re: Scratchstock Inlay and Beading practice

I've found if your scratchstock is not rough that a few passes over an area that looks "almost" finished, will burnish off that roughness, and give you a machined look. I feel its a case of spending as much time finishing the stock itself as the wood. Once you have a scratchstock with clean edges, it's cake. You just need to cut it down to full depth. 

Splint makes a good point though, some grain is just really porous to look at, and will always leave those smallish "pits" having something with a tighter filled in appearance is job one in choosing your stock. The cedar is known for those little roughness's.