Poplar not so popular

[Eric Rathhaus]

I'm using poplar to build a demo of a project using sliding dovetails, but it's working me more than I'm working it. I feel that my iron and chisels are sharp (easily shave hair off my arm). When I tried using my dovetail plane on the tails, I could not get a clean cut. I had a backing piece and no blow out issues. The tails looked like the bird was molting. I decided to switch methods and start with the channel for the tails using chisels. Again I found it almost impossible to consistently pare cleanly and the recessed sides were a mess. I'm sure my technique needs improving but before I start again, just wondered if poplar needs special treatment for these types of cuts.

Eric

P.S. - I did do a search and didn't find any threads that addressed my problems.

[ken hatch]

I'm using poplar to build a demo of a project using sliding dovetails, but it's working me more than I'm working it. I feel that my iron and chisels are sharp (easily shave hair off my arm). When I tried using my dovetail plane on the tails, I could not get a clean cut. I had a backing piece and no blow out issues. The tails looked like the bird was molting. I decided to switch methods and start with the channel for the tails using chisels. Again I found it almost impossible to consistently pare cleanly and the recessed sides were a mess. I'm sure my technique needs improving but before I start again, just wondered if poplar needs special treatment for these types of cuts.



P.S. - I did do a search and didn't find any threads that addressed my problems.

Eric,

Eric

Photos would help. I normally find Poplar easy to work. But occasionally even the easy ones will turn on you.

ken

[Warren Mickley]

Where do you live, Eric? Here in eastern US, the wood we call poplar is Liriodendron tulipifera. You may have a true poplar from the genus​ Populus.

[Eric Rathhaus]

I'm in California and I have Liriodendron tulipifera.

[Curt Harms]

Eric,

Eric

Photos would help. I normally find Poplar easy to work. But occasionally even the easy ones will turn on you.

ken

I use a fair amount of poplar, it's cheaper than borg pine. Every now and again I get a "funky" (for want of a better term) board. It may be lightweight, doesn't cut clean, doesn't plane well, just "funky". Like people I guess; most are easy to work with, every now and again one comes along that isn't.

[Frederick Skelly]

I use BORG poplar a lot and havent had problems. My dovetails and other joinery come out fine. I agree with Ken, some pictures might help us help you.

[Jerome Andrieux]

It’s soft, bends and split easily, so it’s easy to compress the knife line and your pins can crack the tails board if the fit is too tight. Somehow akin to other even lighter woods such as pine or birch.
If you aim at a crisp look for your dovetail demo, then I would choose beech over birch :)

I have seen more reference of poplar being used for panels, Furnitures sides, backs and drawer bottoms than for any structural and joined parts.

In Europe, tulip poplar is an imported lumber, mostly kiln dried, so YMMV.

[Warren Mickley]

Poplar varies somewhat in how crisp it is. Some stuff is kind of spongy, which makes it hard to cut cleanly. For hand work the green heartwood is preferable because it is stiffer and will cut more cleanly. If you do dovetails in a board that is part sapwood, part heartwood you can often notice the difference.

You may have gotten a difficult board, but probably a little sharper would help.

[Jim Matthews]

When I tried using my dovetail plane on the tails, I could not get a clean cut.

Eric

P.S. - I did do a search and didn't find any threads that addressed my problems.

I will defer to Warren on this, he's on the beam about it.

If the pieces are in fact "spongy" then technique isn't the problem. The Iwasaki brand of "carving" files are my go-to for cranky wood.

https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/iwasaki-carving-files.aspx

[Jim Matthews]

Would stabilizing the crumbly sections with Super Glue help?

[Mike Henderson]

I use poplar in my dovetail class. But you want to look at the way the grain flows. Sometimes you can get some wild grain that makes dovetails difficult for beginners. Overall, it's not a difficult wood. It's medium hard, cuts fairly easily, doesn't tend to split very much.

But if you think poplar is causing you problems, see if you can get some straight grain Honduras mahogany (definitely not African mahogany) and try that. Mahogany is very easy to work.

Mike

[Eric Rathhaus]

Thanks everyone for all the input. Of course part of the problem is that all of my work is on end grain. I took my chisels and iron to a stereoscope, and although they are sharp, I noticed some imperfections that aren't visible to the naked eye nor noticeable to the touch. I'm going to go back and make sure all these imperfections are removed and try again. Thanks!

[Bob Jones 5443]

Oh no. I sense a sharpening thread spinning out of this.

[Eric Rathhaus]

Bob be careful what you wish for. ;)

[Gary Focht]

I just unicorned a chisel and chopped a dovetail in poplar. Never had a cleaner baseline. Might reflect more about my previous sharpening skills, but I was able to get a really smooth surface. Pared very nicely. Honestly, not sure it felt as sharp, but it did work very well in the poplar.

