# Maple or poplar



## jg2259 (Oct 28, 2011)

Being somewhat new to woodworking, I am going to ask a stupid question. 
I'm having a problem telling the difference between maple and poplar. When I first started woodworking I only used red oak. After a few projects, now I want to use some different types of wood. So when I came into a few bucks that my wife didn't know about, I headed to my lumber guy. 
I bought a variety of species, including quarter sawn white oak, cherry, maple, walnut, cedar, and poplar. Maybe 3 or 4 of each species 4/4" x 8" x 96".
I cut some small pieces off of some of the boards so I could handplane them to see the grain. 
I used some of the poplar for small projects for the shop, but in doing all that, some of the boards got mixed up and now I'm having trouble telling the difference between the poplar and the maple. I know about the fingernail test, but I can't really tell from that. I do have a couple of the poplar boards segregated, because I could tell from the hints of green and purple. But I can't tell the difference between the remaining boards. Is there a very easy way to tell the difference?


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## Post Oakie (Aug 20, 2013)

Density is a pretty quick way. Maple is about half again as heavy as a poplar board of the same dimensions. You can verify that with some of your known samples. A close-up look at the end grain will give a positive identification. Again, you can compare known pieces with the unknown ones.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

Post some pics of the boards in question....someone will probably ID them pretty quickly.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

knotscott said:


> Post some pics of the boards in question....someone will probably ID them pretty quickly.


+1. :yes: If you put a dab of water or mineral spirits on them that might be more tell tale.


















.


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

jg2259 said:


> Being somewhat new to woodworking, I am going to ask a stupid question.
> I'm having a problem telling the difference between maple and poplar. When I first started woodworking I only used red oak. After a few projects, now I want to use some different types of wood. So when I came into a few bucks that my wife didn't know about, I headed to my lumber guy.
> I bought a variety of species, including quarter sawn white oak, cherry, maple, walnut, cedar, and poplar. Maybe 3 or 4 of each species 4/4" x 8" x 96".
> I cut some small pieces off of some of the boards so I could handplane them to see the grain.
> ...


do you have any scales?? if not cut a small piece of all the board's in question , than cut some of the known pieces and take to the post office they have scales that you can use , measure all the poplar and see that it is the same , provide you cut them all the same a small square will do, measure the one's that you have question about it should weigh more than the poplar , or post and we call tell, i have both and have work with those for yrs , post back


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## jg2259 (Oct 28, 2011)

I will post pics when I get home after trying some of the methods you have described. 
A real woodworker shouldn't have to even ask this question. 
Live and learn.

Thank you,
Jim


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

jg2259 said:


> I will post pics when I get home after trying some of the methods you have described.
> A real woodworker shouldn't have to even ask this question.
> Live and learn.
> 
> ...


Jim, I have maple and poplar stored on shelves in my shop. Although I try to keep the boards on separate shelves, sometimes things get mixed up.

I do know that poplar is a softer wood than maple and they take stain differently. I have samples where my wife and I tried different stain samples on several species of wood (maple, poplar, birch). The poplar stains darker that the maple in every test sample.

You could always do a couple of test pieces if you have some dark stain.

Good Luck.
Mike


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## jacko9 (Dec 29, 2012)

Jim, I have a lot of maple and poplar in my shop and I save a lot of off cuts for drawer slides, etc. The weight difference and the surface hardness makes it easy to tell them apart. Take a piece of each that your known boards and mark them and then do a little scratch test. The other way to identify poplar is send it through the planer or jointer and look at the long silky chips that come off, they will be quite different that the maple.

Jack


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## jg2259 (Oct 28, 2011)

Thanks Mike and Jack. 
I wasn't able to get to the shop yesterday to take pics because I was forced to work a second shift. Came home, slept fast, and out today for another double, eight hours on Wednesday, and 16 hours again on Thurs and Fri. 
Dang I wish I could retire. 


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