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Woodworking (rec.woodworking) Discussion forum covering all aspects of working with wood. All levels of expertise are encouraged to particiapte. |
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#1
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How well does poplar take stain?
I never thought of poplar as a very desirable wood for staining, at least
until recently. My son, a construction superentendent, just finished an office mall and the architect called for dark cherry red stained poplar for a confrence room door, base and chair rail trim. My son balked but the architect told him to have the finisher do it to specs and it looks great! |
#2
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I did a project using poplar a while back and it turned fine. I used
minwax gel stain (mahogany I think), and then finished with shellac. I was going for a lighter color than you, but I'm sure it would work with any color. I didn't have any problems with blotching. The front is made out poplar, and the sides are birch ply... http://www.eskimo.com/~swilson/proje...ges/Closed.jpg |
#3
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On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 18:59:37 -0800, "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et wrote: I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My local HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive. Poplar is considered a "secondary" wood and typically used for interior furniture pieces where the wood is not obvious. HD is the wrong place to buy hardwoods. If you want a reddish appearance, consider hard maple, cherry or red oak For a few more dollars mahogany has a beautiful rich red color. |
#4
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My brother is a finish carpenter. He commented recently that he rarely uses cherry anymore for a library, but instead uses poplar. Wipes it with Denatured alchohol first. I forget his exact words, but it does something to the pores so that all the peices take the stan in the same manner, for consitancy of the finish. Perhaps someone else could comment on this further. Dave "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" et wrote in message ... I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My local HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus 84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)" KG6RCR |
#5
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On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 09:51:16 -0500, "Cox West" wrote:
My brother is a finish carpenter. He commented recently that he rarely uses cherry anymore for a library, but instead uses poplar. Wow. Is the job sold at a much lower price than cherry? At least he could use birch or maple. Poplar isn't all that durable. Barry |
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#7
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#8
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He's a finish carpenter. For trim, and wall covering, no one's going to walk on it. I have poplar in some places in my home. Door openings and other trim. It holds up fine and carefully chosen pieces have some nice grain patterns. "Ba r r y" wrote in message news On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 09:51:16 -0500, "Cox West" wrote: My brother is a finish carpenter. He commented recently that he rarely uses cherry anymore for a library, but instead uses poplar. Wow. Is the job sold at a much lower price than cherry? At least he could use birch or maple. Poplar isn't all that durable. Barry |
#9
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On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 18:59:37 -0800, "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et wrote: I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My local HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive. HD does not sell any in expensive wood.... ! But I use Poplar more then I like because the projects I am making (for my wife) have to sell at a price point so darn low that I there is no way to use even expensive lumber like number 2 common pine.... lol... But if you put on a sealer...then use a gel stain you should be able to have it look pretty good... I am in the process right now of trying to mix my own dyes then spraying the finish... NOT having much luck yet with this but I have only been playing for a few days... I use Bartlets stain most of the time...just never got good resuylts using minwax products.... Bob Griffiths |
#10
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"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et wrote in : dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My Poplar blotches like crazy if you use a pigment stain (aka Minwax, etc.). It's best to use a dye based stain. If you must use a pigment stain (we had to so we could match the door moulding w/ some other ancient door mouldings), do this: - use a wood sealer - sand - use spray on polyurethane in a can - sand - put the pigment stain on (which now sits on the surface) - use spray on polyurethane in a can - sand - use helmsman poly for a few more coats w/ sanding after each coat This lets the pigment sit on the surface of the poplar (yeah, I know, major hack)-: If you've never used poplar, try some first. And use dye based stain if you can (even if it fades in sunlight)... Poplar is also pretty soft, so it's prone to denting. Cuts very well though. ken |
#11
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Ken Yee wrote in
