Sanding and Oiling questions for Cedar slab

Hello,

I am in the process of making a outdoor bench of Lebaneese Cedar.
My plan is to oil the timber.
two questions.
To what gritt should I sand to before applying the first oil coat.
I was thinking around a 180gritt.
Oil and then sand with a Random Orbital Sander up to a 240 gritt while applying a fresh coat of oil after each gritt.
Does this sound reasonable.
Is there a gritt that if I sand to the oil will not soak in. i.e. the timber becomes too smooth.

Question two.
I seems a natural tainted oil is not really all that natural in colour (yellowish tint) and is not great as a uv inhibitor.
So for a Lebaneese Cedar. Which isn't all that common. Seems to be in between a red cedar and a pine in colour. What tint may be recommended. I don't want to darken it too much. Any suggestions. How about a Jarrah finish?? As I said the natural colour does have a slight red tone to it?

It depends on the “oil”. With natural oils you would be best to sand to 120 to 150, too fine and the oil will not penetrate.....and if you dilute it, that only destroys it original structure.
Why don’t you get some samples to test out? An oak stain may be light enough to give it a slight brownish tinge and the teak will give it a reddish tone....this may darken it though. The darker the stain the better the UV protection. ..and there is no true natural oil in a clear as it breaks down too quickly.
If you are going to do it now, do it under cover to ensure the timber stays dry.