Form Material

[Forwardhandle]

I picked up some pipe strait & true 3/4" thick poplar planks today on sale at the lumber yard has any body used it for form material or see any issues with using it I figured sense some use pine that the poplar is harder and laminated together should be strong and stable all speculation ?

[Flem]

I would think poplar is a good choice. It's real stable and won't give you a hernia lifting it

[Forwardhandle]

I was hoping it would catch your eye there Flem you know wood pretty good, I have a table I made 30 yrs ago out of it that's held up well , these boards are dead strait perfect for a form with hard ware bet it cost $30 to make a lot cheaper then maple !

[Flem]

Don't give me too much credit, I mistook Butternut for Walnut
Turns out you can make a Bow with the stuff. Wonder if you could get some lams out of that Poplar

[Pat B]

Poplar makes great arrows so if you have any leftovers you might give it a try.

[Forwardhandle]

Thanks all I will give it a go when I get my templet dialed in made and scraped 4 of them but will see how 5 goes...lol

[Crooked Stic]

Edge grain poplar may be a good core wood. Have made veneers out of it flat grain. the green looks good but I think will be brown over time.

[kennym]

How much you savin over plywood and how many bows you gonna make off it? 

I'm thinkin that plywood won't warp in the oven as bad? Keep us posted on how she goes...

[Forwardhandle]

I'm using it for a exspermentle design  so I don't know how many bows maybe 1  I used maple on all my other forms none of them moved I paid $16 for enough for the form a sheet of plywood in my area is $50 I will try it and see how it works out ,only one way to find out ! A lot of furniture is made out of it so it must be some what stable !

[Forwardhandle]

The thing I like about using these planks is you get a true 1 1/2 " width just by laminating 2 together I saw some really flat and strait aspen planks but know nothing about the wood I hope the poplar works can make cheap and easy forms.

[Flem]

Aspen is garbage. People around here were using it for T&G paneling and ceilings. Probably cause it was dirt cheap. Stuff would warp like crazy and it's soft like Balsa. Makes good excelsior though.
Poplar is a wood of choice for dough bowls, salad bowls and other food related items. Takes wet/dry cycles well. As long as it's dry, heat should not affect it.

[Forwardhandle]

I made this rustic table 30-35 yrs ago out of poplar been threw kids grand kids been used for every thing from art table spare kids dinning table at holidays hobby table been abused about as much as any table can and it's as solid as the day I made it and other furniture made with the same results ! It's been a good cheap wood for me !

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[Roy from Pa]

Nice, Ritchie.

[Crooked Stic]

Way back in the old days the lumber they used in houses was poplar. back when a 2x4 was 2x4. I live in one myself over 100 and still solid.

[globalmark]

Anything Makes good form wood - however the best is Manufactured Boards - PLY , MDF , Stirling Board as these are always more stable and less lightly to warp or move in the Hotbox when curing Glues - especially today timber is dried fast in Kilns not naturally so often not as dry as you think -
I am a cabinet maker by trade and always make forms out of MDF or ply - BUT as i said anything can and will make a form - Best thing to do with Timber is rip it and glue back together as more layers the timber the more stable it will be - (depends if want to make a one off bow or keep the form for years to come)

you can always stick a piece ply on the side of the Popular also to stabilise it - i just use cheapest PVA to glue things like this and a nail gun or screws --

Just my 2 cents worth
Mark