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/...ing-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.