What to do with a Poplar

[Kevin Weis]

Poplar is an okay furniture wood if it's dried right stained and sealed. As was said above its always been used for cabinet backs and drawer sides and bottoms. But I've seen it used for seen parts stained and varnished even back in the day. I have a 150 year dovetailed wardrobe made in PA all stained poplar.

 

[Woody Stover]

Poplar is an okay furniture wood if it's dried right stained and sealed. As was said above its always been used for cabinet backs and drawer sides and bottoms. But I've seen it used for seen parts stained and varnished even back in the day. I have a 150 year dovetailed wardrobe made in PA all stained poplar.

What they use for furniture is Yellow or Tulip Poplar, correct? You're in the northern part of its range..

 

[Kevin Weis]

Correct. Tulip and Yellow refer to the same tree here.

 

[firefighterjake]

Now, I think what is "Poplar" to you northern US/Canucks, or "Popple," is Aspen, right? The Yellow/Tulip "Poplar" we burn down here has a little more BTU I believe...but not much. Might be 16 mBTU/cord, vs. 14.5.

Ayuh.

 

[Longknife]

Just to follow up (a few years later)....

• I believe what is commonly referred to as "Poplar" around here is generally Aspen or maybe even Cottonwood (I've never been great on figuring out the difference, especially in the winter)
• I ended up milling it in place with the chainsaw mill for the hell of it. Took 3 x 12' 2" slabs out of it, and cut and split the rest of the tree. I'll probably end up burning the slabs 5 years down the road when I get sick of looking at them. Like a lot of tree based oddities and items I've collected over the years, the plan is to incorporate them into a large cabin I plan on building sometime soon, but never seem to get to.
• I've grown somewhat fond (maybe the wrong word) of burning aspen during shoulder season. I installed a new stove last year and have found it more difficult to keep it burning nicely without sweating out the house. I've definitely had to become more deliberate about managing my wood during shoulder season, and actively try and ensure I have a good supply of wood types to reflect that. It's given me new appreciation for this stuff, along with the Manitoba Maple.

 

[EbS-P]

How about a standing desk/work station shelves, wall art, benches? Beer tap???

 

[MongoMongoson]

I like popple (quaking aspen) as firewood during the shoulder season, but also when I want a lot of BTUs quickly without filling the firebox full of coals like sugar maple will do. You can keep feeding and feeding it to keep BTUs/hr up and it turns to white dust.

Not much popple where I live now, but we do have boxelder, which is what we call Manitoba maple. Sadly, most people from the US can't even tell you which country Manitoba is part of. I guess even fewer would be able to pick a boxelder out of a lineup, but that is less sad to me.

 

[Simonkenton]

the heartwood of poplar is green.

 

[sweedish]

Poplar/quaking aspen is something I have burned a fair amount of. It’s ditch wood, literally, when the county had cleaned out the ditch, they bulldozed it into a pile, mixed with box elder and some cherry. I have been cutting and splitting it for the last few figuring “what the hell, its down, piled and easy to pull a trailer up to.”
It smells like horse piss when you cut it. Seasons fast Splits super easy, easy to light, good for those days of burning down coal bed, or are able to stick around to feed a stove, or after work before bed short, hot fire.

 

[Sawset]

easy to light

Very good kindling.
Split a bunch, keep it handy.
Fires up like a match stick.

 

[Longknife]

I like popple (quaking aspen) as firewood during the shoulder season, but also when I want a lot of BTUs quickly without filling the firebox full of coals like sugar maple will do. You can keep feeding and feeding it to keep BTUs/hr up and it turns to white dust.

Not much popple where I live now, but we do have boxelder, which is what we call Manitoba maple. Sadly, most people from the US can't even tell you which country Manitoba is part of. I guess even fewer would be able to pick a boxelder out of a lineup, but that is less sad to me.

I'll be honest. I've heard boxelder mentioned many times, but always assumed it wasn't a tree native to around here. I had NO idea that was Manitoba Maple, of which there is an abundance of. That explains all the box elder bugs I get in the fall.

And yes, you make a good point about being able to maintain quick hot fires with quaking aspen without tons of coals. You sure need to stay on top of it though, as it disappears quick. I usually well past them (or they are still buried until spring) in my stacks by the time it's so cold I'm fighting excessive coals, but it's a good argument for keeping some accessible.

 

[EbS-P]

the heartwood of poplar is green.

It usually turns yellow. Some limbs stay a darker color longer

 

[fbelec]

It usually turns yellow. Some limbs stay a darker color longer

View attachment 286706

beautiful table. i had a cord or two a few years back and would get 4 to 5 hours out of a load. wasn't to bad but if you run it in a older stove like i do the wood smokes more than other hardwoods or pine.

 

[patrickk222]

what i usually do with poplar is bust them into sticks to use as kindlin and the super knotty bigger pieces just use em as campfire wood .... i also got some neighbors that uses the wood as siding for there homes and what not