Hi Toivo,

That's an interesting take on poplar. Beavers have just been reintroduced into England from mainland Europe onto controlled sites but there is now evidence of some having escaped or been released into the wild. I saw beaver cut tree stumps by the river Thames in Oxfordshire recently and was informed that a North American beaver had been captured.

"Tearing out" of surfaces is something that happens especially when blunt tools are being used and certainly waiting till the wood dries somewhat can help in this respect on timber that is prone to this behaviour. Traditionally poplar has been used to form truck and railcar beds where it does not crack but crushes and yields instead and this appears to match your own experiences when converting this wood but I have found that even freshly felled Douglas Fir is prone to tear out of the grain.

Since making my original post I have now found one barn that is made from poplar and a mill that contains poplar beams. The exact species employed is not known but I am now very much aware of the hybrid nature of many poplars growing in the UK with North American poplars (populus Canadensis) now forming a key part in the make up of planted poplars in the UK. These trees grow exceedingly well in the UK forming nice straight stems and quickly putting on volume.

Large black poplar can be found growing in South Oxfordshire in relative abundance and this poplar species is known historically to have been used to form cruck blades so even though it is classed as a perishable wood somehow it manages to fullfill this demanding role.

Regards

Ken Hume