Poplar

[danthe]

Hi,

Do anyone mill poplar for structural lumber...2x4... pros and cons

What are other utilities for poplar. I have a stand of mature poplar and not much market (prices and volume) in this region.

Thanks

 

[Booma]

You could make clogs out of it LOL! Just got back from a vacation in Holland and visited a clog factory. They use poplar to make the shoes. My daughter Erin got to make this one. We left it at this stage without finishing it just because it looked so neato That's my angel/tomboy on the right of the portrait.

Now, here's some info that might actually be useful to you

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrp/fplrp573.pdf

 

[dyrt]

Hi,

Do anyone mill poplar for structural lumber...2x4... pros and cons

What are other utilities for poplar. I have a stand of mature poplar and not much market (prices and volume) in this region.

Thanks

i am not sure about using it for structual lumber .......but i have used it in several projects from moulded trim to flooring and paneling(tongue and grooved)dont forget to dry this stuff if u can carry itand stay away from the heart wood unless your looking for a piece with more characteristics

i will try to post some pics later

 

[dirty shirt]

Hello fellow new brunswicker .i have made lot of stuff out of puplar you can make 2+4 board keep it dry.worps bad ive made trim for the camp and some furniture for my son takes paint and stain excelent

 

[CHEVYTOWN13]

Makes for nice furniture when you can tame the wild grains/colors on poplar. Tough to get straight boards when the colors are strong. Poplar can have some amazing shades of purples, greens, and sometimes yellows. Gnarly patterns. I like using it for furniture.

 

[ebath]

Poplar makes great siding. I used it for my kiln and sawmill shed. My eighty year old barn was sided with it and it's still in good shape.

It is also perfect for making jigs in the shop. It dries fast, machines easily and takes finishes well. The logs are generally knot free and straight, so the yield off the mill is very good.

It is not so good for hard surfaces (table tops, floors, etc.) because it is softer than other hardwoods.

Ed

 

[CHEVYTOWN13]

I agree, it's not for table tops, but this grain got to me I needed to see it everyday! It's held up very well.

Otherwise, I use oak and maple for tops.

 

[Brmorgan]

Poplar (Trembling Aspen, not Tulip Poplar - different family altogether) has about the same structural strength as the Spruce and Subalpine Fir found in S-P-F designated lumber. It's just fine for studs, though I don't think I'd use it for other structural applications such as truss webbing. In fact, since the Pine Beetle has destroyed our Pine stands here in BC, people are starting to talk about milling Poplar for light structural use since it grows extremely fast, with millable trees in under 25 years in the right conditions. It isn't rot resistant at all though, so as stated keeping it dry is important. The other uses already pointed out are the more common ones. Around here I regularly see whole logs going south to the pulp mills on the trains.

BTW, nice tabletop Chev. If you use a finish something like Varathane Diamond Hard etc. the relative softness of the wood shouldn't be a big problem. I have a few big Poplar slabs out back that I've been thinking of doing the same with.

 

[CHEVYTOWN13]

Thank you Brad.

I was planning on sanding the finish and giving it a fresh seal. I'm going to try the sealer you suggested. Sounds like a winner.

Rick

 

[oxbow]

rustic bench

As brmorgan said, people in different areas call different trees poplar. Around here, big tooth aspen, quaking aspen, and tulip, or yellow poplar are all called poplar (or popple).
Here is a bench I made from big tooth aspen.

 

[Brmorgan]

Chev - the Varathane Diamond Hard is a clear-coat urethane (not sure if it's polyurethane or not) and is very similar to the hard, clear finishes often put on hardwood floors. I haven't used it myself all that much, but I managed to score a gallon can for $10 off a building supply store's clearance table. I normally pay about $7 locally for a half-pint can of Varathane conditioners/stains/urethanes, so I can only imagine what a gallon can is worth at full price. I've used it for a few small things here and there such as tool handles I've made, though no tables yet. And it gets harder and shinier as you apply more coats.

Also, I just took a look in my tree field guide and FWIW it shows Tulip Poplar as a member of the Magnolia family, whereas the "true" Poplars and Cottonwoods are in the Willow family.

 

[CHEVYTOWN13]

Brad, I've been using a water based clear coat and have liked the results for the years it's been in service, but I wanted to try something new.

I agree, when you add a clear coat to a wood, especially if it has color, ray flecks, whatever, it makes it stand out big time. Like it darkens things, it can make things warm in color or just help the wood characteristics stand out more.

I'm going to give it a shot as I always wanted to work with a urethane based sealer. I've always used water based.

Oxbow, I dig the way you kept it natural and did not make things square length wise. Cool look.

 

[TimberFaller660]

the living room in my house is done in diminsioned poplar. it looks good. gives it more of a cabin feel expecially when ya throw some deer and duck mounts on it

 

[MR4WD]

Around here I regularly see whole logs going south to the pulp mills on the trains..

I noticed that too, never seen it anywhere else. Truckloads of "straight" Poplar... I also saw quite a few 3 log cedar truckloads headed south too. Don't know where those would come from around there...

There's some 3' poplar around here straighter than the winter is long that I might have a crack at milling, based on what people say in this forum. I don't know what I'd use it for, but it's pretty near the biggest tree that hasn't gone for firewood that you can get with a truck.

how're the mills up there doing these days?

 

[Brmorgan]

I know there are some pretty big trees over towards Revelstoke. And I thought they grew pretty big up at the north end of the lake down there, though I've never been myself. Anyway the mills around here are all shut down except West Fraser, and even they are on a reduced workweek and running at a net loss. The plywood plant just took a week down a couple weeks ago. One of the Tolko mills is running temporarily, to make big rough 3X8 Douglas Fir slabs that are used to make the modern equivalent of corduroy road sections for some mining company. Once that runs out they'll be down again too, all signs are pointing to 2010 now. It's a mess.

 

[MR4WD]

There's some mega fir and cedar at the north end of the lake, but I usually try and get firewood and milling wood with the quad, no more than a 20k drive from the doorstep. North Shuswap might be 70k from where I'm at and I'm a bit too lazy/ill equipped (in terms of places to put the lumber vs driving) to explore up there.

What's everybody gonna do up there?

/thread hijack over... (PM me back)

 

[CHEVYTOWN13]

I also use poplar for art around the crib. I've used heavy metal pieces in other works and the poplar has held up fine.

 

[Booma]

Now THAT's some cool lookin' stuff!

 

[CHEVYTOWN13]

Thank you Booma.

I have a blast working with metal and wood.

EDIT: The pieces I use are all old farm tools/equipment

 

[CHEVYTOWN13]

Booma, not quite poplar, but it is my favorite piece around the crib.