tear out on poplar

[Mike Steinhilper]

I am building a nice little apothacary cabinet and really frustrated with the drawer sides. It's all cherry except the drawer sides/backs. When routing 1/4 dados on the drawer sides (against grain), i'm getting tear out on virtually every run, even with a backer. I've been through 4 boards of poplar. Question... is it more likely that I have a bad/dull bit, or that I am dealing with bad wood? Probably no way to know for sure, but any suggestions?

[Steve Schoene]

[QUOTE=Mike Steinhilper] When routing 1/4 dados on the drawer sides (against grain), i'm getting tear out on virtually every run, even with a backer.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "against the grain". But in any event one solution is straightforward. Score the boundaries of the dado with a knive or a blade type marking gauge. This calls for careful work but should solve the problem. Other tear out remedies call for routing through tape, or lightly wetting the wood.

[Byron Trantham]

Mike, it sounds like you have a dull bit. Also, it may need to be cleaned. It always amazes me when I clean my blades that they actually feel sharper once all the buildup is removed. Also, you might try to make a VERY shallow initial pass then make the cut as deep as you need. This approach is a variation using knife mentioned by Steve.

[Jim Becker]

I work a lot in poplar since I have so much of it and have had no tear-out issues. I would suspect your tooling first unless you did, indeed, get some bad stock.

[Mike Steinhilper]

Thanks everybody... think I'll try a new bit first and see what happens. If I can ever figure out how to post a pic, I'll be sure to post the finished project!

[Steve Clardy]

Poplar is in the same family as Cottonwood. [If I remember correctly] Cottonwood tears out badly, stringy, etc.
Sometimes the mills slip in a little cottonwood if the grade is good. That may be what you have, along with a dull bit.

[Jim Becker]

Steve, most often, what we refer to as poplar is Tulip Poplar which is a member of the magnolia family, not aspen/cottonwood. Tulip poplar is a major furniture wood in the east, growing in major quantities, including in my back yard as well as down through North Carolina. (Furniture country!) However, in some parts of the country, one might buy aspen/cottonwood sold under the "poplar" name and yes, it's a very different animal from tulip poplar. VERY fuzzy. In fact, the 'borg around here have both....the "Craft" wood is aspen and the "boards" are tulip poplar. If Mike ended up with aspen/cottonwood instead of tulip poplar, that could explain some of the issues he's facing as you surmise.

[Steve Clardy]

Steve, most often, what we refer to as poplar is Tulip Poplar which is a member of the magnolia family, not aspen/cottonwood. Tulip poplar is a major furniture wood in the east, growing in major quantities, including in my back yard as well as down through North Carolina. (Furniture country!) However, in some parts of the country, one might buy aspen/cottonwood sold under the "poplar" name and yes, it's a very different animal from tulip poplar. VERY fuzzy. In fact, the 'borg around here have both....the "Craft" wood is aspen and the "boards" are tulip poplar. If Mike ended up with aspen/cottonwood instead of tulip poplar, that could explain some of the issues he's facing as you surmise.


Thats what they do to us around here. Bunch cottonwood with Poplar. Gotta watch em close.
Same with Oak. Bur Oak is in the white oak family. But if it's got the slightest pink tint to it, or they have their red :eek: sunglasses on, they put it in the red oak pile.

[Mike Steinhilper]

Jim, I think you may be onto something. I needed 1/2 inch, so I bought the craft poplar from BORG. I don't have a planer :( That really explains it considering I've never had problems with the 3/4 poplar. Likely it is the 'fuzzy' cottonwood instead of tulip. I wonder if the craft Pine would be better? Thouhts? These are just for drawer sides and backs... the fronts are cherry.

[Jim Becker]

No problem using pine for your drawers, particularly the "harder" stock that you can find. There are many older pieces with pine drawers. In the future (or now), you should ask at a regular hardwood lumber supplier about 1/2" poplar drawer material. Many of them stock it.

[Bill Antonacchio]

Jim,

Thanks for your explanation of poplar. I had added some to my white oak order from Groff and Groff last January and was amazed at what I got. I was expecting it to be like what I used to get twenty years ago in Colorado when I last did any woodworking. That WAS poplar (cottonwood, aspen family) and not an easy wood to work with.

Regards,
Bill Antonacchio