. 47.166: - use spray on polyurethane in a can Sorry...first step should be to shellac it, not poly. ken |
#12
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Cox West responds:
He's a finish carpenter. For trim, and wall covering, no one's going to walk on it. I have poplar in some places in my home. Door openings and other trim. It holds up fine and carefully chosen pieces have some nice grain patterns. I don't think I'd care for it. If I were going to sub for cherry, alder makes a better choice. I think of poplar baseboards, door trim and chair rail and I think ot bumps and dents. Window trim, fine, crown molding fine. Elsewhere, not so fine. Charlie Self "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to." Mark Twain |
#13
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Bob G writes:
HD does not sell any in expensive wood.... ! But I use Poplar more then I like because the projects I am making (for my wife) have to sell at a price point so darn low that I there is no way to use even expensive lumber like number 2 common pine.... It's possible to buy S2S poplar in most areas for under 2 bucks a BF. How much is HD getting for their S4S? Enough to float a loan for a hand plane? It planes easily. Charlie Self "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to." Mark Twain |
#14
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Charlie Self wrote:
much is HD getting for their S4S? Enough to float a loan for a hand plane? It planes easily. Probably easier'n every other wood, soft or hard. Planing poplar doesn't even count as practicing. I didn't raise the S2S/S4S HD ripoff question because I figured the OP was in the same situation I used to be in. I made stuff out of poplar because Lowe's was the only place I knew to get wood, and it was all I could afford at their exorbitant prices. I made the best of it. Once I discovered a place to buy real wood, I've never bought poplar there, even though it's cheap. For what I was paying for S4S poplar (with wider than 3" boards done as glue-ups, no less) I can afford a similar quantity of walnut. Let's see, walnut is available. What wood do I want? Duhhhhhhh. It hasn't saved me a dime finding a cheaper source of wood. I really need to look elsewhere still, but I guess I don't care enough to drive out to some yonder (Bedford, say) or fool with mail ordering or whatever. I don't think I would build much more, or much bigger stuff than I do if I had a whole tree cut up and stacked somewhere, and somewhere to stack a whole tree. I have a little bitty shop, and I favor either purely utilitarian projects made out of whatever crap salvage I can scrounge (my Frankenstein music stand, or trebuchet, say) or else I do small projects in (predominantly) walnut that take me weeks or months to complete. I'm not really aiming to do things faster, or put more wood through the shop just to be doing things in a hurry, and I don't mind doing a little bit to ensure I can continue to go buy wood on the other side of town whenever I want to, even if their prices are high. -- Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621 http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/ http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/ |
#16
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On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 14:00:19 -0500, Bob G.
wrote: HD does not sell any in expensive wood.... ! They sell cheaper woods at expensive prices. G Barry |
#17
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On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 20:21:42 +0000, Ken Yee
wrote: This lets the pigment sit on the surface of the poplar (yeah, I know, major hack)-: It's really not a hack. Some awfully expensive, household name furniture is stained with a pigment stain over a clear coat, with awesome results. Barry |
#18
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I have great luck staining Poplar. I used to look down on it as a cheap
wood but It is so easy to work and stains to look like anything I want, I really like it now. Find a commercial wood supplier and you'll pay about 1/2 as much as you do at HD. Here is an example of a Poplar project http://www.sonomaproducts.com/JL/JL-BC-POP. I used General Finishes Rosewood stain with shellac over that. It's a water based finish so be sure to raise the grain with watre and knock it down first. Woodcraft carries the General Finishes products. |
#19
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On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 19:42:02 -0500, Silvan
wrote: Charlie Self wrote: much is HD getting for their S4S? Enough to float a loan for a hand plane? It planes easily. Probably easier'n every other wood, soft or hard. Planing poplar doesn't even count as practicing. That's why it makes great drawer sides, second only to basswood in my book. Barry |
#20
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using the Denatured alcohol as a conditioner is fairly common from what I
here, paint thiner can be used to, it's been my experience that wood conditioner, like minwax's, works a little better, and you don't have to work as fast, but at 4x+ the cost I don't know if it's worth it Cox West wrote: My brother is a finish carpenter. He commented recently that he rarely uses cherry anymore for a library, but instead uses poplar. Wipes it with Denatured alchohol first. I forget his exact words, but it does something to the pores so that all the peices take the stan in the same manner, for consitancy of the finish. Perhaps someone else could comment on this further. Dave "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" et wrote in message ... I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My local HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus 84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)" KG6RCR |
