Woodworker's Journal 2008-32-1, страница 57

'Yellow poplar may be the most popular hardwood never seen."

The leg and rail components of Ian Kirby's Kitchen Workstation (page 46) are constructed of yellow poplar. Yellow poplar's close grain and uniform consistency make it a natural choice for painted furniture.

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rosewood — whatever more desirable species they had in mind). Now, far be it for me to second-guess what another woodworker has accomplished, but statements like that do make me wonder whether these folks have actually ever seen what a nicely finished piece of walnut looks like. Personally, I would never select yellow poplar for a project I planned to stain and apply a clear finish to. But when my goal is to paint or cover a piece of furniture — then poplar is the perfect choice.

While not a real "looker" after milling, the yellow poplar tree, also known as the tuliptree, is a beautiful ornamental plant, much valued for its blossoms and luxurious foliage.

The versatility of yellow poplar does not stop at cabinetry or its components. When I asked my friend, sylviculturist Tim Knight, to write a short piece about yellow poplar {sidebar at right), he was enthusiastic, identifying it as one of his favorite wood species. In fact, he has a cabin built out of it. He told me that for a while during the 1960s and 70s yellow poplar was substituted for softwood framing and construction lumber. (There was a shortage of softwood lumber during that period.)

Every woodworker has a species of wood that evokes memories and claims a place in their pantheon of favorite woods. Yellow poplar is one of mine. It is a humble, hardworking all-American hardwood — not flashy, but very dependable. And that's the reason I chose it to kick off a series of articles on special wood species. Next time out, well have a look at an extremely unique exotic.

Liriodendron tulipifera

Yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), also called tuliptree and tulip-poplar due to its tulip-like bloom, is a member of the magnolia family but is in a different genus than the common magnolias. Curiously, it is not a true poplar. The poplars include the cottonwood species, balsam poplar and aspen, but not yellow poplar. It was commonly called a poplar because the leaves are dark green on top and silvery green on bottom, much like the poplars. That is where the resemblance ends.

It is one of the faster growing and tallest hardwoods of the eastern United States. It can grow to a height of 190 feet with a diameter of eight to 14 feet at the ripe old age of 300 years; however, it normally grows to 150-200 years before dying of old age and is commonly found to be 100 to 150 feet tall and two to four feet in diameter.The largest trees found today are in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Yellow poplar naturally occurs from New England west through Michigan and south to Louisiana and central Florida. It prefers deep, moist but well-drained soils and is most plentiful in the Appalachians and Piedmont areas from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. It does well in the eastern lower Mississippi Valley but occurs west of the Mississippi in only narrow bands in Illinois, Missouri. Arkansas and Louisiana, along the hills adjacent to the Mississippi River basin.

Characteristics

Since yellow poplar is strong, with large logs which are relatively light, dense and easy to work, it was used extensively by the Native Americans of Virginia and the Carolinas to build dugout canoes.The same characteristics made it useful for framing lumber for homes and cabins; however, few of these historic structures remain since the wood is not as resistant to rot as chestnut or old-growth pine.

During the early 20th century, much of the heartwood of old-growth yellow poplar was marketed as "blue poplar" due to the bluish colored heartwood of a freshly cut old-growth tree. As it dries, the heartwood turns greenish-yellow to light brown in color. Many logs were so large that it was necessary to split them at the sawmill (using explosives) in order to make the piece small enough to fit on the saw carriage.

Due to yellow poplar's rapid growth, beautiful form, attractive green summer foliage, greenish-yellow tulip-like flowers and its brilliant yellow autumn color, it is valued in many places as a shade tree. It is also a very good source of nectar for honey bees.

—T.C. Knight, Sylviculturist Jessieville, Arkansas

Woodworker's Journal February 2008

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