Poplar
Also called: tulip poplar, yellow poplar, tulipwood, populus, liriodendron
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Poplar is a trade name for several light, soft woods, often used for carving, for turnery, meaning work shaped on a lathe, and for temporary parts.
Check the name
The name on the board does not identify one species. Yellow-poplar, also called tulipwood, is Liriodendron tulipifera. Other material sold as poplar or popple may be an aspen or cottonwood in the genus Populus, while whitewood is another trade name used for several species. Ask for the botanical or commercial name before choosing stock.
Suitable work
Poplar woods are soft, light and easy to work. They suit carving, common turnery and parts that will not receive much wear. Poplar trees have also supplied temporary railway work, although that is different from choosing the timber for ordinary long-term construction.
Panels and selection
Poplar has been identified as having potential for CLT, cross-laminated timber panels made from layers of wood fixed with their grains crossing. That finding concerns a possible panel material, not every board sold under a poplar name. Select the exact species and piece for the job, and use poplar where its light weight and easy cutting matter more than resistance to hard service.