poplar for workbench?

[Billy Dodd]

I came across some 12/4 poplar and was wondering if it would be strong enough for a workbench. I know it's not maple, but around here hard maple seems hard to come by. Billy

[Steve Sawyer]

There are three issues in selection of wood for workbenches - hardness, stability and weight. Poplar might pass muster for the first two categories, but poplar is an awfully light wood. Unless you glue up to be much thicker with taller aprons, thicker legs and stretchers, it might be too light to stay put for some operations like heavy planing.

I might go for something a bit harder, too. I don't know what hardwoods are common in your area, but hard maple isn't the only option - soft maple, ash, oak and many others make good workbench material. Southern yellow pine is popular with many.

[Stephen Shepherd]

Billy,

I for one am a fan of a softer wood used for bench tops. I do a lot of furniture repair so a softer workbench (mine is pine) doesn't damage what I am working on.

And 12/4 should be just fine and will take a holdfast well. Go for the Poplar.

Stephen

[Jack Camillo]

great thing about poplar is its workability - easy. and, being lighter, might help in such a big project. I just built a desk base out of it because the job called for paint on the base (natural finish on the top), and it worked out splendidly. First time I built furniture with it (I'm not a fan of painted furniture). But, I have some nice boards left over and will be making shop furniture out of them.

[Casey Gooding]

Poplar would probably work OK for a bench. I would make sure to OVERbuild the bench. Using draw bored mortise and tenon joints with large stretchers will help stabilize things.
Have fun!!

[Jim Becker]

I am also a fan of (tulip/yellow) poplar and use it quite a bit. While I'm no expert on benches, I'd not hesitate to use it for a bench top, using the advice to build thick and I'll add to build your base with enough mass to compensate for the lighter weight of the top.

[Graham Hughes (CA)]

You can make a workbench out of anything, you just have to make it thicker sometimes. Poplar is not particularly stiff, so you may need additional support in the undercarriage. It's not particularly heavy, so you may need to add more weight somehow (sandbags, for example). And it's not very hard, so it will dent--on the other hand it will surface nicely, which e.g. hard maple is not real friendly about. Hardness is much overblown; my bench is made of Douglas fir and has a number of chisel scars that don't really impact performance.

Note that "tulip poplar" is a different species and makes for much better construction material than straight poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera vs. Populus spp.). So if you have tulip poplar then you're probably fine.

[Wilbur Pan]

As mentioned above, the main issue with using poplar is that it's nice to have a heavy workbench to keep it in place when planing.

However, there are other approaches to making a bench stay in place besides sheer mass, as I'm doing with my temporary bench with a top made of 12/4 poplar.

[Billy Dodd]

I think I can make it heavy with the size of these boards and by mmaking it a little over kill on size. These boards are about 6 inches wide and around 12 feet long. Defect free. I don't know what kind of poplar they are just that they are the green in color kind.

Nice thought on the softness Stephen. With it being a little softer maybe it will be easier on a finish.

Graham might have a good idea if it's too light. I've added sandbags to lathes before with good results.

And Jim, why would anybody from Pa work with poplar. With all the wood around you, I think I would find nothing but hardwood in my shop.

Billy

[Jim Becker]

Billy, poplar is a hardwood. So is balsa wood. The term "hardwood" has nothing to do with the actual hardness or density of the species. In general, hardwoods are deciduous trees (drop leaves seasonally); softwoods are evergreens (retain leaves/needles year round) Half the timber on our four acres is tulip poplar, which is one of the most used species of wood used in the furniture industry. It is true, however, that it's not as hard as other species, such as oak and cherry. I build primarily with cherry, walnut and poplar.

[Stephen Shepherd]

While Jim's general characterization of hardwood/softwood is good there are exceptions; holly a hardwood, keeps its leaves and larch a softwood looses its needles every year.

The gymnosperm/angiosperm distinction is a bit more technical, but a hardwood has enclosed seeds (fruit or nut) and softwood has naked seeds (cones).

Also when buying 'poplar' you will probably get a mixture of poplar and magnolia, at least out West.

Stephen

[David Keller NC]

Hate it when the timber industry does that. I've had someone at a local timber company absolutely insist that hickory is "the same as" pecan, even to the point of insisting that it's the same tree! Anyone that's ever tried to eat a hickory nut can tell you they aren't the same thing - neither is the wood from the two species, but it seems that in regards to timber industry standards, the workability characteristics make them "equivalent".

[Jim Becker]

Also when buying 'poplar' you will probably get a mixture of poplar and magnolia, at least out West.

Yellow Poplar (Tulip Poplar) is a member of the magnolia family.

Thanks for adding your additional commentary on the hardwood/softwood topic...I did mean my own to be very general (hence the italics) but you pointed out some very good "exceptions" to illustrate things more clearly.

[Billy Dodd]

Ok Jim and Stephen, which kind of poplar is it that has a green color to it? There is a lot of magnolia's down south of here, but I have know idea where the sawmill got these logs from.

And as for the hardwood and soft, we have a lot of aromatic cedar which is supposed to be a hardwood but it stays green year round and I'm not sure I've ever seen seeds on them.

David you can point your timber guide out this way and I can show him the difference between pecan and hickory. They look nothing a like. From the leaves and the bark to the color and charateristics (sp?) I don't think I'd buy lumber from him. I have a nice 20 foot log of hickory sitting behind my shop right now, waiting for me to decide what to do with it. My brother wants to cut it up for his smoker. So I have to keep watch over it when he comes over.

Billy

[Mark Roderick]

I'll add my two cents.

I built a workbench out of pine, which is even softer and lighter than poplar, and the top is only about 12/4 thick, the same as yours. My bench is so heavy and sturdy that not only does it not move a centimeter under the heaviest of hand planing, I didn't even have to attach the top to the base! The sheer weight of the top (about 72 inches by about 24 inches with two heavy Record vises) creates enough friction that no mechanical attachment is necessary.

And that was before I build cabinets that sit on the bottom stretchers, under the top. With that additional weight, you'd need a tank to move my pine bench.

Like others, I WANT a top that's soft. The last thing I want is for the top to dent my workpiece.

So go for the poplar bench!