Finding poplar in the big box stores, for Router enclosed base

[Philip Florio]

I went to Lowes today and Home Depot looking for poplar as the hardwood for the Router table enclosed base that I'm going to make.

Home Depot had almost nothing to choose from. The plans I got online call for 1 1/16" and 1 1/2" thickness. All Lowes has it up to 1". Now the 1/16" difference seems like splitting hairs but why would the plans call for this?

The 1 1/16" board is for the base front/rear and sides and the spacer in the front. The 1 1/2" board is for the the molding that wraps around the corners.

I'm in Nashville, I don't know where else to go for building lumber.

Phil

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Check your local hardwood dealer. the big box stores mark up hardwoods 2-4x before you get the price. Poplar is by far the cheapest wood stocked at any hardwood dealer in our area. I think it's $1.50 a BF here. With it's tight grain it is a great wood...I love the coloring.

[Peter Quinn]

1" will work fine for 1 1/16", just adjust any measurements accordingly. For the molding you could buy 3/4" and laminate two pieces. Why do you need molding for a router table?

I would try to find a source for poplar and all other woodworking needs other than big box chains as their prices on dimensioned lumber border on criminal, and their quality generally borders on comical, like three stooges style. I'd guess there is no shortage of fine hardwood and softwood in Nashville given its proximity to some fine timber forests and the number of fine woodworkers that call her home, but I can not offer specific suggestions not being from there other than to keep looking. Developing a connection and relationship with a proper hardwood supplier is great step forward in your wood working enterprise which will reward you handsomely over the years.

[Chip Lindley]

Since poplar is only a paint grade wood, with no figure to speak of, why not just go with MDF if you plan to paint the new router stand? It is strong and cheap!

OR, if you want the wood to stand out, go with another species with grain and figure to show off your stand. Just a suggestion....

[Jim Becker]

Since poplar is only a paint grade wood, with no figure to speak of....

Err...well...I'd have to respectfully disagree with that. ;) Tulip Poplar (Yellow Poplar) has figure not unlike cherry and maple and with dyes, can very easily emulate them, outside of being a little softer. I've also emulated pine with poplar using some of the knotty pieces that came my way...there is a large armoire from a Thomas Moser design in my younger daughter's room built from it. I rarely paint poplar and use a lot of it since I have milled several thousand board feet off our property.
-----

To the OP...you definitely need to get to know the "real" lumber dealers in your area! 'Borg lumber is way over priced and with inconsistent quality. And as you surmise, you have limited choices as to thickness there, too.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I like the figure of Poplar and I love the way it stains [this one is stained natural]...especially with it's dual colors....

[Chip Lindley]

Point taken Jim! Everything I contribute here is--IMO--from my own experience and rarely jives with any other world view! Um..you are referring to that greenish stuff aren't you?

In my cabinet making experience, yellow/tulip poplar was always used for raised panels/doors/faceframes/casment to be painted (before the days of CNC routers/MDF.) Selected for its price, smooth closed grain quality (almost as nice as MDF,) and wide widths and long lengths.

We all know beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. It seems that ever since the Viet Nam era days, green is just not my fav color!

[David DeCristoforo]

"It seems that ever since the Viet Nam era days, green is just not my fav color!"

I'm with you there! Especially that sick poplar green. But one thing for certain is that you cannot express an opinion on this forum without getting at least several differing opinions back. And while we are on the subject of differing opinions, how could you recommend MDF over real wood for any "actual" project!?!? Scheech!

[Stephen Edwards]

Hey Philip, send me a PM telling me exactly what you need, a materials list, if you wish. I can probably help you with the poplar. I'm not too far away from you.

[Chip Lindley]

Geez David! If MDF doors are good enough for all white kitchens in $400,000 homes,...good enough for a lil' ol' router cabinet painted Shop Fox white...or Delta grey...or hott pinkk...or....

[Joe Chritz]

Poplar is especially nice if it gets some mineral stains while growing and you get purples intermixed with the yellow and greenish areas.

