....I want a clear grain filler that will fill the grain, pores, in the oak top of the dresser I am building.
I will me going for the glass smooth top - I don't want to feel the grain in the top at all.
I think an oil based product might be best.
1). apply a good sealer coat.
2). Then I apply a grain filler, wait for it to haze up and...
3). rub it in across the grain with a burlap cloth.
4). When it dries, sand it down and everything should be flat waiting for another coat of sealer or your finish coats.
Explanations:
Step 1). Most people use a grain filler slightly darker than the average dark places on the wood. In nature, holes are dark and that is what our eye accepts. Knowing this, we have to consider that the grain filler has color and will stain the wood. If the grain filler is over the sealer, it cant stain the wood.
Step 2). The haze is the start of the drying process and we want to get to it before it dries completely.
Step 3). Rubbing across the grain is less likely to pull the filler out of the grain than rubbing along the grain. Burlap is used because it is course and tough. We want to rub and force the filler into the pores of the wood and not soak it up like a softer cloth would.
Step 4). Sand back to bare wood, this should only take a few minutes. When you are done, you will have removed all of the filler sitting on top of the sealer and thus - no staining. You are now bck to bare wood except the pores are filled. At this point, you can either give it another coat of sealer or just start out with your finish coats. The choice is yours.