Almost everyone enjoys the Great Pumpkin of American Hardwoods - that being Cherry.
Unfortunately, not everyone can afford it and even those that can are often too impatient to wait for it to mellow out and darken naturally.
When I was making cabinets for people I was often asked to provide a Cherry Look, without the price tag. I was also asked to apply a toner to real Cherry, to mimic the look it would have if left alone for ten years or so.
The attachment contains five color samples. Two of them are Poplar. One of them is Birch Plywood. One of them is Solid Cherry. One of them is Cherry Plywood.
The clearcoats are all nitro lacquer and I'm sorry to say that the samples have picked up some nasty scratches over time. Still, I think they provide a fair test.
I'll post the answers in a day or two.
Regards, Tom.
"People funny. Life a funny thing." Sonny Liston
Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.) tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)