raised panel staining

My father is working on a project that I am helping with to get my feet wet in woodwork. We are making raised panels and have shaped them to the final dimensions. When sending the panels through the shaper, we had to send them through twice cross grain (top and bottom). The cross grain side are slightly rough.

Our question is this. What is the best way to prepare the surface of the sides shaped cross grain for stain? We are working with cherry and also plan to use a conditioner before staining.

We have tried sanding with the grain, against the grain, and not sanding at all, and there are still signs that the stain will expose these sanding marks.

Thank You,

Nathan

Try sanding again with finer grits, progressively if needed, to reduce the previous sanding marks.

No matter how smooth the end grain surfaces are, they'll absorb stain more than the sides, and appear darker. To reduce the contrast, try diluting the stain used on the end grain. The stain manufacturer may have guidance on use of a proper diluting agent (basically a non-staining "stain"). Test on some scraps of the same material, to establish an appropriate ratio.

Cheers,
Joe