what does everyone think of poplar
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Tagged: poplar
- This topic has 22 replies, 22 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 11 months ago by Doug Finch.
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26 December 2017 at 2:03 pm #418345
Loveliness can be found where you least expect it! More Loveliness!!
27 December 2017 at 2:39 pm #419061It is an “easy to work” wood with about the same strength as pine, but not near the strength of oak or maple. Usually a nice looking wood, but not strikingly beautiful in most cases, it is easier in some locals to get acquire than more expensive hard woods. In the end it is all a choice of what you want to use, and for what purpose.
to see more about this wood, see this link :
http://www.wood-database.com/poplar/Maybe no one cares, but I think that the poplar sold at home depot is not actually a “true” poplar. The Wood Database website distinguishes the poplar genus from the Liriodendron genus which it says are not closely related. What is often called “poplar” in the United States is, apparently, Lirodendron. It often goes by the names of Yellow Poplar, Tulip Poplar, or just plan Poplar here. The Wood Database mentions a greenish color often found in Liriodendron. That is why I think the poplar in Home Depot is Lirodendron. Anyway, I was trying to figure out what sorts of pine my local Home Depot sold and I came across this poplar information. I am a wood novice and found it interesting. (Oh, I actually do like the greenish color. Go figure.)
5 March 2018 at 7:16 am #490416I wish I could get poplar cheaper than pine.
I guess it depends on which pine. I’m on the W coast now, and every time I fly East I bring back a checked bag full of Eastern White pine shorts.
Far superior to any of the Western pines, but sells for more than cherry here.
I’m not much of a fan of the green cast or the stink of tulip poplar, though if you give it 30 years it fades to brown.
In the East, Scots pine or the North American relative Red pine is cultivated and the closest thing to European redwood ( Scots pine)
On the West coast, I think Western red alder is a better choice than any of the poplars and many of the pines, and equivalent in cost.
12 March 2018 at 12:31 pm #495515I’ve worked with it a bit recently and found it’s a joy to plane, either across or with the grain, as well as the end grain. It generally doesn’t have wild swirling grain. I don’t think it’s a terribly stable hardwood, certainly not as stable as cherry, which I’ve been working with too. In fact, I believe dry select grade pine is quite a bit more stable to seasonal movement. In my hands, poplar is great for nailing and for driving screws. I’ve never had it split. You can also get Poplar in wide dimensions.
26 March 2018 at 3:12 pm #508597well, it is the state tree for TN (my home state). It works easily. I typically see it used most for furniture that is going to be painted. I haven’t tried it, but if you use dyes, you could make the green a non-issue. I’ve not done this with poplar, but I have done it with curly maple (also common here). Dyes can make the heartwood and sapwood almost indistinguishable from each other in the finished product. I like dyes with maple because it really makes the figure stand out.
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