I am a bit jealous at having "a few thousand BF" milled sitting around. I often go to poplar for secondary parts and it seems like I never have any around when I need it, like right now.

I wouldn't buy boards from the borg unless I really had to. If there is a supplier anywhere near by they can supply it and do any machine work you aren't able to do pretty reasonable.

Joe

[Tom Young]

Phil,

Try http://www.woodfinder.com/ to find lumber in Nashville.

Or try this: http://www.yellowpages.com/37201~Nashville-TN/Lumber

Good luck with your search.

Tom

[Alex Shanku]

If you make it out to cookeville, tn during the week, Winnell Lee has poplar on sale for $ .60 /bf

[Jim Becker]

Um..you are referring to that greenish stuff aren't you?

Yellow/Tulip poplar heart wood is indeed greenish...when fresh cut. But it turns brown with exposure to UV and oxidation. That sign posted by another member is a good example.

Note I'm not talking about mineral staining that is sometimes present in poplar and that Joe mentions. That's a whole different animal and it does not mitigate with time. You either use it because you like it or paint over it! LOL

Color wise, poplar hardwood and birch plywood makes for a somewhat comfortable match for shop fixtures in my experience if you just want to leave them natural with some shellac or varnish or even just oil on them.

That all said, material choice is very subjective. But I suspect that many of us will agree that the 'borg isn't the best place to purchase whatever you want to use, both for price and for quality and selection.

[Steve Schoene]

I'll disagree a bit. I've found hardwoods from the borg to be quite consistent.

Consistently bad that is. Even after carefully picking through the pile, it's quite possible, likely even, to find boards that have problems like case hardening that shows up while ripping, or even honeycombing that shows up when the board aclimates to a bit lower shop humidity, both indicators that the borg buyers musts be willing to buy the leftovers that may meet the appearance grades, but which are substandard in other ways.

[William OConnell]

Chip Lindley
Geez David! If MDF doors are good enough for all white kitchens in $400,000 homes,...good enough for a lil' ol' router cabinet painted Shop Fox white...or Delta grey...or hott pinkk...or....


I agree. I hate waste, especially wasting money, Ive heard it called a sin actually
My router has sat in a MDF box for years. I think I have maybe 2 dollars of material into it. Same thing for my dust collection box I clamp to my incra fence,MDF with a 4" house on the end. Works wonderfully for me and the rails and styles have no idea they're riding on MDF when they're cut. They come out just as nice as if they were cut on a high brow, high precision, high priced fence, no difference.
As far as Poplar I personally consider it a paint grade wood. This is personal opinion of course. I use it for rails, stiles, and face frames on all my painted or pigmented laquer stuff. Although the NAHA considers it a hardwood, lets face it it's really not that hard. Buying it at a box store is a mistake. Its priced there almost as much as maple and oak.
I say use MDF for a box and save your poplar or other hardwood resources$ for a project for a loved one.
Of course all this is just me. Mileage and opinions may vary for others

[Paul Johnstone]

I went to Lowes today and Home Depot looking for poplar as the hardwood for the Router table enclosed base that I'm going to make.

Home Depot had almost nothing to choose from. The plans I got online call for 1 1/16" and 1 1/2" thickness. All Lowes has it up to 1". Now the 1/16" difference seems like splitting hairs but why would the plans call for this?

The 1 1/16" board is for the base front/rear and sides and the spacer in the front. The 1 1/2" board is for the the molding that wraps around the corners.

I'm in Nashville, I don't know where else to go for building lumber.

Phil

Search in your local Craig's list too, under "materials". Many times the local small sawmill people will advertise in there. Sometimes you get people just clearing out wood that they don't need. I got about 200 bdft of maple for 50 cents a board foot a few months ago. Not FAS grade, but good enough to be useful.

Another option is this: Since it is just a router table and not fine furniture, you can substitute strips of plywood for poplar.

[David Keller NC]

"I'm with you there! Especially that sick poplar green."

