Darken Birch Gateleg Table

[EagerBeaver71]

Hi People,

I just purchased an Ikea Norden Birch Gateleg table and want to darken it to be in keeping with the rest of the livingroom furniture.

Product details:
Table top/ Drop-leaf/ Drawer front/ Drawer back/ Underframe: Solid birch, Tinted clear acrylic lacquer
Drawer side: Birch plywood, Solid birch, Tinted clear acrylic lacquer
Drawer bottom: Fibreboard, Fibreboard

I hear birch is a pain to stain so how should I go about starting this new project of mine?.

Here's the link to the table:
NORDEN Gateleg table - IKEA

[EagerBeaver71]

Anyone got any tips on removing the finish on this thing, I've tried leaving paint stripper on for 15mins and its not budging!

[EagerBeaver71]

Ok I sanded one of the panels back then tried staining it on the under side. It looks aweful, its as patchy as hell so what should I do to get a nice even stain?.