I recently obtained an old table that was used as a firehouse kitchen table for years.  I scraped, washed and sanded off layers of grease and am down to pretty much bare wood. I left lots of the knife marks on the table top to retain the character of the piece.  (I believe it is pine.)  I plan on staining the table and using it as a dining table.

Question: After staining it, what would be the best product and/or method to use to give the tabletop a harder, more protective finish.  I used minwax poly-satin on a bookshelf and that doesn’t seem to protect and it scratches easily.    Any thoughts?

I’m counting on you guys to show me the light!