# Figured Rainbow Poplar?



## matthew seibert

I picked up a few pieces of lumber from craigslist.
The poster said it was poplar, but the closest thing i can come up with is rainbow poplar.
Any alternative theories?
If anyone wants some, i may be able to get more. No idea if other pieces will look quite like this, but who knows.

Reactions: Like 2 | EyeCandy! 2


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## phinds

"rainbow" poplar is poplar with multi-colored mineral stain. It looks like what you've got is poplar with a single color (purplish) mineral stain which is quite common (although green is more common than purple). See the rainbow poplar on my site.

Hm ... I now see that there is orange in there as well. Still seems like a stretch to me to call this rainbow.

Here's a pic off the internet of the nicest looking rainbow poplar I've ever seen:





and here's a piece of veneer of mine:

Reactions: Like 1


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## matthew seibert

phinds said:


> "rainbow" poplar is poplar with multi-colored mineral stain. It looks like what you've got is poplar with a single color (purplish) mineral stain which is quite common (although green is more common than purple). See the rainbow poplar on my site.
> 
> Hm ... I now see that there is orange in there as well. Still seems like a stretch to me to call this rainbow.
> 
> Here's a pic off the internet of the nicest looking rainbow poplar I've ever seen:
> 
> View attachment 111363
> 
> and here's a piece of veneer of mine:
> 
> View attachment 111364


Ok, is this just normal Poplar then? I'm used to seeing poplar with a green stripe rather than orange or purple


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## phinds

Well, "normal" for poplar has quite a range and violet/purple is uncommon but hardly unique. True rainbow is much more rare. Yeah, the green stain is much more prevalent than other colors. I'd call your piece "mineral stained" poplar.


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## Palaswood

here is some "rainbow" poplar I grabbed at the lumber yard and milled with a rip saw and planed by hand to yield quartersawn grain for table legs.
Poplar is poplar, but some shows the multiple darker mineral streaks and it gets called 'rainbow poplar'. These just have the green and purple staining.


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## phinds

Nice. I particularly like the heavy flakes. I don't see that in poplar very often. If you end up with any cutoffs I'd love to get some for the site.


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## Palaswood

phinds said:


> Nice. I particularly like the heavy flakes. I don't see that in poplar very often. If you end up with any cutoffs I'd love to get some for the site.


Hi Phinds,

you mean the ray flecks?
I would gladly if there are any offcuts. But what do you mean, "for the site"? This site? In what capacity?

JP


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## Palaswood

phinds said:


> Nice. I particularly like the heavy flakes. I don't see that in poplar very often. If you end up with any cutoffs I'd love to get some for the site.


Oh crap, YOU run hobbit house? I've been going there for years! Since I started woodworking 3 years ago. Small world I guess. I will do my best to get you the samples. What size do you need?

Reactions: Funny 1 | Way Cool 1


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## phinds

Palaswood said:


> Oh crap, YOU run hobbit house? I've been going there for years! Since I started woodworking 3 years ago. Small world I guess. I will do my best to get you the samples. What size do you need?


Thanks. I prefer pieces just a bit bigger than the IWCS samples size (what you see so much of on the site, 1/2" x 3" x 6"), but since I don't plan to use them for projects, not much bigger than that and I'll take smaller if necessary. In particular I like 3/4" thick instead of 1/2" because it exposes more end grain.

Glad you like the site.

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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## Palaswood

phinds said:


> Thanks. I prefer pieces just a bit bigger than the IWCS samples size (what you see so much of on the site, 1/2" x 3" x 6"), but since I don't plan to use them for projects, not much bigger than that and I'll take smaller if necessary. In particular I like 3/4" thick instead of 1/2" because it exposes more end grain.
> 
> Glad you like the site.


With or without the rainbow staining? or not important? are you looking for the longer streak flakes or the speckling looking flakes?


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## phinds

Palaswood said:


> With or without the rainbow staining? or not important? are you looking for the longer streak flakes or the speckling looking flakes?


What I'm really looking for is variety, so a piece with longer flakes and a piece with speckled flakes would be good. If they have the rainbow stain that's good too but less important. Thanks for asking.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Palaswood

h


phinds said:


> What I'm really looking for is variety, so a piece with longer flakes and a piece with speckled flakes would be good. If they have the rainbow stain that's good too but less important. Thanks for asking.


hows this @phinds ?


