Yellow Popular

[WhiteShaman]

Hi all,
I want to try a snake around a stick similar to the one in this link:
Snake Stick Carving How To

The artist uses a 4" dia length of yellow poplar and I was wondering if you all would "buy" a piece of yellow poplar and if so, where..... or if you would find a piece in the woods and if so how?
I don't know how to identify it or know if it is dry enough?
Thanks in advance for all you continued help!
Blessings,
James

[mpounders]

David Stehly usually posts in the stick and cane section... you might send him a personal message, if he doesn't catch this.

[WhiteShaman]

Thanks Mike,
I didn't know he posted here but I had done just that, emailed him yesterday and he was kind enough to give me the help I needed to get started.
Off we go into the woods!
Blessings,
James

[Eddy-Smiles]

James.... Where abouts in the country are you located? Do you know if Tulip Poplar is common in your area? If so it's really easy to find once spring has sprung from it's unique leaf shape (Tulip). As for drying it... it drys out real fast in hot weather once you strip the bark completely off. Leave your rough stick extra long so that you can remove any checking at the ends once it does dry out. I've never had a problem with splitting of poplar walking sticks as long as all of the bark is removed. Like I said, only the ends may have some back checking. You may even find that you'll prefer to do the roughout carving while it's still slighty wet and soft. It makes it a lot easier to take out larger areas of wood. Then when you get to the point where you want to start adding detail let it completely dry so that the wood doesn't chip out on you. This is a Tulip Poplar walking stick that I whittled!

[WhiteShaman]

Thanks Eddy! Nice carvings!
I live in Connecticut and it seems the tulip poplar is native but it also seems the cut off is around here as well.
David emailed me and said I can use soft maple and we have silver maples around here.
Have you ever used that type of wood?
Thanks again,
James

[Eddy-Smiles]

James... No, born and raised in Hartford-Granby area myself but have only carved in the south. I make a lot of woodspirit walking canes out of sweetgum and poplar but have never used maple. I have tried cherry. It's rough going but it sures comes out pretty looking! If I was a betting man I'd say that what holds true for the poplar holds true for the maple in that you might want to do as much rough work as possible while it's still soft and then wait until it cures up to put in detail so as not to chip it out. I'm not sure on the checking. I know that each wood is different. For example, you can skin red cedar as naked as a new born babe and it will still split latterally almost the entire length of the stick whereas that doesn't happen with poplar and sweetgum. You might want to experiment before you get to invovled in your project.

[Claude]

James:
Yellow Poplar is one of the easiest trees to identify (in the summer) just from the leaves alone. Liriodendron tulipifera Fact Sheet

At first glance you think "Maple!", but when you look closely, the center vein on a maple leave goes to a tip, and the central vein on a poplar leaf goes to a "valley". Check the link and you'll see.

Claude

[papasar]

James,
Silver maple is pretty hard when dry.
Bill K.

[WhiteShaman]

Thanks all for great info!

[Maple]

What I know Yellow Poplar as is also called Tulipwood. I found a whole tree that had been cut down in a local city park and was just sitting there. I like to use found wood, but that's my personal preference. If you go on Craigslist, you can find people willing to sell wood.