The role of using an acrylic finish or polyurethane on a wooden object is to keep moisture from penetrating the wood fiber, thereby protecting the wood. In many cases, actual wood is completed only with those sealants because the wood is already attractive and needs only a long-lasting source of protection from tear and wear. Since these sealants form a hard top coat onto the wood and don’t actually penetrate the wood fiber, the best method to eliminate them is to strip them off chemically.
Set the wooden object in addition to a drop cloth or a thick coating of old newspapers. Chemical stripping is a messy business involving discoloration and harsh substances.
Brush a considerable coat of this chemical finish stripper on the wood surface, using even strokes.
Allow the finish stripper to work as guided by the instructions, usually for many minutes.
Scrape the goop shaped by the stripper and the wood finish off the wood surface with a putty knife.