Turning Poplar

It's good stuff, just doesn't finish up too well. The classes I have taken at Woodcraft used poplar as the turning medium.

Better than fir!

Walt C

Go for it! It turns fine.

You're down part of Michigan, right?

Means you might have genuine poplar down there as well as "tulip-poplar" or "yellow-poplar," (L tulipifera - a magnolia) which is a more eastern species. True poplars like the aspens turn soft and stringy, but often compete vigorously for light, and so have some spectacular figure from leaning toward the clear. Their kissing cousins willow and cottonwood are about the same. Tulip-poplar is more like bass - plain vanilla soft wood.

Since poplars are considered a weed, and past maturity at forty, there ought to be some available - often called "popple"- to turn, dry, turn. It's almost bulletproof in drying, so no great worries there. Don't worry overmuch about how hacked up your green piece looks, the dry version will cut smoother. If you get the angles right, even the green will cut slick, so it's a good place to practice.

Get to the yellow book and find some sawmills out 96 toward Stockbridge, and Lansing. Two nice ones out there whose names escape me. They'll have sources and would be pleased to pass along a green log for a price. Of course, they probably will sell better wood than poplar, as it's hardly worth the cartage.

it's great to learn on...

I got my grandson started on the Jet mini with some 10" pieces of 2x2" poplar from the borg... I turns ok, sands well and is what I'd consider a "well behaved" wood to learn on... YMMV

Basswood and pine are softer and might be easier to learn to make shaving on, but if you have poplar, go for it..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I've never turned dry poplar, but it is a pleasure to turn wet. Just be sure tools are sharp to avoid tearout.