In last week’s poll, we had a lot of feedback on red oak and your opinions about it. Somewhere in the comments, a woodworker mentioned that at least red oak had a little more respect than poplar. Which brings up a very interesting point…
Poplar is (in many places) inexpensive, readily available and exceptionally easy to work with. It was the first hardwood I had ever worked with in my shop class in middle school. It comes highly recommended for beginning woodworkers – and those with more experience – to practice different woodworking skills (it shines for dovetail cutting).
But, wow, you don’t typically see a bunch of folks raving about their fine clear-coated poplar cabinets. Or, do they?
This week, tell us what you think about poplar…
I have used it for one project in my house because of the color in some of the pieces. It turned out great.
If you are building a piece to be painted then poplar is awesome. I built my traditional tool chest almost completely from poplar. I would say its a great wood especially if you are making a piece that’s to be painted. And if you are careful in your stock selection the color streaks that can run through it from bright green to purple can be very eye catching and unusual.
Tom,
I love the green and purple streaks you can sometimes find in poplar. I sometimes use the plain stuff as a secondary wood too.
Chris
I didn’t vote because I can’t. To my knowledge, I only used poplar once. I don’t have anything against it, I just haven’t had the opportunities to use it and haven’t sought it out. Who knows, maybe there are somethings coming up.