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I’m relatively new to fine woodworking and I’m building something that needs a color/finish like this piece

Any ideas what kind of wood, stain, etc this might be or what I could use to mimic it? The wood is a relatively grainless looking wood from that picture.

Originally I was thinking of using poplar because it’s cheap and I have a bunch laying around but I’m not so sure that would produce a similar look.

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    Please post the image(s) of what you're hoping to match within the Question. Many users don't like to follow blind links so you'll greatly limit the number of potential responders to begin with. Plus, for the sake of future-proofing for any future searchers with a similar query we can't rely on an external link because it could go stale at any time. – Graphus Nov 22 '20 at 7:16
  • I note that you're not new to SE - the same Imgur hosting works here as it does at all other SE sites, and you'll probably be prompted to embed images instead of linking externally at every one of 'em. – FreeMan Nov 22 '20 at 15:00
  • That's really just a kind of "walnut" stain, popular with mid-century furniture. My entire house is stained that colour, give or take. – jdv Nov 22 '20 at 15:11
  • @jdv but what kind of wood do you think that is that has so soft grain? – Catfish Nov 22 '20 at 15:21
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    @jdv, soft wood, not softwood. While poplar is of course relatively soft it is still widely used in hand-made furniture. As are pine or spruce, which are often softer. – Graphus Nov 22 '20 at 19:04
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Any ideas what kind of wood, stain, etc this might be

The web page for that piece tells us that it's made of "Solid + Manufactured Wood" using "Okume veneer, wood and engineered wood."

or what I could use to mimic it?

The piece appears to be heavily stained or glazed, so there's not a lot of grain showing. If you're going to do try to match that, then it probably won't matter much which closed-grain hardwood you choose.

Matching an existing finish can be tricky, so you'll probably need to experiment some. Pick the wood that you're going to use, and then make up some samples so that you can try different options.

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  • Yeah I agree with this. If you want to closely match a particular finish you need to know the exact combination of wood and stain used, how the stain was applied, etc... If you're just after a general look then yes choose a good quality closed-grain hardwood (Sapele is nice IMO - similar to mahogany in grain structure, easy to work with etc. - though there are many good choices), then pick out some stains and do some tests until you're happy. – WhatEvil Nov 30 '20 at 6:57

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