Why I Prefer Poplar

[Iguanadon]

For my puzzles, I use poplar and the main reason is because I really like the color variations from board to board and even within a single board.  Every so often I find a board that has some nice black streaks in it and I will buy it and put it aside for when I need to make PENGUIN's.  

Even the everyday regular boards have beautiful shade variations that I enjoy seeing in the finished puzzles.  Here is a snapshot of the 19 puzzles I cut yesterday and today that I just oiled.

Iggy

[hawkeye10]

20 minutes ago, Iguanadon said:

For my puzzles, I use poplar and the main reason is because I really like the color variations from board to board and even within a single board.  Every so often I find a board that has some nice black streaks in it and I will buy it and put it aside for when I need to make PENGUIN's.  

Even the everyday regular boards have beautiful shade variations that I enjoy seeing in the finished puzzles.  Here is a snapshot of the 19 puzzles I cut yesterday and today that I just oiled.

Iggy

I agree Iggy popular is great for your animals. I have had some popular in my shop for well over a year and have not touched it. Don't ask me why cause I don't know. Figure that out.   

Those look great, just keep going as time is slipping away.

[rjweb]

You should write a book from start to when the customer buys, it is quite an operation, including your marketing. Shame I am long past my college days, you would have made a great report in my marketing class. As far a popular goes it looks great, never seen it with the dark tones through it, RJ

[meflick]

Thanks Iggy.  you are right - the wood variations can make some of the puzzles really pop.  Especially the black for the penguins.  I haven't seen that yet at my Lowes, but I will keep my eyes open for it. I do have a question/request for you.  I would like to read or "see" how you do the finish part of your puzzles.  I think you are now "dipping" them in the finish.  Are you taking them apart and dipping them?  Can you "show" how you dip either with photos or a quick video perhaps? I am just having problems "seeing" how you guys are doing that part.  Thanks for any insight or help you or someone else can provide on that.

[Iguanadon]

3 hours ago, meflick said:

Thanks Iggy.  you are right - the wood variations can make some of the puzzles really pop.  Especially the black for the penguins.  I haven't seen that yet at my Lowes, but I will keep my eyes open for it. I do have a question/request for you.  I would like to read or "see" how you do the finish part of your puzzles.  I think you are now "dipping" them in the finish.  Are you taking them apart and dipping them?  Can you "show" how you dip either with photos or a quick video perhaps? I am just having problems "seeing" how you guys are doing that part.  Thanks for any insight or help you or someone else can provide on that.

Hey Mel, 

In the picture above, in the lower right corner you'll see a plastic container... that is full of mineral oil.  I simply take a puzzle, hold it at each end, squeezing it together so it doesn't come apart and dip/immerse it in the oil for a second then lift it out and hold the puzzle over the container as the excess drips off and then place it on the rack where I let them sit for 3 or 4 days and then shrink wrap them.

I hope that gives you a good description.

Iggy

[oldhudson]

I like poplar because it's relatively inexpensive, machines well and is widely available. I hate the color variation between the heart and sap wood. In furniture work it's a PITA. 

[Scrappile]

I love Popular, love the color variations, I love to work with it.  Scrolls really nicely.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

My memory is not what it use to be so there is alot of gaps missing in this. But I do recall when those type puzzles started coming out and the inventor tried to corner the market on the idea and I am guessing he was unable to patten it. There are now many makers of those patterns out there. But maybe there is someone who could shed some light on this topic and its origin of those type puzzles. Probably someone who does these will have more background. Could be an interesting story to tell. Anyone????

Edited June 29, 2017 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[wombatie]

I have found thin Poplar ply but no boards.  It is not that easy to find down here.  So I will have to stick to the pine until I do find some.

 

Marg

[hawkeye10]

7 hours ago, meflick said:

Thanks Iggy.  you are right - the wood variations can make some of the puzzles really pop.  Especially the black for the penguins.  I haven't seen that yet at my Lowes, but I will keep my eyes open for it. I do have a question/request for you.  I would like to read or "see" how you do the finish part of your puzzles.  I think you are now "dipping" them in the finish.  Are you taking them apart and dipping them?  Can you "show" how you dip either with photos or a quick video perhaps? I am just having problems "seeing" how you guys are doing that part.  Thanks for any insight or help you or someone else can provide on that.

