Never a problem Ken 😉  All I tend to bear in mind is to try and ensure woodwork is sound before moving onto staining and applying finishes, as poor prep tends to show through.  I sometimes steam out dings/dents, but always tend to fill/repair splits using superglue (Before scraping the repair flush with the surrounding timber) before moving on to staining and finishing.  Much depends on whether or not I’m re-painting or leaving a plane’s existing paintwork.

IMHO Colron Wood Dye (Indian Rosewood) helps mimic the visual effect of true Indian Rosewood and allows the natural grain to shine through the colour enhancement, rather than mask it.  The same result can be had if you wish to revitalise Beech handling by applying Beech or Antique Pine stain prior to your chosen finish. 🙂

I used to use Shellac/french polish, but find it can be affected if spirit comes into contact with the finish, so switched over to oil based finishes instead and finally settled on Danish oil, because – if accidentally knocked – it doesn’t tend to chip as dramatically as Tru/Walnut oil.