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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Know Your Wood: Poplar

Poplar
The picture at left shows just some of the wide ranges of color found in Poplar lumber, via The Wood Explorer database.


Common trade names: Poplar, Yellow poplar.

Genus: Liriodendron tulipifera

Janka Hardness (pounds-force): 540

Description: Poplar is a deciduous with lumber that is pale, with grey and green coloring streaked in. It’s very soft for a so-called hardwood, and its grain is generally straight and consistent, with a medium texture. Pores are sealed, making this a great selection for paint, and to a degree, stain. Personal preferences here, I suppose, but the greys and greens have always made me lean toward using Poplar as a paint-grade performance species only. But it will certainly take stain.

Location: Eastern United States. Range in picture of Liriodendron tulipifera via Wikipedia via USGS.

Common Aliases: Yellow poplar, American tulipwood, Blue poplar, Canadian whitewood, Saddletree, Tulip poplar, Virginian poplar, White poplar, Yellow-wood.

Performance: Poplar is very easy to work, and it takes paint exceptionally well. It also stains nicely, if that’s the look you’re going for. For whatever reason, I have memories of Poplar being much more widely available in local marketplaces better than a decade ago. Everytime I worked the wood, I was highly satisfied, because it was a piece of cake. The wood held together nicely, and I was able to crank out volume in a big hurry with this species. If I were to use paint grade trim anywhere in my place, it would be out of poplar. If I can get it in Ottawa or Pomona.

Common Uses: Millwork, paint-grade trim, stain-grade trim, shelving, cabinetry, just about anything for interior use that is to be painted, I would highly recommend poplar. I could name thousands of common uses for this species. A great wood, in my opinion, and very underrated.

From: The Wood Database

Common Name(s): Poplar, Tulip Poplar, Yellow Poplar
Scientific Name: Liriodendron tulipifera
Distribution: Eastern United States
Tree Size: 130-160 ft (40-50 m) tall, 6-8 ft (1.8-2.5 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 32 lbs/ft3 (515 kg/m3)
Basic Specific Gravity: .40
Hardness: 540 lbf (2,400 N)
Rupture Strength: 10,100 lbf/in2 (69,660 kPa)
Elastic Strength: 1,580,000 lbf/in2 (10,900 MPa)
Crushing Strength: 5,540 lbf/in2 (38.2 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 4.6%, Tangential: 8.2%, Volumetric: 12.7%, T/R Ratio: 1.8

2 comments:

  1. The background is the sky with clouds, and some mountains. I would say the focal point is the road in the middle. That it starts really wideTrees-Plants Nursery

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  2. I want to know, can we use African Ebony wood for making house furniture? My aunt told me about this wood and she also suggests me to purchase furniture made of this wood. Please share your opinion regarding ebony wood.


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