Melaine I also use a plastic container and a bigger metal cake pan. You can get either of them at Wally World or Kroger. I take my puzzles apart and dip them in natural Watco Danish oil. I then put the puzzle in the Danish oil and let it soak for about 10 minutes or so. The time you let it soak isn't all that important. I then put the puzzle on a rack and let it drip dry usually over night. I made the drip rack about 14" wide and 20" long. Again how long and wide you make it isn't rocket science. I use rabbit wire and just attach it to a frame made of 1" square wood. I also put a piece of freezer paper under the frame to catch the  drippings. If the freezer paper isn't to bad I wipe it off and save it for next time.. Don't forget to pore all the danish oil back in the original container and save it for next time. This is what I do and other people do it different and their way is good also. Just do what you like or try several ways and pick what works for you.

[lawson56]

Iggy they look Awesome!! I have used poplar in the past,I agree,it is a Fantastic wood to work with.Love the Penguins.

[Gordster]

Looks very nice ...thanks for all the info...you might say.."Great Scott"

[ike]

I like popular the best next is Walnut Popular is cheep and looks nice. i uselly use an linseed oil base on it It draws out the grain and looks real nice and the price is good My outlet is good it is half the price of some Depot or lows the only difference is that ite edges are not finished 

IKE

[barb.j.enders]

They all look great!  But 19 puzzles in a day??? Do you stack cut any, or are they all individually cut??  I looked at that and wondered, when do you sleep??

[meflick]

Thanks Scott and Don for answering my question in regards to dipping the puzzles and how you each do it.  That helps.  I had hubby help me put a "drying rack" together similar to what Scott shows in his picture and Don explained, I just wasn't "sure" about the dipping part.  Whether I needed to pull the pieces apart or not.  Sounds like Scott doesn't take them apart and Don does so it sounds like either way works.  Hubby's idea when I asked him to help build the drying rack was to put them on the rack, dip the whole rack and then let lift it above the box and let them dry. Sort of like a "dunking booth". That way I could do several puzzles at once. However, even though I have gotten several plastic containers that "say" their measurements are bigger then the drying rack we built, they are all just slightly smaller so the rack won't full go down into the box to try that.  I will try to do some soon and figure out how I want to do it.  With so many cut out, I need to do something soon! 

[NC Scroller]

Yes dipping is the way to go.  I have several pieces of hardware cloth I use but I did not even bother to make a frame.  If you are dipping in oil (mineral oil, linseed oil, etc) it is perfectly fine to dip whole and dry whole.  If you are dipping in a finish that hardens (shellac, lacquer, poly, etc) you can dip whole but you need to separate the pieces when drying.  If you don't, the hardening finishes have a tendency to make the pieces stick together.

Weather permitting I will set mine in the sun to dry for a couple hours. It speeds up the drying process.

One note of caution.  I do not recommend dipping wood like Poplar in a water based finish.  The water based finish tends to raise the grain and can cause the wood to swell.

 

[meflick]

Thanks Scott, @NC Scroller for adding more to the discussion. Especially about a water based finish.  We got the hardware cloth wire like you are talking about from the garden center at Lowes.

One other question I have for you experts, are you doing any sanding after you cut the puzzles?  Running it through a drum sander as a whole? (The Peterson's talk about doing that in their Animal Puzzles book but notes that you can't do them all that way.  Use a "mop sander" and round over the edges?  If you do that are you just doing the external edges?  Something else?

[Iguanadon]

1 hour ago, barb.j.enders said:

They all look great!  But 19 puzzles in a day??? Do you stack cut any, or are they all individually cut??  I looked at that and wondered, when do you sleep??

Hi Barb,

It was 19 in 2 days.  I try to cut 10 a day but came up one short yesterday... the next one in my stack was a CAVALIER and I simply wasn't in the mood to do more veining cuts for fur.  LOL

They are individually cut as I'm using 3/4" thick stock using a #3 blade.  Stacking wouldn't work, I'd have a flexing blade that would then create all sorts of issues with the puzzle pieces not sliding in and out.  

Besides, I do this for fun, so I enjoy cutting them.  I work full time (from home) and go out into the garage multiple times throughout the day and cut 1 or 2, then hop on another conference call, respond to emails, etc.

Today is kids dinosaur puzzles.  They go quick, I'll be able to cut 18 of them.

Edited June 29, 2017 by Iguanadon

[Rolf]

You have been a busy man.