#21
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mark wrote:
"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" et wrote in message ... I have a little project upcoming that will want some nice stained wood bits. I don't need to match any existing wood bits, just need to get a dark, rich-looking, slightly reddish finish on a few drawer faces. My local HD stocks poplar and maple. Poplar is less-expensive. One cool thing I have done with poplar is once you've got it ready to be finished, but before you stain it, leave it out in the sun for a couple hours -- longer if you have a nice day. It is very photosensitive, and the greenishness will turn a nice warm tan, almost like cherry. Then finish it. I wonder of grow light would have the same affect? then you could do it year round |
#22
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On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 00:57:23 GMT, Ba r r y
wrote: I also like the wood I'm going to touch to have a solid feel. For some reason, poplar always feels hollow, like basswood with grain, to me. Denser woods, like maple and birch feel more like real cherry when you tap or knock on them. Cherry stain on maple? Excuse me, I have to go barf up my breakfast. If anyone is interested I can sell you a real nice chrome-plated gold ring. Tim Douglass http://www.DouglassClan.com |
#23
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On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 09:10:57 -0800, Tim Douglass
wrote: On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 00:57:23 GMT, Ba r r y wrote: I also like the wood I'm going to touch to have a solid feel. For some reason, poplar always feels hollow, like basswood with grain, to me. Denser woods, like maple and birch feel more like real cherry when you tap or knock on them. Cherry stain on maple? Excuse me, I have to go barf up my breakfast. Depends on the maple. Barry |
#24
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Cherry stain on maple? Excuse me, I have to go barf up my breakfast.
If anyone is interested I can sell you a real nice chrome-plated gold ring. Tim Douglass http://www.DouglassClan.com Tim, what is the best finish for maple? I realize "best" is subjective. I bought some honey amber dye -- and was going to try that on this cherry and maple music stand I"m building. I'm trying to really highlight the figured maple, since it really is only on the 4 legs and the vertical rails of the easel. I was thinking hit it with a light concentration of the dye, then either shellac or spray it with lacquer. The only problem is, there are cherry parts to this, and I wasn't sure if I should try to do something else to them. Honey Amber dye on cherry doesn't sound good at alllll.... Either that, or I'm leaving it completely natural and using boiled linseed oil. |
#25
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On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 00:12:09 GMT, "mark" wrote:
Cherry stain on maple? Excuse me, I have to go barf up my breakfast. If anyone is interested I can sell you a real nice chrome-plated gold ring. Tim Douglass http://www.DouglassClan.com Tim, what is the best finish for maple? I realize "best" is subjective. I bought some honey amber dye -- and was going to try that on this cherry and maple music stand I"m building. I'm trying to really highlight the figured maple, since it really is only on the 4 legs and the vertical rails of the easel. I was thinking hit it with a light concentration of the dye, then either shellac or spray it with lacquer. The only problem is, there are cherry parts to this, and I wasn't sure if I should try to do something else to them. Honey Amber dye on cherry doesn't sound good at alllll.... Either that, or I'm leaving it completely natural and using boiled linseed oil. I personally favor the light, natural look for maple. BLO or other oil finish will bring out the grain and warm it up nicely. I currently am favoring oil with shellac if I want more protection and some gloss. My current maple project will get danish oil and maybe shellac. For the combination of maple and cherry I would think that BLO would give you perhaps the best overall look - especially as the cherry darkens with age. I have never worked with cherry, so my opinions there are rather suspect. Tim Douglass http://www.DouglassClan.com |
#26
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"jeff" wrote in message ... Generally, isn't this type of finishing done with spray equipment, though? I think that most of this is done with some kind of tinted lacquer, and the color does not come so much from the wood being dyed or pigmented as from the topcoat. Absolutely. This was not, by any stretch, a fine finish but it was attractive for its use - a multi use office and conference center. It was pretty much what is used in a lot of residential construction and that process is not indended to be beautiful - just attracive and quick. The biggest mistake I made when we built our house was not knowing about these 3-step production laquer finishes (sprayed stain, sealer, finish). It sounds impressive but basically it allows a good gun guy and a couple of high-school drop outs to finish a 2,000 square foot house in two days (while they are doing another down the street, during dry times). |
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