Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Oak dining room table

I am trying to refinish my oak dining room table, but am dissappointed with the results. It is oak veneer. I stripped it with the citrus stripper and used their wash afterwards, I also let this dry overnight. I sanded, stained with minwax oil base stain and let dry overnight again. When I applied the oil based polyurethane finish, it isn't smooth, everywhere the wood has the black grain, it looks like the polyurethane either soaked in or separated?? So I sanded and applied the second coat of polyurethane, but it did the same! I wanted a smooth glass like finish, but it looks like the texture of an orange! What have I done wrong? Do I need to strip it down to the wood again or is there a way to fix it without stripping? I want to do it the right way. I am an experienced refinisher, but with pine, this is the first oak table I've done? Help.

Welcome to the diy forums!

Did you remove all the dust after sanding?
Does the table look/feel better after the 2nd coat?
Can you post a pic?

Generally it takes 3 coats minimum of poly to get a good slick surface but I don't know if that's the problem or if maybe it didn't stain right because some of the old finish didn't get removed.

Another point to consider is the enviroment. Orange peel can result from drying on the outside faster than on the inside, so to speak. Is the room the correct temperature and humidity with no strong current of air blowing across the piece? Thinning the poly with some mineral spirits can help it dry somewhat more uniformly, and facilitate a thinner coat which is easier to manage with poly.

Hope this helps.

Oak has *porous, enormous* grain. That "black grain" wicks your finish beneath the surface.

Just keep adding coats. Lightly sand and wipe between coats.

Thanks for the reply's and advice. I'm pretty sure I did all of the steps correctly, with sanding and wipping with a tack cloth after each sanding (I also vaccumed and waited 45 mins before applying the polyurethane to let any dust settle). Most of the table top is beautiful and perfectly smooth except where the black grain runs thru the design. I tried to take a couple pics, but they don't show it well enough. Of course the way the veener is put on makes a "flower" design with the black grain, so the areas really show up. I will try sanding and applying more coats of the polyurethane. Thanks again