[Iguanadon]

And for those keeping score... For the past couple of months, my goal was to cut 5 a day... but since summer has begun and I'm working the farmers market on Saturday and Mrs. Ig and I tend to spend a day on the beach Sunday, I had to adjust to trying to cut 10 a day on weekdays and if I miss the target slightly it's no big deal.

Edited June 29, 2017 by Iguanadon

[redwine]

I use Poplar wood for the word for the word art and shelf standers name plaques. It is fairly easy to cut and with variations of colors from the green heart wood to black, purple, yellow, tan it makes for interesting projects. The Lowe's store here seems to get a lot of the wood with the different colors and the wood that is almost white is hard to find.

I have 3 pieces 24" x 3" x 1/4" that is completely black and use it for ebony for trim or inlay on boxes.

Erv

 

 

[kmmcrafts]

Where do you get these patterns from? I know of Dales puzzles and then there is a CD or books from Fox chapel.. I bought a book over the weekend that is called Woodimals by Jim Sweet. I've printed a couple of the puzzles.. but in the book it says to print some of them at 150% etc.. and doing so makes a pretty large puzzle.. that I have to use my 11 x 17 paper for.. then finding a board wide enough to cut them out on.. By the looks of your puzzles.. hard to tell in the picture but.. i'd say it looks like anywhere from 6 - 10 inch wide and maybe in that range tall.. depending on the puzzle..  as for the puzzle patterns in my book.. If I make more.. I don't think I will resize most of them.. some need to be a little larger but for the most part.. I don't see a need to make a 15" wide by 8-10 in tall.. other than the pieces might be smaller and a choking hazard for kids.. 

 

[kmmcrafts]

9 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

My memory is not what it use to be so there is alot of gaps missing in this. But I do recall when those type puzzles started coming out and the inventor tried to corner the market on the idea and I am guessing he was unable to patten it. There are now many makers of those patterns out there. But maybe there is someone who could shed some light on this topic and its origin of those type puzzles. Probably someone who does these will have more background. Could be an interesting story to tell. Anyone????

There is a narrative in the woodimal book I just bought and it says the guy retired and decided to get into woodworking.. bought tools etc and make a lot of crafts to sell at craft fairs etc.. said he didn't sell barely enough to cover the booth.. figured he'd made " the wrong stuff for the show.. then he started making free standing puzzles and sales started coming in, but wasn't satisfied with the product as it wasn't really unique and anyone could cut up a silhouette to make puzzles. One day at a show he seen someone wearing a necklace that was a name in puzzle pieces and thought if they work for a necklace then they could work for his puzzles.. and he began doing the woodimals. Said they was a big hit..    

[Iguanadon]

33 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Where do you get these patterns from? I know of Dales puzzles and then there is a CD or books from Fox chapel.. I bought a book over the weekend that is called Woodimals by Jim Sweet. I've printed a couple of the puzzles.. but in the book it says to print some of them at 150% etc.. and doing so makes a pretty large puzzle.. that I have to use my 11 x 17 paper for.. then finding a board wide enough to cut them out on.. By the looks of your puzzles.. hard to tell in the picture but.. i'd say it looks like anywhere from 6 - 10 inch wide and maybe in that range tall.. depending on the puzzle..  as for the puzzle patterns in my book.. If I make more.. I don't think I will resize most of them.. some need to be a little larger but for the most part.. I don't see a need to make a 15" wide by 8-10 in tall.. other than the pieces might be smaller and a choking hazard for kids.. 

 

Hi Kevin,

The patterns I use are by Harvey Byler.  I started off buying them from Wooden Teddy Bear and you can see about 600 of his patterns out there.  http://www.woodenteddybearonline.com/x/home.php?cat=100

I am now in communication with Harvey on a weekly basis as he draws custom ones for me as I receive orders (custom names) and he has given me permission to sell his patterns.  I sell them for $2.50 each, $2.00 goes to Harvey and he insisted I keep a portion for myself.  

I currently have about 140-150 of his patterns and you can see everything I have on my website.  If you see a picture of a puzzle, I have the pattern.  You can order them thru my site and I email them out as soon as possible.

Let me know if any questions.  www.woodcraftbyscott.com

Iggy

[Roberta Moreton]

After I dip, I put my project on a cookie cooling rack in a jelly roll pan to drip