Types of Poplar
Poplar wood is considered a hardwood by species, but this can be somewhat confusing, as it is typically softer than pine, a common softwood. In most instances, poplar (or at least the wood sold as poplar in home centers) is actually the wood from the tulip tree. It is a creamy white-colored wood with brown or gray sections or streaks through the grain. Garden-variety poplar wood is also sometimes referred to as yellow poplar or whitewood, but you may also find stocks of poplar that include European black poplar, cottonwood, or some types of aspen.
Costs
Yellow poplar typically costs $3.20 to $4.85 per board foot (stock less than 10 inches wide). Price variations will depend on the thickness of the boards.
Working With Poplar
Poplar is relatively easy to work with, as it takes manipulation with a saw, lathe, or router well. One key is to make sure that your cutting tools are sharp, as poplar can tear if the cutting edges on a tool are less than optimal. Also, use a slow feed speed to avoid tearing. Drilling and boring should be done at slower RPM speeds than you would use for other hardwoods. Because of its relatively soft nature, poplar will need to be sanded with progressively finer grits of sandpaper, as more coarse grits will leave sanding marks that need to be removed. Most woodworkers will find that starting with 80-grit, then progressing through 150-, 220-, 300-, and finally, 400-grit sandpapers will yield good results.
Finishing
Poplar is renowned for its ability to take paint well. It is the wood stock of choice when building woodworking projects that need to be painted. It is relatively resistant to decay, and when sanded, primed, and painted thoroughly, it should hold up well to normal wear and tear for many interior projects. If you intend to use poplar for outdoor woodworking plans, you may need to apply a new coat of paint every couple of years, depending on the project and the location of the finished piece. Staining poplar wood is another matter entirely. In its native form, poplar tends to take stain in a very blotchy manner. For good results when staining, it is imperative that all surfaces are prepared properly with a couple of coats of a pre-stain wood conditioner. This will allow the stain to be absorbed much more evenly and will make the bland grain “pop” a bit more. Gel stains typically work better than penetrating stains. Water-based stains may cause fuzziness on the wood surface, which will require a light sanding before applying a varnish. Some woodworkers attempt to use poplar to simulate finer hardwoods, such as maple. This can be tricky since even though the grain of these two kinds of wood is somewhat similar, the trained eye can almost always spot the differences. When attempting to mimic another wood such as maple, try to use a selection of wood that is relatively free of gray or greenish sections. Having a bit of the grain is fine, but poplar tends to have large sections that are of a darker color than the common creamy-white.
Tip: For best results when mimicking the look of another wood with poplar, be sure to test your stain for the right color on scrap cutoffs of the same poplar boards you used in the project. Remember to apply a couple of coats of pre-stain wood conditioner to the cutoffs before applying your test stains. Fine-tuning your stain color on scrap stock is far better than staining your entire project with the wrong color.
