Poplar comes from a deciduous tree of the Salicaceae family with about 35 species. The size, shape of leaves and color of wood vary according to the habitat. Poplar grows throughout the northern hemisphere and in temperate climates. You can find poplar growing abundantly near water bodies and swampy areas.
One of the advantages of growing poplar is that it grows fast, so making it a sustainable wood is possible. Despite this, particular species of poplar like black poplar have made it to the list of endangered species due to excessive deforestation.
Is Poplar Good Wood For Carving?
Poplar comes at a reasonable price, and it is soft, making it easy to carve. Moreover, you can get good detail while using this wood for carving. A widely-used variety of poplar is yellow poplar, and you can get it at most home improvement stores and leading lumber yards.
Using poplar for carving follows a tradition since ancient times with some of the native tribes from the East Coast. By carving with this wood and following the style of these tribes, you can be part of that tradition. Poplar also finds its place in many contemporary carvings, and you can find some incredibly intricate relief work in poplar as part of buildings or on furniture.
Poplar also responds well to machining, so you can enhance your carvings by adding some machine work, especially with sanders and routers. Some woodworkers feel that poplar is challenging to work on. If you use suitable and appropriately sharp carving tools, you can achieve satisfactory results.
Others express the opinion that the color of poplar needs much to be desired. But some sculptors swear by it. In fact, they say that it is their favorite wood and feel that poplar if finished properly, can take on the appearance of any wood that you want it to.
For instance, you can make your finished carvings look like walnut, oak or cherry, depending on the type of finish you apply. If you take your cuts too deeply, you may end up cracking the wood. If you are careful, you can create some fine-looking carvings with poplar.
Pros and Cons Of Using Poplar For Wood Carving
To summarize, here is a list of pros and cons that you can consider when using poplar for wood carving:
Pros
- Readily available at most lumberyards and home improvement stores
- Sustainable varieties are available
- Reasonably-priced wood
- You can carve it easily because it is soft
- Possible to bring out fine detail in carvings with adequate skills and tools
- You make it look like various types of wood with a suitable finish
Cons
- Some species of poplar are endangered like black poplar
- The wood can crack if you aren’t careful
- Some woodworkers are not comfortable with the natural greenish color of the wood
How To Carve Poplar Wood
If you are a beginner and you want to do wood carving with poplar, you can give it a go. There are specific steps that you can follow to do poplar wood carving effectively. Do not hesitate to give it a try. Being a woodworker, it may turn out that you have a flair for it. To get you started, here are a few steps to follow:
Prepare A Sketch
One of the tried and tested ways of starting a sculpture is to make a sketch of what you plan to sculpt. If your sketch shows sufficient detail, and you follow those details, you can create a delicately carved object.
If you are doing a simple design, you can draw the outline of the image directly onto the wood. The extent of detail on the sketch depends on your level of experience in carving.
If you are new to sculpture, then your design may not be that detailed. With a bit of experience behind you, your sketches will be proportionately intricate. You will find that ultimately, you can visualize the final result as you prepare your sketch.
Chisel Out The Basic Shape
The basic shape of the sculpture needs to be defined. Using a chisel, you can start chipping away at the wood in the general direction of the sketch that you have created.
For instance, if you are carving an animal, then you need to roughly shape the wood in the shape of the head, neck, body and legs, with an extra extension if there is a tail.
Poplar is a hardwood, but we consider it as one of the softer species of hardwood. The softness makes it easy to carve. You can also use a sharp knife for etching the outline of the finer details of the sculpture in combination with a chisel.
Use Precision Tools For The Fine Work
Once you have the rough shape of your sculpture, now comes the fine work which will require all your carving skills. There is a variety of woodworking gouges that you can use for wood carving. You can get more information about woodworking gouges in another interesting post of ours.
Gouges enable you to create intricate curves and rounded crevices to bring out the finer details of your sculpture. These gouges are differently-shaped for creating different profiles such as angular, rectangular or creating lines.
Cleaning And Sanding
Once you finish your sculpture, you can now remove the debris with the help of a brush or vacuum cleaner. Once clear of the debris, your sculpture needs a bit of sanding which you can do manually or with a low-speed sander. To add the final touch to your carving, you have the option of either staining it or leaving it to oxidize naturally. If left on its own, will take on a rich, brown hue with time.
Conclusion
By now, you should be well-informed about the suitability of poplar for use in carving projects. The general consensus is that poplar is quite suitable for carving. It is reasonably priced and also quite easy to procure. If you follow the steps we have provided here, you can produce some fine carving specimens.
In fact, if you prove to be good at it, you can even make your poplar carving into a lucrative business, by selling your carved objects. Or, if you are not that ambitious, you can create some excellent gifts for your family and friends. Whatever the scale of your carving projects, there is scope for undertaking some interesting carving projects in poplar.
