Wood I D please

[Bingy man]

I’m currently attempting to make a c d storage case ( bookcase style ) nothing complicated or fancy and more to use up some of the wood I’ve accumulated. So in short oak shelves, beech top and bottom and then I discovered I don’t have anything tall enough for the sides so I purchased some supposedly beech offcuts but it looks different to the beech top / bottom I already have . Many thanks as any help appreciated as usual..

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Poplar?

 

[niall Y]

I would be inclined to agree. The darker bits have that slightly greenish hue I associate with poplar,

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Poplar?

Undoubtedly poplar, aka, amongst other names, tulipwood and botanically Liriodendron tulipifera. Slainte.

 

[Bingy man]

Having worked on the genuine beech top and bottom I was pretty certain is wasn’t beech but had no idea what it was . Maybe the seller didn’t know either but it’s what ive got so it will hopefully be ok to use . Thanks to those who replied ..

 

[Fitzroy]

Having worked on the genuine beech top and bottom I was pretty certain is wasn’t beech but had no idea what it was . Maybe the seller didn’t know either but it’s what ive got so it will hopefully be ok to use . Thanks to those who replied ..

I have to say I see many woods for sale that are patently not what the seller thinks they are. I do not think it malice but just unconscious incompetence.

 

[Bingy man]

I have to say I see many woods for sale that are patently not what the seller thinks they are. I do not think it malice but just unconscious incompetence.

I only know a few such as oak , sapele and beech etc but something was just shouting at me - I’m not what you think I am -colour and the grain just looked wrong. I will feed this back to the seller for their information. So now I have beech , oak and popular in one cd case or at least that’s the plan -

 

[kinverkid]

Tulipwood. Often used to make drawer back and sides. Nice to work with. Our US cousins may refer to it as poplar although I understand it is not from the poplar family.

 

[Morag Jones]

Is there a wood identification guide that takes the form of a botanical key?

So many gorgeous woods, I’d love to learn more.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.wood-database.com/

 

[pgrbff]

Definitely poplar

 

[Beau]

As said Tulipwood. It's lovely to work with if a little soft. I've always used to think of it as a wood for painting only but had a customer want a sideboard made of some he had milled. I protested as I was just quoting what I'd been told by others that its "only good for painting" but they insisted. Got to say I'm glad my customer insisted

 

[Sgian Dubh]

As said Tulipwood. It's lovely to work with if a little soft. I've always used to think of it as a wood for painting only but had a customer want a sideboard made of some he had milled. I protested as I was just quoting what I'd been told by others that its "only good for painting" but they insisted. Got to say I'm glad my customer insisted

Visually poplar can look interesting and attractive when new as in your case with brown markings with some green in there too. I've also come across it with really attractive pale pink to dark red markings. Those features that do go to make the wood attractive, the browns, greens and pink/red fade rather quickly to a dull brown and the main body of the timber which starts off as a vaguely creamy white also tend to head towards a sort of dull muddy brown.

It's not surprising really that poplar tends to be classified primarily as a paint grade material because it's not an intrinsically attractive wood in the longer term and, as you say, it is soft and relatively easily damaged. Examples of poplar below after exposure to UV light and oxidation for a few months, or longer. Slainte.

 

[recipio]

Definitely ' Yellow poplar ' or tulipwood. There are other varieties including aspen which is a bit fibrinous in texture but a lovely white colour.
I once bought some ' claro walnut ' off ebay which turned out to be plain black walnut. Caveat emptor and all that.

 

[Bingy man]

I guess that’s why it didn’t give a clean edge when I routed the shelf slots. Had to run a sanding block over it . It was almost like it was green timber but it has cleaned up ok - what is it like to finish - stain or varnish or wax ???

 

[Doug71]

Tulipwood is a favourite of kitchen manufacturers, it's quite stable and has a fine grain so paints really well.

Often a bit soft but some pieces are harder and heavier, I generally save the more solid pieces for internal doors.

Never used a clear finish on it but as said the interesting colours do fade over time.

 

[BentonTool]

Yes... decidedly Tulip Poplar, as it is called in the colonies...

 

[Bingy man]

Thanks to all for their help and advise but now I’ve almost finished building the unit which is not 100% but close enough so I’m looking at what finish is best . So to recap I have a beech top and bottom, poplar sides and oak shelves and a plywood back ( stained light oak ) I’m a little confused as I’d prefer to give it a few coats of satin or mat water based -varnish and no stain or oils as I believe there is enough character in the various timbers I’ve used so like the actual design I’d prefer to keep it simple . So some are saying oil , others are saying polyurethane, paint stain, shellac and god knows what else as every search brings up other options. The unit is currently sanded to 240 grit. Many thanks

 

[recipio]

The easiest finish is a rattle can of sanding sealer followed by a can of lacquer - probably gloss. I use Chestnut products = the trick is to heat the can first and use ah handle for a spray can. It will be too hot to hold anyway. After a year or so the whole unit will have matured to a mid brown colour.