Turning Balsam Poplar
 

I had a tree come down in our forest last week in a wind storm. I have
been cutting firewood in this forest for 20 years now and this is the
first time I have come across a balsm poplar. It has a white sap wood
and a very rich redish brown heartwood. I have roughed out one bowl so
far. I did a search on this NG but came up with nothing. Has anyone
turned balsam poplar. What are the characteristics of this wood is
there a reason no one turns

Thanks in advance


Peter

Turning Balsam Poplar
 

Hi Peter

Turners that do not live in Canada will rarely if ever come across a
Balsam Poplar, only in the extreme north-east part of USA is it also
prevalent, and also the poplar and willow is not used much for turning
because it is soft wood and just not thought of highly, some are also
smelly, though it never sopped me from turning Willow, Poplar, Elm,
Oak, etc.
Of course it is very hard to distinguish between some Poplars species,
but the Poplar I have turned was/is soft wood and easily damaged, and
good tool orientation to have it cutting and not scraping is needed all
the time, not everyone seems to be able to pull that off.
There can be very striking figure in the stress wood at the branch/log
junction and also in the crotch wood, also the drying of the wood is
mostly without any splitting or checking problems.
You have the tree there, and I would suggest to see if you can find
some of the figured wood, and turn that for sure, then you can decide
if you want to turn any more, you'll have to get it off of the ground
though, the wood likes to stain quickly.
Also a "let us know, about it" afterward.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

big pete wrote:
I had a tree come down in our forest last week in a wind storm. I have
been cutting firewood in this forest for 20 years now and this is the
first time I have come across a balsm poplar. It has a white sap wood
and a very rich redish brown heartwood. I have roughed out one bowl so
far. I did a search on this NG but came up with nothing. Has anyone
turned balsam poplar. What are the characteristics of this wood is
there a reason no one turns

Thanks in advance


Peter

Turning Balsam Poplar
 

"big pete" wrote in message
oups.com...
I had a tree come down in our forest last week in a wind storm. I have
been cutting firewood in this forest for 20 years now and this is the
first time I have come across a balsm poplar. It has a white sap wood
and a very rich redish brown heartwood. I have roughed out one bowl so
far. I did a search on this NG but came up with nothing. Has anyone
turned balsam poplar. What are the characteristics of this wood is
there a reason no one turns


Leo mentioned the odor. The "balsam" in P balsamifera doesn't refer to the
heartwood, that's for sure.

Problem with the stuff comes from the same thing that gives turners of soft
maple problems, lots of stress cracks in the dark heart. Has a tendency to
open up as it's drying when cut heart up, so hitting anything you can see
with water-thin CA and letting it wick in is a good idea. Since the
extractives form such random patterns and colors, almost any repair can be
concealed other than a heart check, which will run radially across the
pattern. Be a bit generous about moving away from the heart just to make
sure.

If you turn it heart down the stress cracks will stay closed if you dry it
sitting on its bottom, where the grain will stay wet and expanded until the
sides get some good compression on it. Looks nice that way with the dark
bottom, and the corky bark can be used to great advantage if you cut a
shallow angle.

It's a pretty common tree where the soil is damp without getting roots wet,
and the beaver seem to favor it. Very narrow window of opportunity on
spalted stock, as even the heart isn't particularly durable.