Cool! Very rare to see someone making staked furniture for a first project.
re. finishes, it might depend on whether it's water- or oil-based poly. But when in doubt, finish a small test piece.
It's all from a single 2x4x8 ($5.50), making it really cheap to attempt. I think it's really cool to make something that would get regular use like a stool. I've got a second one going too and I'm thinking I'm not going to taper it the same way. This taper was really labor intensive and is just underwhelming. Need to figure out other ways to taper staked furniture