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## phinds

Excellent. Just what I'm looking for.


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## Palaswood

phinds said:


> Excellent. Just what I'm looking for.


Great. remind me to get it out to you. I'm going on a road trip this week to Oregon (Land of Trees). I'm very excited. And I'm bringing a saw and a hatchet.


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## phinds

Palaswood said:


> Great. remind me to get it out to you. I'm going on a road trip this week to Oregon (Land of Trees). I'm very excited. And I'm bringing a saw and a hatchet.


Just be careful whose land you are on 

I'll remind you next week if I haven't heard from you


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## DKMD

Any chance that wood in the original post is cottonwood? I've heard Mike Mahonry call it 'Mormon Poplar' which apparently allows him to charge more than if he called it cottonwood.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## phinds

DKMD said:


> Any chance that wood in the original post is cottonwood? I've heard Mike Mahonry call it 'Mormon Poplar' which apparently allows him to charge more than if he called it cottonwood.


Can't say for sure it's impossible but I THINK it's impossible because cottonwood has rays that are not even visible with a 10X loupe and I've never seen any significant ray flakes in cottonwood, much less big ones like this.


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## DKMD

phinds said:


> Can't say for sure it's impossible but I THINK it's impossible because cottonwood has rays that are not even visible with a 10X loupe and I've never seen any significant ray flakes in cottonwood, much less big ones like this.



I'm looking at the bowl roughout in the first post. The coloring and tear out remind me of cottonwood... I can't see any rays or flakes in the roughout.


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## Palaswood

phinds said:


> Just be careful whose land you are on
> 
> I'll remind you next week if I haven't heard from you


haha i wont be chopping down any trees sir. im hoping to find a fallen hunk of wood or two however


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## Palaswood

why didnt i see it before! its cottonwood. has to be. Those pockets of curly figure. the slight discolorations. Turns pretty well but is quite soft.


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## phinds

Yeah, I was talking about the planks. Forgot all about the bowl. I agree the curly areas look a lot more like cottonwood. The purple stains not so much but hardly impossible


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## Palaswood

phinds said:


> Yeah, I was talking about the planks. Forgot all about the bowl. I agree the curly areas look a lot more like cottonwood. The purple stains not so much but hardly impossible



Here is a Cottonwood hollow form I turned a few years ago when I first started woodworking. Note the dark grays (what looks like purple in the rough bowl in this post). I'm pretty certain now, especially considering the fuzzy tearout. Cottonwood is a decent turning wood for decorative objects that wont get handled much if ever. The ribbons of curl and the varied colors make each piece unique.


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## phinds

Palaswood said:


> Here is a Cottonwood hollow form I turned a few years ago when I first started woodworking. Note the dark grays (what looks like purple in the rough bowl in this post). I'm pretty certain now, especially considering the fuzzy tearout. Cottonwood is a decent turning wood for decorative objects that wont get handled much if ever. The ribbons of curl and the varied colors make each piece unique.


Nice bowl. Good catch on the gray/purple thing. Had not seen mineral stain that severe in cottonwood before, but then I've mostly just had finished samples that would have been rejected at the source with that much mineral stain.


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## Palaswood

phinds said:


> Nice bowl. Good catch on the gray/purple thing. Had not seen mineral stain that severe in cottonwood before, but then I've mostly just had finished samples that would have been rejected at the source with that much mineral stain.


I got mine from a tree branch that had fallen off an old landscaping tree in a business park. That's how I get most of my turning wood - landscaping trees. So the species are really limited to whatever happens to be cut and laying around or fallen. Thanks, it was an experiment - looks like an egg with a sombrero! lol


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## phinds

Palaswood said:


> I got mine from a tree branch that had fallen off an old landscaping tree in a business park. That's how I get most of my turning wood - landscaping trees. So the species are really limited to whatever happens to be cut and laying around or fallen. Thanks, it was an experiment - looks like an egg with a sombrero! lol


Yeah, but it's an interesting shape. Very innovative.


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## Palaswood

phinds said:


> Yeah, but it's an interesting shape. Very innovative.


Hey that's what I was going for! So thanks!


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## phinds

Palaswood said:


> Great. remind me to get it out to you. I'm going on a road trip this week to Oregon (Land of Trees). I'm very excited. And I'm bringing a saw and a hatchet.


Reminder !

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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