# Poplar slab colors!



## huskyhank (Apr 16, 2010)

Today I milled the big poplar I cut last Saturday. The two logs, 34" diameter and 7.5 ' long sawed out to nine 3" thick slabs. The colors are amazing.

Full width view:







Close up of about 12" of wood:






These are not the best slabs --- I was too tired to move the stack to show them. This wet poplar is pretty heavy!!


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## Andrew96 (Apr 16, 2010)

Nice boards, colours....nice finish too. Is that what I can expect out of a milling chain? I'm still using regular.


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## huskyhank (Apr 16, 2010)

That's done with regular chain and its a bit rougher than usual. Poplar kinda tears like that. I used to use milling chain but now I really don't see any reason to do so. I wonder about the Granberg milling chain with the two slicers and one chipper configuration but the cost is nearly double. 

The most attractive features of milling chains to me are speed of cut and how long they will keep up that speed of cut. (how long they stay sharp enough to cut well)

IMO - For milling, a saw can never be too powerful and a chain can never be too sharp.


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## Andrew96 (Apr 17, 2010)

Well that's a nicer finish than I get with my regular chain. I cut harder wood which might make a slight difference but it's clear you keep a sharp chain...and feed it nice and smooth. Good for you. As I assumed that was milling chain...you certainly do a nice job.


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## Sawyer Rob (Apr 17, 2010)

Your boards look pretty good, good job!

Poplar is one of my favorite logs to mill and i milled a bigger one a couple days ago too... I got (27) 1" boards, plus a bunch of stickers and battons out of it. My nephue brought it out, and he was really happy with what we got out of it...

Rob


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## huskyhank (Apr 17, 2010)

*Another victim*

I sawed this big walnut today. I almost got the log for myself but the guy I sawed for beat me to it. Then none of the local mills could saw it, so he called me. About 40" at the butt. It ended up at a good home.







I'm on a milling spree until the end of this month. Got a nearly 4 foot oak waiting for me and as of this morning a 3 foot Sycamore was added into the que. I figured out my tank vent problems and the saws are running great now. I was laying them down in a sawdust pile and clogging the fuel tank vents. Duh!!!!!!! Of course if they vented into the top cover it wouldn't matter. But they don't (3120s).


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## stipes (Apr 17, 2010)

*Nice and great job!!!*



huskyhank said:


> Today I milled the big poplar I cut last Saturday. The two logs, 34" diameter and 7.5 ' long sawed out to nine 3" thick slabs. The colors are amazing.
> 
> Full width view:
> 
> ...



Wish I had alot more poplar in my woods.....


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## forestryworks (Apr 17, 2010)

looks good


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## deeker (Apr 17, 2010)

Poplar, cottonwood....makes fantastic trailer decking!!!!

Light weight...when dried...but a bear to drive nails into.

Makes great siding....

Love to saw fresh cut logs of poplar.....cuts nice and smooth!!

Kevin


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## stipes (Apr 17, 2010)

*Sycamore...*



huskyhank said:


> I sawed this big walnut today. I almost got the log for myself but the guy I sawed for beat me to it. Then none of the local mills could saw it, so he called me. About 40" at the butt. It ended up at a good home.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You'll find out thats some beautiful wood to work with too....Quarter saw it,,she will pop the grain out and some beautiful rays....


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## Daninvan (Apr 18, 2010)

Did that poplar smell as you cut it? 

I've not done any poplar but have cut slabs from other softer hardwoods that had those kind of mineral-ly stains on them and they sure stunk!

Dan


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## rarefish383 (Apr 18, 2010)

deeker said:


> Poplar, cottonwood....makes fantastic trailer decking!!!!
> 
> Light weight...when dried...but a bear to drive nails into.
> 
> ...



Years ago a friend built a big barn to keep his V12 Cat powered Kenworth in. Stupid HOA! They used all Poplar for the siding, said it was termite resistent?
I don't know if true or not, Joe.


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## mt.stalker (Apr 18, 2010)

How do you dry the poplar ? will it warp and twist ? It grows like weeds around here !


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## huskyhank (Apr 18, 2010)

Poplar smells but not bad to me - just smells like Poplar.

I have the slabs in 2 stacks leaning against a wall with about 1.5" between the bottoms so they can get a little air. Pretty soon I'll move them onto some concrete block and timber foundations and sticker them. Other than getting some stain poplar is pretty easy to dry as far as I know.

We had a long winter and now we're getting a very dry and warm spring. I've had a little problem with some oak I'm drying and surface checking. I've covered it partly and hope this will slow drying down a bit.


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## deeker (Apr 18, 2010)

rarefish383 said:


> Years ago a friend built a big barn to keep his V12 Cat powered Kenworth in. Stupid HOA! They used all Poplar for the siding, said it was termite resistent?
> I don't know if true or not, Joe.



A coating of pesticide would guarantee its resistance to termites. I don't know of any wood that is really termite resistant.

As for its ability to warp, yes it does. Cut into boards and hang 'em up and nail....or stack with stickers in-between them...and weigh them down.


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## Sawyer Rob (Apr 18, 2010)

deeker said:


> A coating of pesticide would guarantee its resistance to termites. I don't know of any wood that is really termite resistant.
> 
> As for its ability to warp, yes it does. Cut into boards and hang 'em up and nail....or stack with stickers in-between them...and weigh them down.



I agree about the termite resistance. I mill quite a bit of poplar. I don't have a lot of problems drying lumber from straight tree's, but the ones with tension can be a little problem...

Rob


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## rayvil01 (Apr 19, 2010)

We used to make tobacco barns out of poplar. The vertical siding was always nailed green on 4' centers and it was a rare thing to see one warp. If you bound the drying stack, only the real bad actors should warp. 

Those untreated barns would last as long as the roof. Once the roof went, the barn wouldn't last. That inside wood was as dry as talcum powder and once it got wet and stayed there the fungus and rot would get it. Nowadays, after tobacco is pretty much gone here, there are a lot of those barns falling. It's a sad sight. 

Poplar isn't good ground-contact wood. But, with a little treatment it will do pretty well outside.


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## jimdad07 (Apr 22, 2010)

I just made poplar kitchen cabinets for my mother-in-law, stained with antique walnut poly/stain by minwax. Great wood for working with, real easy on the tools.


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## aquan8tor (May 1, 2010)

Nice slabs! Poplar can have some amazing colors when it spalts. Mills like a dream; cuts like butter! You're right about it being heavy. It sure holds a lot of water!!!!!


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