Poplar for turning

[John Cooper2]

Really just started turning a couple months ago and have the first real "free wood" opertunity.

Friend is cutting down Hugh Poplar tree 40" at trunk.

Wondering how good of wood is this for turning? or just put it all in the fireplace?

He is having someone else fall it. they will cut to any lenght and load on my trailer..... what a deal.

would like to save some for turning and maybe some for resawing into flat stock.

any thoughts?

[Guy Germaine]

The first rule of woodturning:
Free wood is Good Wood! :D

Poplar should turn very nicely since it's "considered" a hardwood. I would take all I can get and start making round things.

[Darryl Hansen]

particularly green poplar is an excellent wood to practice on. It turns like butter and is very forgiving of dull tools too. It is not all that a spectacular looking wood when finished. If you want to keep it white then you need to be careful of the finish you use. Green will warp as it dries so prepare for that. It is a very light wood when dry so plan on leaving asubstaintial base on any bowl. I love to make thin walled turnings with it cause you cen use a light to establish the wall thickness. Get all you can. Oh if it is green it will be pretty wet as you turn so keep a towel handy and clean off your lathe when done.

[Glenn Hodges]

Ditto to the above posts, and I will add you can also find some purple and green color in the older trees which can be very nice.

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - grab as much as you can - the price is right! If the tree was live when cut - you will be amazed at how much water will be in each blank when you turn it! Have fun with it and make sure you dry your lathe off EACH time you are finished turning or it will rust on you! DAMHIKT

Looking forward to seeing photos!

[Craig Powers]

Poplar is something I've always been confused about. When you go to one of the home improvement centers and buy poplar. Its my understanding that it is Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), not a poplar at all, from the magnolia family, native to the eastern US. Wood is white, sometimes with pale brown and greenish streaks.
We also have several species that grow in the US from the Populus group, including aspen, cottonwood, etc. Is this stuff good to turn to?
Am I thinking about this right?

[robert hainstock]

Ditto all the above, and since it is a plain wood, consider some of the many wood dying colors as a way to spruce it up.:):)
Bob

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree with all the above. I would get all I could get. Get the ends sealed with anchorseal or if you don't have any latex paint (a couple of coats) will work fine to keep it from cracking. It is a plain wood so something like Ritz dye you can get from walmart give it a go and spruce it up.

[Frank Drew]

particularly green poplar is an excellent wood to practice on. It turns like butter and is very forgiving of dull tools too. It is not all that a spectacular looking wood when finished.

This is how I feel, too. There's great value in having inexpensive wood to practice on, and poplar turns, and machines, quite well.

I also think it's very good for paint-grade work since, as Darryl says, the grain, stained or not, isn't very interesting.

[Dennis Peacock]

John,

Here's what Yellow Poplar looks like...I allowed this poplar to spalt before turning:

Yellow Poplar Bowl (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=63438&highlight=poplar+bowl)

and one more Poplar Bowl (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=39172&highlight=poplar+bowl)

Get it, turn it...have fun with it...and try spalting some.
To get this wood to spalt...I sat it on some shavings (one log end on the shavings) and covered the top (other end of the log) with more shavings and wet the top shavings real good with water and wet it again once a week for 3 more weeks. Let it set and checked it after about 3-4 months. These were about 6-8 months after I started the attempt at spalting.

[Jim Becker]

Poplar is much better for turning than it is for burning...it burns way too fast...

David Ellsworth "trains" on poplar and you can use it to great advantage when turning. It also takes dye well for effects.

And at 40", I'd be clamoring to mill it for lumber, frankly. In fact, I have several logs waiting for the sawyer out back right now exactly for that...about 36" is the largest I have, however.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Even the kiln dried poplar I've turned....turned well. It's soft by some standards but takes detail well though the stuff I turned was indeed bland. Good stuff for making painted furniture turnings IMHO.

[Brian Brown]

I like poplar. I got some just like you from a friend. Mine was actually form the populas genus (real poplar). It turned nicely, had some curl, and was very forgiving on an inexperienced turner and on cracking issues.