Is it OK to use poplar for a web frame?

[Dave Anthony]

I'm building a dresser that will have NK style drawers; i.e; there are no mechanical slides, the drawer has wooden runners which slide on the web frame. In the past I've used maple under the theory that it is relatively hard and less likely to wear. Is poplar a suitable material? (It's cheap & it's what I've got).

[glenn bradley]

JMHO but, I'd stick to maple. Tight grained, plenty hard, not expensive. When I am spending a number of hours on a piece and have an expectation of serviceability, a trip to the lumber yard is not too much effort to assure a lifetime of trouble free use. If we were in Michigan this time of year it would be different but, we're in California. We don't even have to shovel the drive and unplug the car to go to the lumberyard. Its easy. :D

[Keith Hankins]

I've looked at a bunch of old antiques and a lot had poplar. I'm assuming because it's what they had and if it did not show they did not care. Still there. So yes you can might only last a couple hundred years or so :)

I would agree the maple will probably slide easier, but waxing the runners will solve that. As a kid my job was to wax the runners in all the furniture with a candle. Worked!

I use maple on my drawers but not on my runners. I don't think it will matter.

[Jeff Duncan]

You may be OK if you have good quality poplar, but I'd still use soft maple or at least something a little harder. Also don't compare todays wood with what was used in antique pieces of furniture. Old growth wood was generally slower growing and denser than the woods we get today. Worst case scenario is you can always add some thin strips of UHMV plastic which should provide a very long lifespan in an easily replaceable piece.

good luck,
JeffD

[glenn bradley]

Jeff D bring up a good point. In the shop I have used ply for web frames and applied UHMW tape. Still fine after years of use.

[John TenEyck]

I've seen poplar web frames on an antique mahogany buffet worn so badly the drawers wouldn't close properly any more. The drawers were over loaded, to be sure, and it was 100 years old, but still, a harder wood would have lasted much longer. Of course, not many people plan 100 years out, and I'm sure the folks who built that piece didn't either.

John

[Peter Quinn]

You could use poplar for the web frames and add 1/8" or so shims to the wear areas of hard maple to get the functionality and minimize material used. Today's poplar is fast growth mush. It may be fine for a low use situation, if it's your sock drawer that you will open daily for the rest of your life....maybe maple is a better idea.

[Dave Anthony]

Thanks guys, I made a trip and picked up some maple. This forum serves as a good check when I'm tempted to cut corners due to laziness or being cheap. And yes, Glenn, I had to brave the bitter cold (67 degrees) and bright sunshine to make the trip :)

[Jim Becker]

Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), also called Tulip Poplar and a member of the magnolia family is perfectly fine to build almost anything from. A ton of it is used in the actual furniture industry. While it's not as dense and hard as Maple, it's certainly more durable than pine and similar. I build with it a lot...largely because I've been able to harvest thousands of board feet of it off my own property. Some folks complain about the greenish hue that is apparent when first harvested/milled, but that oxidizes to a warm brown with exposure to air and light. Good quality stock can be used to mimic many other hardwoods including cherry through dying and other finishing techniques and knotty boards can be used to replace pine for a rustic look with more durability.

Now there are other species referred to as "poplar" that are less desirable for furniture making.