Smelly wood

[Frank S]

I am doing a job for a mate, using the timber he supplied, tulip wood.I`ve not used much in the past and in cutting it on the band saw I get the smell of smoked mackerel. Is this usual for tulip wood? I know some timbers have various smells associated with them, but fish??
Frank.

 

[RobinBHM]

Tulipwood usually smells of vanilla to me.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I assume that you mean the creamy-coloured stuff with green areas and black streaks, also known as Poplar, Yellow Poplar and Canary Whitewood? There is also an exotic timber called tulip wood which has pink stripes in it. Very different tree.
Poplar does smell when you cut it, I'm using it right now, actually, but I would never have associated it with fish.

 

[Chrispy]

I've had that before too, just the occasional piece that really stinks usually a bit greyer and woolly, I'd just assumed it was a rouge species that gets mixed in in error.