[Arran]

I think that the sides (if you can call them that) came out way too dark, they may have been shaded but it was only slightly darker then the front panel. Unlike the mid thirties Philco tombstones these cathedrals actually used nice veneer on the sides so you don't really want to cover it up. Another thing to keep in mind, with future projects, is that the grain in all of these sets was filled so the pores of the wood wouldn't show, walnut and mahogany are open grained whereas poplar, maple, and beech were closed grain so the filler was used to keep the finish consistant. I used to redo sets without grain filling but even at the time I thought that it didn't look right, I have started to redo some of my past restoration work because of that and the fact that I used oil stain.
With regard to lacquer being porous, it really isn't, what happens is that lacquer is somewhat brittle and becomes more so as it cures, polyurethane is more flexible like rubber, alkyd varnish is somewhere inbetween. In the situation where lacquer is sprayed over wood, wood is like a hard sponge that expands and contracts across the grain with moisture and temperature, as it moves the surface of the lacquer develops cracks and holes allowing moisture in and out. It doesn't really matter what sort of finish is used the wood is still going to expand and contract across the grain, what makes the difference in keeping the moisture out is whether the finish can move with it. Notice the way old lacquer tends to craze and flake off, it's almost always across the grain, the more it crazes the more moisture can get in leading to still more expansion and contraction, heat or cold will also accelerate the process. One of the traditional treatments for wood on boats is something called marine varnish, it cures slowly and never really hardens completely, the result is that it seals the wood, does not crack, and keeps the moisture out.
Best Regards
Arran