[Mud]

If you aren't putting on breadboard ends, I am not sure what special treatments will halt or manage movement. The wood will move, the wood always wins in a fight. You have to manage the movement so that it doesn't crack apart.

People talk about using alternate smiley face and frowny face placement of adjacent boards, but some say that doesn't matter and to go with the face placement that looks best.

The only thing you may want to do (purely for cosmetics in my opinion) is to fine sand the end grains to 600 grit or so. This will limit absorption of the finish and make the color of the end grain a better match to the face grain.

 

[Mud]

I agree with Mud. Make sure the entire table top can move cross grain to prevent splits and polish the end grain before staining. I might not go to 600 grit, but certainly to 320-400. Good advice either way. Try it on a scrap of your wood to see what works for you.

Yep, I've had success at 400 grit with no significant difference when comparing to 600.

Like you said, a test scrap from the project is a good idea.

 

[Mud]

Yeah, I agree, just finish equally and you should be fine.

 

[Mud]

By the way I would love to see your table when completed. I have designed my own dining table (77" x 42-ish"), will start in March. Have not decided whether it will be ash, white oak or walnut.

How wide will each table top board be individually in yours?