Figured Wood Finish, Need a Drum Sander?, Lumber Drying and MORE!!

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: Hey guys thanks for the best podcast You knowledge and wisdomThanks for answering my last question about what project would help build my skillsMy question now is I’m looking for a set of chisels and I don’t know what brand to get i’d save up to buy the brand that to get recommended cause I want a set that lastsThanks for your help and guidance wise ones Ashtin I hope you can help me:I made a 58 inch round table top out of 3/4 inch, good quality plywood. It's meant to sit on top of smaller round table (48 inches) to add additional seating for occasional use when extra guests are coming to dinner. I've done it before with good results. To make it manageable, and because it's quite heavy, I cut it in half. I use a rug pad between the smaller table and the 'topper' table to keep the 2 halves from slipping.  I fitted it and made sure it worked in the space and was stable before doing the finishing.  All good so far.My problem is: I finished one side with stain, lacquer and wax and it looks great.  Then I turned both halves over and repeated the same process on the other side.  When both sides were all finished, I noted that one of the halves had developed a slight bow, thus making the fitting together of the 2 halves a little wonky.  But, when I turned only the bowed half over, the 2 halves fit together perfectly.  YAY!   BUT - here's my problem.  With both sides lining up perfectly, and laying flat on the rug pad on top of the smaller table, the stain color is slightly different on the 2 halves.Thinking about how this happened I realized I had to open a new can of stain part way through staining the 2nd side. I must have mixed one of the cans poorly. Or maybe different batches can be slightly different?What are my options? I don't think any of these will work.Do I:1. Try to clamp the bowed half of the table topper (plywood) for awhile hoping to eliminate the bow?2. Try to refinish the halves that fit so they match?3. Come up with a latch of some sort to eliminate the bow when using the table topper?Since the lacquer is on and wax is rubbed in on both sides, I don't even think I could paint, or add a veneer.Am I stuck with a harlequin table topper? Trish O'Neill Guy's Questions: In contrast to some podcasters who seem to think we are interested in listening to them talk for the sake of talking,   you guys have the best podcast as far as communicating tips and techniques for woodworking so thank you for all your hard work.I have been been working and building things wood for many years but within the last year have dove into making more fine woodworking type of projects, with nice woods like Walnut and Cherry for example.I have been using shellac as well as 1:1:1 mixtures of BLO:Polyurethane:Turpentine and Beeswax:BLO:Turpentine for finishing so far.  Wipe on, wipe off technique... What finishes are considered best to really highlight the chatoyance/beauty nice figured woods?  It seems like the finishes I have used so far are not doing it justice that or maybe I am just too critical. Quinn Hey guys! Thank you so much for your hard work on the podcast. I love listening to how much fun you guys have and getting answers to questions on various woodworking topics. Great content! We are running a woodworking company, mainly doing cabinets, out of our 500 square foot garage. We have a Hammer 12" planer but would like a sander to assist with uniform door sizes. When it comes to sanders, what would you recommend? Would it be worth getting an open-ended wide belt sander (Grizzly 15" or something) for the extra horsepower and belt size, or would a drum sander be sufficient? Within the realm of drum sanders, would an open model (such as Supermax 2550) running on 110v be sufficient, or would you recommend a closed model with greater horsepower? More capacity, less power, or vice versa? Just want to hear your thoughts on width capacity, motor power, belt size, machine footprint, and which y