Poplar viola

[arglebargle]

Hi everyone!

So, I'm starting a viola using highly figured poplar for the back and sides, and probably a grafted pearwood scroll.

Never having used poplar like this before, I'm wondering if anyone here has any tips or suggestions on what to expect, or pitfalls to avoid,

or should I just proceed as usual.

I understand that Italian poplar, which this is, often has a high silica/"sand" content from growing along sandy banks near rivers, and can be very hard on sharp edges.

Beyond that, ????

Thanks.

[Bruce Carlson]

Hi everyone!

So, I'm starting a viola using highly figured poplar for the back and sides, and probably a grafted pearwood scroll.

Never having used poplar like this before, I'm wondering if anyone here has any tips or suggestions on what to expect, or pitfalls to avoid,

or should I just proceed as usual.

I understand that Italian poplar, which this is, often has a high silica/"sand" content from growing along sandy banks near rivers, and can be very hard on sharp edges.

Beyond that, ????

Thanks.

You should calculate exactly where you want your soundpost to be located on the back. If it is radial cut cypress poplar the flame is sometimes so wild that you have areas where the grain goes completely perpendicular to the arching surface. If the soundpost rests on one of these points you have a guaranteed soundpost crack in a short time after the instrument is made. You will be virtually resting the soundpost on end grain.

Bruce

[arglebargle]

Thanks Bruce.

Looking at the wood, that makes a lot of sense.

[Mountain Luthier]

I've made a cello back and ribs out of poplar.

It seemed to carve normally. The central

part of my back is laminated. The runout

some of the plys made it difficult to plane

without some tearout. I have contempated

using a maple soundpost patch. Poplar is

somewhat softer than maple.

I used a maple headstock

[Geoff-UK]

I'm just varnishing a poplar cello. The back is quite plain, one piece, no flame at all - and for the most part quarter cut - except the lower wing goes on the slab. So hopefully no issues there on the weakness around the soundpost.

This was probably english ( came from David Dyke ) and it was terrible for tool edges. The grain raises a great deal if wetted. Its a very porous wood and needs sealing well. I didn't find it very inspiring to work with - but it seems to work well as a tonewood.

Geoff

[colledge]

Hi everyone!

So, I'm starting a viola using highly figured poplar for the back and sides, and probably a grafted pearwood scroll.

Never having used poplar like this before, I'm wondering if anyone here has any tips or suggestions on what to expect, or pitfalls to avoid,

or should I just proceed as usual.

I understand that Italian poplar, which this is, often has a high silica/"sand" content from growing along sandy banks near rivers, and can be very hard on sharp edges.

Beyond that, ????

Thanks.

Be careful with your grads. Go for heavy first then check.

[gowan]

Hi everyone!

So, I'm starting a viola using highly figured poplar for the back and sides, and probably a grafted pearwood scroll.

Never having used poplar like this before, I'm wondering if anyone here has any tips or suggestions on what to expect, or pitfalls to avoid,

or should I just proceed as usual.

I understand that Italian poplar, which this is, often has a high silica/"sand" content from growing along sandy banks near rivers, and can be very hard on sharp edges.

Beyond that, ????

Thanks.

Poplar is less dense than maple so wouldn't the proper graduations be thicker than for maple? If so, how would you figure out how much thicker the graduations should be?

[Melvin Goldsmith]

Why use poplar and then try to normalise it to be like maple?

My experience of poplar on good old instruments that work is that the post region is thicker but other grads follow what is done for maple.

[Oded Kishony]

There are several different species of wood being discussed in this thread. I'm sorry I don't know the botanical names. The wood Bruce refers to is also called 'Lombardy poplar' and his point about end grain is correct. Lombardy poplar is quite hard and sometimes a bit more dense than maple. The other poplar is often a very plain wood with a greenish tint, it is usually softer and lighter than maple.

how would you figure out how much thicker the graduations should be?

You could use a stiffness calculation like John Master's (frequency (mode 5) squared times mass) Match it to your previous instruments.

Oded

[arglebargle]

I thought it might be interesting to post some pictures of the poplar in question, since there was some talk of the different kinds.

So here:

I believe this is the "Lombardy" poplar.

[Oded Kishony]

Yes, that's what I call Lombardy poplar

OK

[Ken_N]

That is some wild looking wood! Very cool.

Ken