I think those were birch/mahogany (luan). The lighter wood is the birch and probably the inner and outermost plies. The darker core wood is the luan.

I use a very different technique than you are using, but if you are "sand to" between stain coats (is this a stain with poly mix?) then I suggest fine (00) steel wool dry rather than wet sanding.

Once you apply the hard finish (satin clear I guess in your case) apply two wet double coats, let cure and block that flat. Use a sanding block and 320 wet (a drop of dish soap in a pie pan of water is what I use). If you burn through sanding you need to add more mid coat and re-sand until it is flat and some clear remains on all surfaces. Then apply the final coat, which you block with 400, 600, and 1500 if going for a mirror finish (maybe 2000 if it is black piano lacquer) and maybe start with 600 or 800 if you have a ice gun laying it down smooth. Then buff the finish with a power wheel and the appropriate compound. I use a solid bar on a fixed bench mount wheel but have also used a variety of PPG marketed automotive products on that wheel as well as with a hand buffer.

If you want the satin look, and I believe you do, after the first hard coat wet sanding, apply a full wet final coat and let it flow out. Done. (Assuming you didn't sand through)

What is important is to make sure the surface is flat. Even with a satin clear you will see imperfections if they are not leveled out with the blocking process.

That is a thousand dollar finish.

Have fun!

On staining: Don't know what exactly you mean with that and what you stain with.

In case of water based stain or alcohol based stain (both can raise grain, water a lot more than alcohol): I try to reduce the sanding in between to as little as possible, and I try to get a stain that will colour the piece in one go. Here's how i do it:

I sand the piece to 180 (finer is unnessecary). Then I make it wet with a brush and clear water. Let dry. Grain is raised. Sand it down with 240. Wet again, grain raised, sand down. Repeat until the grain doesn't raise any more. In the meanwhile I've done tests until I found a stain that can do the trick in one time. I apply this stain and let dry. When dry, I feel if there a some grain standing up. I sand them down carefullym making sure I don't make the colour lighter in that spot (most of the time though there are no grains standing up). Then there's loads of possibilities. I mostly apply two layers of mixture of linseed oil/terpentine/siccatief followed by two coats of shellac, followed bij several coats of pu-laquer. Only the pu-laquer I sand in between to get a perfect smooth surface.

Using stains that cover instead of penetrate, and sanding in between, has a very high risk of getting un even results.

Nitro-stain is very easy; penetrates but does not raise grain. Expensive though.

Thanks for all your advice and help guys.. I will do my best to make these hoops look decent..;)

basic wood refinishing 101, strip to bare wood, add oil stain prefer gel stain let dry , add shellac seal coat ,let dry , sand or steel wool med, then finish with hand rubbed poly satin, buff to great sheen good luck gary