no consideration :)

[M.G.]

Got a call today to pick up some free pallet material from a lumber yard. It was half a pickup load of 5/4 rough oak and poplar about 4' long. The lack of consideration is that they left some screws in it and left it outside in the rain, dont these people know that if you give something away for free you should have some consideration for the poor guy picking it up. :) oh well, it gives me something to do on Saturday, anybody got any ideas for the poplar, havn't seen many uses for it posted? Off to make some sawdust.

[Young Carpenter]

Poplar is great for stuff being painted. Good for Faux finishing (cherry, walnut in particular), and used for drawer sides. It has the properties of being smooth no knots and most defects are color based and can be bleached out.

[D K Woods]

Poplar is one of the easiest woods I've worked with (upside), but it's also one of the most boring in appearance (downside). So, like Young Carpenter said, it's great for items being painted.

But also great for making mockups! If you're making a complicated project with good (pricey) wood, it wouldn't hurt to make a mockup using poplar, if you've got some around. I know I've done plenty of projects where a trial run would have made sense. Most of the time I don't have much spare wood lying around...but if I got a load of free poplar, that would have been where some of it had been used.

Also good for making jigs that you don't need to last long.

david

[Ramsey]

Poplar has one good redeeming feature: it takes and holds paint better than almost any other wood.

[Silvan]

Plus it grows fast, and is more easily replenished than many of the more choice woods.

Oak trees take a looong time to grow. There's an enormous one near my house. I can't help looking at it and thinking now many bf of wood I could get out of that thing, but it's also a 5' diameter tree in a world populated with little spindly 12-20" diameter saplings. There's just no telling what tales that tree could tell. It's probably been growing since my great grandfather's parents were kids. Cutting it down would be a horrible thing.

OTOH, it's on a site marked "WILL BUILD TO SUIT" and I figure it's a goner. If it has to come down anyway, I'd like to have its wood and make something out of it.

I'm kind of hoping the eventual owner of that site has enough decency to make a little employee picnic area around the thing and leave it be though.

[Digger]

My daughter wants a bed made for her room, and wants it between royal and navy blue. Would poplar keep the expense down and take to a dye very well. I was thinking of using the RIT dye technique and then sealing and topping it off with for protection. She doesn't want a ton of grain showing, but a small amount would be fine. When reading your earlier reply, it seems as if poplar would be the answer. Thanks.

Digger

[Digger]

I plan on testing it today. The people who are into itarsia and turning say it works great, and there is 25 or 35 different colors. And it is much less expensive than other dyes. So here's hoping.....

Digger

[Young Carpenter]

My full assessment of Poplar will be in a few weeks when I start to work on it for a cabinet. Sounds like a good idea though. If you can find Poplar for a decent price. I have been quoted up to 2.25 for #2 common! only 100 mi away I found some for 1.00 so you see the price difference. You may want to think about a bleaching technique if you will dye it. The color variations (from Lt. Green-blonde-deep purple) in just one board may interfere with the dye. Never used dye so I am a bit unfamiliar with its finished look.

[Digger]

Please post your thought on poplar after you get to use it, as I won't be building the bed until I finish a few other projects.

Digger