Replies

1. 
   pzaxtl | Oct 13, 2008 10:04am | #1

   There is no best way.  There are many ways to accomplish what you're wanting depending on the look you wish to achieve.  BLO or Tung Oil followed by your favorite finish, dyes, even plain ol' varnish will highlight the eyes nicely.  My personal choice for your application would be oil followed by the finish of your choosing (shellac, lacquer, varnish, etc.)

1. 
   yurij | Oct 13, 2008 04:05pm | #2

   Jeff Jewitt had a good article on poping the grain in curly maple in FWW. In essence you use a dilluted dye as a wash coat, then sand off most of the easy stuff.  for curly maple, the curl will absorb the dye faster and deeper than the non-curl, hence it will not sand off as easy and so the curl will have a larger contrast when you apply the real finish. I used this technique on a curly maple table and it came out very well. Maybe it will work on birds-eye also for similiar reasons. -yurij