I'll second Steve on this point - poplar will very rapidly turn a nut-brown color when exposed to sunlight. Interestingly enough, both the sapwood and the heartwood will turn this color. I wrote an article for American Period Furniture (the journal of the Society of American Period Furniture) regarding using sunlight to change the color of various woods. Unlike the other woods with strong heartwood/sapwood contrast in the test (cherry, walnut, mahogany), the UV exposure blended the heartwood and sapwood of poplar quite effectively. The total exposure was about 30 hours.

[Von Bickley]

Poplar can be a beautiful wood if it is finished properly....

I have a friend that does "Antique Restorations" and he can make furniture that is built out of poplar look beautiful. :):D:)

[Jason White]

Not sure about your part of the country, but here in New England 5/4 poplar is readily available at any home center. If they don't have it there, they can probably special order for you. Failing that, any regular construction-type lumberyard probably has it up to 8/4 S4S.

Jason


I went to Lowes today and Home Depot looking for poplar as the hardwood for the Router table enclosed base that I'm going to make.

Home Depot had almost nothing to choose from. The plans I got online call for 1 1/16" and 1 1/2" thickness. All Lowes has it up to 1". Now the 1/16" difference seems like splitting hairs but why would the plans call for this?

The 1 1/16" board is for the base front/rear and sides and the spacer in the front. The 1 1/2" board is for the the molding that wraps around the corners.

I'm in Nashville, I don't know where else to go for building lumber.

Phil

[David DeCristoforo]

" If MDF doors are good enough for all white kitchens in $400,000 homes,...good enough for a lil' ol' router cabinet painted Shop Fox white...or Delta grey...or hott pinkk...or.... "


"I agree. I hate waste, especially wasting money, Ive heard it called a sin actually...
"

In my world, MDF is not "good enough" for any kitchens or any other projects other than sacrificial jigs and fixtures. Your world may have different rules.

As to waste, do you not know how this stuff is made? The production of MDF has been one of the most environmentally unfriendly processes one could find and it is a notoriously unhealthy material in terms of it's inherent level of toxicity. And in order to get the raw material, do you know what they start with? Wood! So how come it's alright to "waste" wood by chipping up trees to make MDF but it's a "sin" to make a router table out of poplar?

[William OConnell]

" If MDF doors are good enough for all white kitchens in $400,000 homes,...good enough for a lil' ol' router cabinet painted Shop Fox white...or Delta grey...or hott pinkk...or.... "


"I agree. I hate waste, especially wasting money, Ive heard it called a sin actually...
"

In my world, MDF is not "good enough" for any kitchens or any other projects other than sacrificial jigs and fixtures. Your world may have different rules.

As to waste, do you not know how this stuff is made? The production of MDF has been one of the most environmentally unfriendly processes one could find and it is a notoriously unhealthy material in terms of it's inherent level of toxicity. And in order to get the raw material, do you know what they start with? Wood! So how come it's alright to "waste" wood by chipping up trees to make MDF but it's a "sin" to make a router table out of poplar?
I'm sorry David.
Communicating via forums is not my strong suit.
My Irish immigrant grandmother was a stickler for waste and seems has left her mark on me.
I was refering to wasting money, as was she when she threatened me with her spoon. Between her imprint on me and my recent reading of on "Walden Pond" Ive become quite happily thrifty and thoughtful of simplicity
My point was, it seemed to me the original poster was running around looking for an exact dimension and species of lumber when MDF can and has been used by me for the exact same situation. I'm happy with my choice, again mileage and opinion may vary
Again my apologies as I meant no insult or judgement of anyone
Be well
PS
I believe that MDF is now made of40% radiata pine ( planted and harvested) and 60% recyclable materials such as newspaper,sawdust, carbon, etc. and the adhesives are no longer the urea formahldahydes that were in use in the 80s and 90s making it in fact a completely sustainable product

[David DeCristoforo]

"Communicating via forums is not my strong suit."

