NEVER shake stain or polyurethane, only stir as shaking really doesn't do anything because all the good stuff sits at the bottom of the gallon, shaking will also cause air bubbles.
I'm on my phone so I don't have time to read the whole thread till I get home. But I've been dealing with painting/stain products for about 10 yrs now. So I hope I can help out in the thread!
__________________
|