Poly-lacquer-drying oils which is best to finish with any suggestions?

[L2theP]

hi everyone, i recently joined the forum and have a question in regards to finishing a library project i have put a bid on, i just finished a wine cellar and tried a whole bunch of products like brushing lacquer, water based poly, oil based poly and quite frankly am not impressed with any of them, the water born poly seems like it never wants to dry and has that gunky feel when touched, the oil based poly is a little better but takes so long to dry, now lacquer on the other hand was probable the best of them all but the smell is horrible and when doing multiple coats it seems like the new coat sort of dissolves the previous coat a little and doesn't build up that well. 
I'm new to finishing my woodwork at least on that large of a scale and hoping someone could suggest a good sealer and finish coat product maybe from a specific brand, a staining oil or something that would make my life much easier, i have to do about 12 - 3'x9' sections of bookshelves with doors on bottom, and i have to do a cauffered ceiling with ply panels, i still haven't figured what kind of wood i'm going to use to face these cabinets so any suggestions for a reasonably priced wood that will work with birch ply would be a plus also. 
Thank you in advance for any help you can spare.

 

[woodshopdemos]

How could you have entered a bid without knowing the wood species you will be using and cost. Using birch plywood means that you will have to stain it to match the wood y ou select.
  As to finishing questions, we need to know what area of the country you are located. WIll you be sprayng the finish?

 

[L2theP]

i have bid on the job accordingly to the customers request "cheapest wood as long as it's stained dark, like mahogany" now certainly i will not be using mahogany as it's just way too expensive so i bid the project with poplar/pine i even considered using maple but that's a little too expensive.  So to be clear on my finishing technique: i have no particular preference, if a semi-gloss finish in a mahogany can be accomplished with a type of rubbing oil on birch/pine combo great, if not and i have to go with a lacquer then i will spray, just wondering if you guys can let me know of a good spray lacquer/sealer combo, i'm not too knowledgable on the subject so any tips or explenations you would be able to provide me i would greatly appreciate it (what's the pre-cat lacquer thing, would that be beneficial to me over the non-pre-cat?) i'm just clueless, so excuse my ignorance
I'm located in Elizabeth, New Jersey

Thank you for your response
Lucas P.