in that case mitch sand the wood till its smooth then wipe it down with a damp rag ,towel whatever and let the wood dry
now the wood will feel fuzzy sand it smooth and repeat 1 more time for best results
now when the finish or stain is put on the wood the surface fibers will stay smoother
there are variation to the method but this will work , if your useing a waterbased stain and certain woods , like maple the process
can be done with the stain instead of water , that will allow the figure to to pick up more color