Poplar wood from Home Depot?

[LIBuck]

Hi all - i'm a new - a BRAND new wood carver. I am just starting my first project, which is a simple low relief (pattern from Laura Irish's web page - thanks).

I did some reading, and found some info suggesting that if basswood is not readily available, aspen and poplar were good substitutes. I found some poplar at home depot and picked it up.

I transferred the pattern and started to make some stop cuts with a utility knife so that i can rough out some of the background with a gouge. i'm having a hard time with the stop cuts in any area that is not a straight line.

do you think this is because a utility knife just isn't sharp/strong enough?

or could this be because Home Depot does not stock good quality wood?

any thoughts are appreciated!

[James A]

I might be the knife your using. If you have one, a v-tool might do better to make stopcuts. It is easier to judge your depth and you don't have as great a chance of undercutting the relief.

[Joy]

I had the same problem with the poplar I bought at Lowe's for lovespoons. Mine was too dry and brittle to hold good detail.

[Paul_Guraedy]

In problem solving the first question to ask is, "What changed?" In your case it seems to be the curve in the line. This eliminates both wood and knife. I suspect that you are cutting too deep. This would not be a problem on the straight part where you are not turning the knife. It would make a great deal of difference on the curves and especially tight ones. Too much of the knife blade down in the wood and it's going to be hard to turn.

[chuckbolton]

it maybe that you could use a fish tail or gouge for your curved areas and make a downward stab cut-- that what i do on tree foliage on my relief carvings

[RUssL.]

I have some poplar from the local Home Depot for a project not directly related to carving.
I can tell you it is NO substitute for basswood.
The 6" wide poplar planks that I have are a much, much harder wood than any basswood I have used.

With limited experience drying my own basswood and what happens to it when moisture drops below 8% (it gets really hard) I would venture that the poplar that I have (and perhaps yours as well) is overly dry for carving purposes.

I have tried my gouges on this poplar, just because I too have read the poplar is a good carving wood. If this poplar was my only experience with woodcarving I would be pretty discouraged. This stuff is rock hard

I would suggest that you order some basswood online from Heinecke or other reputable supplier...and make a shelf or something with the Home Depot poplar.

Russ

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Buy some good basswood! As for home depot...everything I can think of that I have bought there has been seconds...have no doubt about the wood! imo

[RUssL.]

Hi Ho,

I had never noticed before-
"Join Date: Dec 1969"!!!

Man, you are a 'Super Moderator'. You joined predating the internet by a few decades! :-)

That time travel stuff just always confuses me. ;-)

Russ

[carver33]

A little late to the thread, but here goes anyhow - I've carved quite a bit of poplar over the years, both relief and in-the-round. As others have stated, it's not a substitute for basswood - it has it's own characteristics which require different carving techniques. It tends to be somewhat more grainy and the grain will tear more easily than basswood. However don't give up on it, it IS much nore carveable than many other woods (my first piece was carved in a branch from an apple tree).

First, if you pick up poplar from your local big box hardware, go through the entire stack for the best, straightest, most even grained piece you can find. Second, try not to get anything too dry - the grain will separate much more easily.

Next, don't try to make your initial stop cuts too deep - make a lighter cut, concentrating on following the line; the more pressure you apply, the more the knife wants to follow the grain. After the first cut, follow the line with a little more pressure to deepen it. Repeat as necessary to the depth required.

Finally, I think I'd try something other than a utility knife. The blade is too large to follow curves easily, I would suggest an exacto knife at the very least. I use a good carving knife and even a scalpel for tight delicate cuts.

I've attached a sample carved from poplar obtained at my local Lowe's Hardware. Two pieces of 8" laminated together and stained with a (very) thinned gunstock stain.

HTH
Bill

[RUssL.]

Very thorough response and very nice carving!
Thank you for helping the guy out and for showing us what can be done with HD poplar.
Very nice.

Russ