Jim,
I used a tung oil finish. The process takes about two weeks, but it fills the pores and give good depth in the finish. Bruce Bump wrote about the finish using Tru-Oil on another forum, but it also works well with tung oil. Sand the wood to 320 grit, then wet sand with the oil at 320 to make a slurry. Do not remove the slurry and allow it to dry for about a week. Then wet sand with the oil and lightly wipe the oil off, working your way up thru the grits 400 to 2500.
James