i have been doing the same thing,did all the dash with tasmanian hardwood,then a walnut stain then had it clear coated ,then sanded back,then clear coated,then sadeed back,then clear coated,one more trip to the panelbeater to go.looks great. I did some experiments with a console piece with a walnut veneer. I only put the dark walnut stain on and haven't done the satin finish yet, but so far it looks good.