poplar as a turning wood

[Tom Bruce]

Hello, I am new and a first time poster, but I have been lurking around the edges for a while now and I enjoy and appreciate the expertise and information that flows on this site.

I am wondering if poplar ( of the north west variety) is a good turning wood?

I have searched this and other woodworking sites and can't seem to get a direct reference answer..

I appreciate any info you may have...

thanks.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Tom........1st....Welcome to the Creek!

I've turned several spindles from kiln dried poplar. It turns quite well.

I've got a project I'm trying to get to right now. I'm turning some table leg extensions for a friend from kiln dried poplar. After turning the friend is going to paint them to match the table.

[Jim Becker]

Almost any wood is good turning wood. If the poplar you refer to is "Aspen", rather than Yellow Poplar, it's quite soft, so be sure your tools are very sharp. The latter is also somewhat soft, but turns beautifully, too. This is one time when mineral staining can really be a nice feature, too.

Oh, and welcome to the 'Creek!

[Reed Gray]

It can depend on which popolar. I got some pieces of a big tulip popolar, and it has some nice green color running through it. The smell is a bit strange, but not offensive, and does fade as it drys. It can also have blacks, cream, and red highlites. It is rather soft.
robo hippy

[Ron Sardo]

:D The only wood you can't turn is from the tree that is still growing in your neighbor's yard. :D

[Jim Becker]

The only wood you can't turn is from the tree that is still growing in your neighbor's yard.

There are some who might try...you know, "shaving off" a burl with a chain saw while the neighbor is on vacation or something... :eek:

[Ken Fitzgerald]

There are some who might try...you know, "shaving off" a burl with a chain saw while the neighbor is on vacation or something... :eek:

Yeah....but we won't mention Jim "Chainsaw" Ketron's initials.:D

[Ron Sardo]

Yeah....but we won't mention Jim "Chainsaw" Ketron's initials.:D

Sounds like a good story!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

What would you expect from a guy whose signature is

"Have Chainsaw- Will Travel :D"?

[Jim Ketron]

LOL Ken!:D

[Ron Sardo]

What would you expect from a guy whose signature is

"Have Chainsaw- Will Travel :D"?

Too Funny!:D

[Lee DeRaud]

Sometimes poplar is boring (especially the stuff they sell at HD), sometimes it's wild...like this chunk I got awhile back: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=39099
I have no idea what variety it is, just whatever shows up in SoCal lumber stores.

[Bob Opsitos]

These are some of the poplar pieces I've turned. Got the wood from a friend who let me pick the pile of pallet offcuts that he got for wood stove fodder last year. Amazing colors for poplar. It turns good and it's light weight surprises people when they pick it up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v705/ropsitos/DSC03223.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v705/ropsitos/DSC03206.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v705/ropsitos/DSCN1202.jpg

[Jonathon Spafford]

Hey, Bob, did you dye those or is that the natural color... I have never seen poplar like that! Nice work!

I have turned a little poplar and it works well for bowls and it turns really nicely for spindles.... takes detail well!!!

Welcome to the Creek, Tom!!!

Jonathon

[Curt Fuller]

First off, Hi Tom and Welcome.

Poplar is a pretty generic term for a lot of poplar type trees like lombardy, cottonwood, aspen and such. They're all soft and "fuzzy" if turned very green and require a little extra sanding. But if you get into the the crotch areas (where a branch splits off) it usually has some real nice color and grain variation. Also, in the trunk areas near the ground the wood is usually nice. The areas in between are usually pretty plain. Cottonwood is what I turn most and if you find a nice dead tree with the bark off, it seems to pick up a lot of color from aging or water stains or whatever.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=50624&d=1164078190

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=49206&d=1162180158

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=48157&d=1160287027

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=41926&d=1151895525

[Andy Hoyt]

I had fun turning this piece of poplar (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=45491). But my wife made it more fun to look at.

[Kurt Rosenzweig]

I love those pieces Curt! The finish is superb. I gotta learn the photo end. You seem to have already mastered it. Andy! I think you got a couple of keepers there. The bowl and the missus. :D

[Bob Opsitos]

Jonathan, those are all naturally finished with, Danish oil.

thanks
bob

[Tom Bruce]

thank you all for the great advice....

have a happy!!

[George Tokarev]

I am wondering if poplar ( of the north west variety) is a good turning wood?

I have searched this and other woodworking sites and can't seem to get a direct reference answer..


The common name problem has been mentioned. Poplar are members of the genus Populus, relatives of the willows and cottonwoods. The stuff out east sold as lumber is a magnolia. True poplars and their ilk have long, fine fibers, which is why they make such nice paper. They also have a lot of air in between, which is why they're light in weight. It can be a discouraging thing to rough green poplar. The fuzz and the tear are endless. Even when you think you've got the angle and the edge it happens. Not to worry. After drying the fiber isn't as prone to bending and tearing, and the shrinkage will pack it a little tighter, so things will work out.

You get some nice shimmer in a lot of poplars. Grain reversals, like birch or elm. Out east they used "popple" as the bottoms of carts and stoneboats, because it would dent without splitting. It's nearly bullet-proof in drying, so you can even play with end-grain pieces with the proper handling.

Get good dust collection when sanding. The stuff goes everwhere.