Painting - Stripping paint off of old woodwork

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I have a 100 year old home where some of the old varnished woodwork was painted with what looks like a layer or two of latex paint. Some of it is peeling and the wood and finish underneath is in excellent shape. I was wondering what the best procedure would be to remove the paint without damaging the finish underneath?

First you need to determine what type of paint is on the woodwork. Older oil base enamels contained lead! Unless you know the paint to be latex or to have been applied in the last 30 yrs - have it tested!!

It is hard to remove just the paint without harming the underlying finish. It would be better to remove the paint and then assess what needs to be done to restore the wood back to it's natural or stained color. Paint strippers work the best for removing paint but they may also remove the underlying varnish or shellac.

It is latex. I know the old man who owned the house. He painted the whole thing inside and out a off, institutional blue. He owned a paint store and must of gotten a hell of a deal on this color.

Thanks for the info.