barb.j.enders Posted July 27, 2022 Report Share Posted July 27, 2022 I was at a local big box store today to buy some wood. Wanted 1/4" poplar for a project. The piece on the left is some leftover, or not yet used, from 2 years ago. The piece on the right was purchased today. It was labeled as poplar. Regardless of what it is, it was purchased to use for the intended project. Just thought the difference is looks was quite dramatic. Other larger Poplar boards had the more familiar look like the piece on the left. OCtoolguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2woodwrk Posted July 27, 2022 Report Share Posted July 27, 2022 Poplar can come from many different parts of the world and consequently can take on extremely different characteristics. Some such as rainbow poplar is very grainy, with lots of colors. Others take on a more blond look. OCtoolguy, barb.j.enders and Jim Finn 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted July 27, 2022 Report Share Posted July 27, 2022 I made a 4' tall cross out of 3" x 4" poplar and it was almost pure white. No other colors in it. I'm sure it will darken slightly over time. A few years ago I made a poplar stool that had browns, reds, purples and greens in it. Yes, poplar can vary significantly. Very easy to work with, though. barb.j.enders and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmcrafts Posted July 27, 2022 Report Share Posted July 27, 2022 Looks like poplar that I use most.. I have had some pieces with brown, green, purple look to them.. but I try to stay away from those for the puzzles I make.. the unicorn puzzle might be cool from the rainbow colored pieces I have.. but a dog puzzle to me looks best from just plain blah wood.. LOL barb.j.enders and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted July 27, 2022 Report Share Posted July 27, 2022 I always check the popular ant my local big box store.. come in some interesting colors. barb.j.enders and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted July 28, 2022 Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 45 minutes ago, Scrappile said: I always check the popular ant my local big box store.. come in some interesting colors. Just our curiosity Paul, what is a "popular ant"? barb.j.enders 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta Moreton Posted July 28, 2022 Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 (edited) I like to look for the colorful ones. Edited July 28, 2022 by Roberta Moreton Picture barb.j.enders and new2woodwrk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted July 28, 2022 Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 1 hour ago, OCtoolguy said: Just our curiosity Paul, what is a "popular ant"? Okay Ray, not nice to make fun of the mentally impaired and by the way,,, "popular ant" are the ones most liked,, that is not hard to figure out.. (why are there empjis of a guy sticking his tongue out at someone!! OCtoolguy, Gene Howe, danny and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCtoolguy Posted July 28, 2022 Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 37 minutes ago, Scrappile said: Okay Ray, not nice to make fun of the mentally impaired and by the way,,, "popular ant" are the ones most liked,, that is not hard to figure out.. (why are there empjis of a guy sticking his tongue out at someone!! Sorry Paul. Didn't mean to step on your popular ant. Gene Howe, Scrappile and John B 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwine Posted July 28, 2022 Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 (edited) The almost pure white poplar is hard to come by! I, l like many others, always check the wood selection of poplar at the big boxes, and will snap up any of the white boards and any with different coloring. I still have a 2 inch wide by 24 inch that would pass for ebony when a finish is applied! The colorings of the wood make for interesting compound cuts of ornaments when glued up! Erv Edited July 28, 2022 by redwine spelling OCtoolguy and Roberta Moreton 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barb.j.enders Posted July 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 3 hours ago, redwine said: The almost pure white poplar is hard to come by! Maybe I should run back to grab some more. They had a fair bit in the 1/4" x 4x6'. The thicker boards were the "green" colours. Gene Howe and OCtoolguy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kywoodmaster Posted July 29, 2022 Report Share Posted July 29, 2022 My experience with Poplar is the closer you get to the outside of the tree (bark part) the lighter the wood. When you get into the heart wood is where you get the multi colors of wood. OCtoolguy, barb.j.enders and new2woodwrk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2woodwrk Posted July 29, 2022 Report Share Posted July 29, 2022 (edited) 8 hours ago, kywoodmaster said: My experience with Poplar is the closer you get to the outside of the tree (bark part) the lighter the wood. When you get into the heart wood is where you get the multi colors of wood. This is often called "Heart wood". In fact, many of my customers request the darker and rainbow colored poplar. I have to disagree with the puzzles looking better with the blond. The interesting thing about the rainbow poplars is the contrast and warmth the colors give the puzzles. Some of the heartwoods we have, we actually charge a premium for products made from that. Edited July 29, 2022 by new2woodwrk BadBob and OCtoolguy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2woodwrk Posted July 29, 2022 Report Share Posted July 29, 2022 (edited) FYI - To the thread According to the Mill works shop I get my wood from, rainbow and other colored poplar, in fact any wood that has grain: The grain is often caused by the fungus and/or minerals in the ground the tree absorbs over time. The less fungus/minerals, the more blond the wood when it is cut. The closer cuts you get to the center (Heart, hence the name Heartwood) the darker it becomes. Edited July 29, 2022 by new2woodwrk OCtoolguy and barb.j.enders 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barb.j.enders Posted July 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2022 FYI - Ultimately it doesn't matter for this particular project as it will be painted. Making Iggy's shelves for the puzzles to stand on. I just thought it was an interesting contrast in wood and hadn't really seen that blonde of poplar. new2woodwrk, John B, OCtoolguy and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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