Stain then oil for grain popping?

[Capt Weasel]

A friend of mine is in the furniture refinishing business. I asked him the other day what I could do to my portraits to make the grain pop better. Currently I used 2 coats of Danish oil and "pops" it pretty good but when you stand back aways from the piece you might not see the grain at all. That when people ask you about your "wood burning" piece or your nice "drawing". Thats because you can't see the grain all that well from about 10' away. Granted some pieces "pop" better than others but most don't. I asked my friend about this and he said to use some Minwax Clear stain and then the Danish oil after it dryed and this would "pop" it even better.
Well he's the expert but I thought you'd use the oil first then the stain rather than vise versa. Anybody have any experiance with this one way or the other? I guess I could just try it both ways and see but I figured I'd check with you "gurus" first.
I'm just trying to stop the "burning" and "drawing" comments that irk me so and improve the quality of the product.

[MikeDingas]

What kind of wood do you typically use? I've been using Baltic Birch which doesn't show much grain at all. I've either been leaving them bare or applying a clear coat.

[Steviegwood]

Hey Capt., I will agree if you use a natural stain and let dry before any finish it will enhance the grain in the wood. Although experiment on scap wood for effect because I have had some woods ( redoak ) that it darkened more than I liked. Steve

[Capt Weasel]

I use Baltic Birch exclusively.

[Mick Walker]

Capt Weasel, I usually look for a piece of baltic birch plywood that doesn't have too much grain if I am cutting a portrait. For a scenic picture I look for grain that compliments the picture. I have never stained my cuttings, I just apply a clear finish to keep it as light as possible. I use 1/8" luan as a backer and stain or paint it then try to stain or paint my frame to match the backer.