[Eric Rathhaus]

I refined the back and edge more, and the plane cut better. But it still feels like I'm planing across the grain in plywood. Initially it cuts well and then crumbles. Here r a couple of photos. Ignore the blowout at the end (and the blood. :))440456440457

[ken hatch]

Eric,

If you are sharp, the wood is punky and there ain't nothing you can do to save it.

ken

[Doug Dawson]

I'm using poplar to build a demo of a project using sliding dovetails, but it's working me more than I'm working it. I feel that my iron and chisels are sharp (easily shave hair off my arm). When I tried using my dovetail plane on the tails, I could not get a clean cut. I had a backing piece and no blow out issues. The tails looked like the bird was molting. I decided to switch methods and start with the channel for the tails using chisels. Again I found it almost impossible to consistently pare cleanly and the recessed sides were a mess. I'm sure my technique needs improving but before I start again, just wondered if poplar needs special treatment for these types of cuts.

Eric

P.S. - I did do a search and didn't find any threads that addressed my problems.

Poplar is compressed fur. Some would say dog, some would say beaver, I tend towards beaver, because it doesn't smell like dog. In either case, it's not something that you would do anything other than sand and paint. Machining properties are iffy.

[Jim Matthews]

Eric,

If you are sharp, the wood is punky and there ain't nothing you can do to save it.

ken

Yep. Verify technique and tools on another board.
That piece looks suspect.

[Jim Matthews]

Poplar is compressed fur. Some would say dog, some would say beaver, I tend towards beaver, because it doesn't smell like dog. In either case, it's not something that you would do anything other than sand and paint. Machining properties are iffy.

Rubbish.
Most North American factory furniture in the early 20th Century used this stuff. Properly sawn and dried It's stable, straight and cheap.

My drawer sides and backing panels are Poplar.

https://i.imgur.com/crJMiax.jpg

[Frederick Skelly]

it's not something that you would do anything other than sand and paint. Machining properties are iffy.

My experience has been different than yours. I've made some nice pieces of furniture in poplar and they've come out very well. It's not cherry or maple, but for me, it's still nice material. YMMV
Fred

[Charles Guest]

The creamy white boards look better as drawer sides and backs but don't work quite as crisply under the tool as the harder, darker green material which doesn't look as well. The purple-ish material can crumble away even under the best of circumstances and you'd rather not have this happen on a pin or tail arris. So, be forewarned.

[Curt Harms]

My experience has been different than yours. I've made some nice pieces of furniture in poplar and they've come out very well. It's not cherry or maple, but for me, it's still nice material. YMMV
Fred

It's not cherry but with the right finish it can fool most of the people (not those that frequent SMC) most of the time.

[ken hatch]

I'll just add, I've made several workbenches using Poplar for the base with no problems. In fact my current main bench has a Poplar base.

ken

[Mel Fulks]

Agree with Jim . Some don't like it because they bought some that was wavy as fried bacon. If air dried before being kiln
dried it stays flat. The green heart wood holds up well outside. Some supliers will even give you all green heart wood
since some only want to buy the white stainable sap wood.

[Doug Dawson]

Agree with Jim . Some don't like it because they bought some that was wavy as fried bacon. If air dried before being kiln
dried it stays flat. The green heart wood holds up well outside. Some supliers will even give you all green heart wood
since some only want to buy the white stainable sap wood.

It's furry, the figure is mundane at best, and it's tricky to finish with anything other than paint. It's cheap for a reason, it's secondary wood. Otherwise, I have nothing against it, but I would never feature it. It can be good "practice" wood, or for building quick mockups.

[Eric Rathhaus]

The blood was the clue! The ECE dovetail plane has a carbide nicker, which protrudes too far using the factory instructions. I had already reset it once, but it still nicked my thumb (which caused it to bleed). I backed the nicker off as much as I could. Voila! a great cut. User error. Thanks for all your suggestions,

Eric

[Erich Weidner]

I backed the nicker off as much as I could. Voila! a great cut. User error. Thanks for all your suggestions,

Eric

And the poplar would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids! :)

[steven c newman]

Just a box made from Poplar...
440712
440713
440714
440715
Now the home of my Stanley No.45

[Jim Matthews]

And the poplar would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids! :)
Velma knew. Nobody listens to Velma.

[Clifford McGuire]

In defense of poplar. I've gone through a lot of borg poplar as I practice my dovetails. And if I try a new type of lid (sliding, pin, dowel), I practice on poplar. They are useful in my shop. Whenever I start something that will have some temporary loose parts, I grab one of these boxes.

In the back, you can see a box that contains my practice dovetails, all in poplar.

It does require me to keep my chisels sharp to get nice clean paring.

440954

[ken hatch]

In defense of poplar. I've gone through a lot of borg poplar as I practice my dovetails. And if I try a new type of lid (sliding, pin, dowel), I practice on poplar. They are useful in my shop. Whenever I start something that will have some temporary loose parts, I grab one of these boxes.

In the back, you can see a box that contains my practice dovetails, all in poplar.

It does require me to keep my chisels sharp to get nice clean paring.

440954

Clifford,

Nice little "practice" boxes. BTW, there ain't nothing wrong with keeping your chisels sharp :p.

ken

[James Pallas]

Poplar is ok. Not soft but not quite hard. Teaches you a lot. It can have all the bad wood habits wrapped into one. Twist, bows, soft areas hard areas. If you make a long rip the end you started on can come up behind you ready for another pass. It does make good pallets and crates to reclaim and make more practice wood.