Geo. Thanks for the info,that's about what I have been thinking. Ilike to use it where I can. What cind of a mill are you running? Russ
: From what I've read, poplar is a member of the willow family which includes
: cotton woods and aspens. It's a fast growing pioneer tree which along with
: birch colonizes cut over or abandoned farms in upland areas and reaches
: maturity in about 40 years. It seems to vary in color from creme to
: pinkish. While classified as a hardwood it is similar to white pine in
: hardness and weight. It also has similar resistance to rot as pine. Poplar
: has a bad reputation for rot because if left with its bark on it will rot
: very quickly. I think that's because the bark holds the moisture in the
: log. Ash and birch have the same problem. Maple which is not recommend for
: boat building seems to last a lot longer in the log. Go figure.

: I agree that it is easy to work and is stable. It also takes paint well.
: tradition furniture makers use it for those parts of solid wood furniture
: that ordinarily are not visable, such as drawer sides and bottoms, dust
: and backing panels and cross banding under more expensive veneers. I plan
: to try it on my next stripper. The only disadvantages I see are that it's
: a little heavier than cedar and has little to offer in terms of gain or
: pattern. I'm curious what could be done with analine dyes given it's love
: of paint.

: Lastly, between me and my neighbors we've got about 50 acres with mature
: poplars being wind thrown or snap their crowns all the time. So I get
: offered a lot of "free" trees. These trees produce clear bolts
: upwards of 20' and average about 12" in diameter at chest height. A
: log like that'll make 6-8 kayaks. Not accounting for the cost of the mill,
: it costs less tham 15 cents a board foot to mill clean or barked poplar
: (dirty logs can quickly dull a $25 blade which runs $6 to sharpen) into
: 1" boards compared to $4 or so per bdft. for western red cedar here
: on the right coast. So the price is right.

: As a result, I use for everything from furniture to structural timbers. So
: why not a boat? Hope this helps.
: George C.