trackman Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 I am going to stain poplar dowel rods oak. Is there anything that I would need to do to prepare before I put on the stain? Had trouble in past getting a good even color. Thanks OCtoolguy and SCROLLSAW703 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodmaster1 Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) Use a pre stain wood conditioner. There several types available, just ask your friendly hardware man. Poplar is not the best for staining but great for painting. I usually buy wood dowels that are the same type of wood I am using. Edited January 28, 2019 by Woodmaster1 SCROLLSAW703 and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 Not sure what you are hoping to accomplish with this combination but I would get real oak dowels and go from there. To get the oak color on polar you are better off painting than staining. Just my opinion. SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneMahler Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 Poplar does not stain very well. I use a water based pre-stain conditioner then lightly sand to remove the raised fibers. Then apply stain. The same method for staining pine . Results are decent. I doubt you get poplar to look like oak, hopefully you can get it close to color. Both species have a very different grain pattern though. SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackman Posted January 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 Thanks for the information. Trying to save my sister money on a project for her. Were I am can’t find oak dowels an 1 1/4” square stock in oak. Need to make 9 crosstich frames. Brought a wood threading tool to make the adjusting parts (black in picture) SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolf Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) Will you be threading the dowel? Poplar is a bit soft. Do you have a wood lathe? I go to a local Lowes or Home Depot for my dowels. Also many hardware stores carry dowels. Edited January 28, 2019 by Rolf SCROLLSAW703 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackman Posted January 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 I got a threading kit for the dowels an it works great. No I don’t have a lathe but would like to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 I agree Home Depot and even Lowes carry oak dowels and also some larger oak used for stairs and railings. You can also glue a couple pieces together and do some segmenting. Stain a piece dark black and sandwich in between to lighter piece and so on. For a project as nice as that I would not skimp on using lesser quality woods to make up for cost. You will never be able to keep consistency colors throughout using light woods like poplar. Are you using a Beall wood threading tool? I have one burried somewhere in my shop that I used for cutting threads for bolt clocks that I make. They work well. Mine is used with a router. They do sell just taps and dies also. SCROLLSAW703, Ivan Nikolaev, JimErn and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sycamore67 Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 There is a lot of variation in dowels. If it were me, I would sand the dowel and do some trials and would very lightly stain it. You could then add more stain after it dries to get richer color. I have better luck with oil based stains than water based in terms of grain raising and blotching. For me, the key to stain and finish is doing some trials on extra pieces. You not only test the materials but also learn technique with practice. Yes, it takes extra time but you better better results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimErn Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 JT, that bolt clock is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 21 minutes ago, JimErn said: JT, that bolt clock is great. Thanks. I have done these in so many various woods and color combinations over the years. Have not done many in a few years now but it maybe time to find that thing again and break out some new designs. SCROLLSAW703 and Ivan Nikolaev 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackman Posted January 30, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 Sorry took so long to show what I am using to cut threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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