Shellac finish is the holy grail of wood finishing.

Photo 1 : Wood stains - walnut and oak yellow (Vapocure MRF Paints), thinner and sanding sealer

Photo 2 : 6 colour powders on the left for staining the wood,

On the right - shellac flakes, chandrash/natural gum and denatured alcohol(sold as polish @ Pune , to dissolve shellac/gum flakes)

I mixed half pack of shellac flakes in 500 ml of the polish (denatured alcohol) - took about a day to dissolve - best applied with a rag/cloth. You can check Youtube videos on how to mix and apply shellac finish. Shellac finish is suitable for dry places - not suitable for table tops, gives a warm look to the wood

The shelf is finished with Oak yellow stain, applied with a 1 inch brush, followed by 2 coats of shellac, dissolved in denatured alcohol(polish) again applied with a brush. Last coat of shellac was applied with a rag.

For plywood, you will need to add 2 -3 layers of sanding sealer layer after the stain, and before the shellac mix. After each coat of sealer, sand with 220 grit paper. Sealer : Thinner = 1: 3