No problem... neither is mine! But I do enjoy a good argument! And you are correct in that there has been at least some effort to decrease the negative environmental impact of this "material". But you do know that those trees have to be shipped to China where the MDF sheets are made and then shipped back here? "Carbon footprint" has to take everything into consideration. But whatever the final analysis is on that, it's still just compacted sawdust. I'm afraid I will never be able to take this stuff as seriously as some do. Just me....

[Philip Florio]

Well, tried Craigslist, I tried the suggested search for lumber yards but no luck in this area. The closest yard is 72 miles away!

I might just have to go with mdf or all plywood! I'll go to another Lowes and ask for the special order for 5/4.

Phil

[Jim Becker]

Phillip, what area do you live in?? (It's not in your profile...) Perhaps folks will have a suggestion for a source if you post that information.

[Philip Florio]

Thanks Jim,

I updated my profile. I live in the Nashville, TN area. There is one gentleman that lives 2 hours away that contacted me that he had some poplar but 3/4" thickness. I could glue them up. Again at Lowes I can get 1" They charge $22 for 1"x8"x8'.

Phil


Phillip, what area do you live in?? (It's not in your profile...) Perhaps folks will have a suggestion for a source if you post that information.

[Alex Shanku]

Try nashville plywood.

[Stephen Edwards]

This guy has exactly what you're looking for:

http://www.middletennlumber.com/app/index.php

Middle Tennessee
Lumber Co.,Inc
240 Gum Branch Rd.
Burns, TN 37209
Tel: 1-615-446-3461
Fax: 615-446-2048

[Philip Florio]

I e-mailed Nashville plywood the other day.

I just called them, they only have 13/16".

Phil


Try nashville plywood.

[Stephen Edwards]

I just called Nashville Plywood. They also don't let YOU choose the boards that you want anymore. It's kinda like buying a pig in a poke. In the past they were a good source.

Another point to make is this: I think most woodworkers eventually learn that we sometimes have to take a little road trip to get the lumber that we want. It's not unusual at all for me to drive 1-3 hours to get what I want. Of course, I understand that on a small project that may not be feasible.










I e-mailed Nashville plywood the other day.

I just called them, they only have 13/16".

Phil

[Chip Lindley]

FerSure this thread got wayyyyy off track from Phillip Florio's original question/complaint! I take the HIT for contributing to the melee!

I have the Christmas Spirit now (non-alcoholic!) and will not participate in further maligning that greenish stuff--poplar. It is a very nice utilitarian wood! HoHoHo!

The fact remains that following plans to build any project may have to be tweaked to fit the builder's needs or sources of material. Why poplar? It was what the original guy used, but you can use any species you wish. How about soft maple? sycamore? red/black gum? This might be a nice use for some black walnut sapwood! We are very limited by our own imagination sometimes. Customize *your* router table your own way! Put your personal stamp on it !! GoodLuck!
MerryChristmas To All !!

[Philip Florio]

Thanks to Chip and everyone else for helping. I for one as a newbie doesn't mind how the subject goes!

Phil


FerSure this thread got wayyyyy off track from Phillip Florio's original question/complaint! I take the HIT for contributing to the melee!

I have the Christmas Spirit now (non-alcoholic!) and will not participate in further maligning that greenish stuff--poplar. It is a very nice utilitarian wood! HoHoHo!

The fact remains that following plans to build any project may have to be tweaked to fit the builder's needs or sources of material. Why poplar? It was what the original guy used, but you can use any species you wish. How about soft maple? sycamore? red/black gum? This might be a nice use for some black walnut sapwood! We are very limited by our own imagination sometimes. Customize *your* router table your own way! Put your personal stamp on it !! GoodLuck!
MerryChristmas To All !!

[Philip Florio]

Okay, went to another Lowes, same thing, 1" max, no special order.

The plans call for 3/4" plywood for the sides, back and doors. I think as suggested I'll use plywood where it calls hardwood. It's a router cabinet so nothing to show off!

Phil