice silky finish.
