Straight long top plates?

[Aeneas61]

Just wandering if anyone had better luck getting a top plate to stay pretty straight out past 20' in length and what they would advise in this area (technique wood specie)

Last year I hewed the two 27' top plates from the straightest tulip poplar trees I could find, both 6X6, and after hewing and sticking for a few weeks, they crowned in TWO directions, I had to layout with a snap line to get the mortises to line up and flex the frame together with tie down straps...

I also noticed many timbers hewed straight as possible to the line would cast anyway. Is this an aspect of tulip poplar, or using non perfectly straight trees or what?

Anyway, I had about given up one piece top plates and thought to join two with a scarf to get something straighter...

Would love to hear all the experience here.

[Peter Drouin]

In all the years cutting poplar The wood would move. I cut 8x8 timbers before and I could see the thing twisting while cutting it .
For me the wood sucks and smells bad, smells bad even when burning it. :D

[Dave Shepard]

He's talking tulip poplar. It can move a little, but it doesn't stink and move like the poplar you are talking about. Hardwoods are going to be tougher to get without movement. I don't mind a little crown in one direction, that can be pulled down onto the posts. Two directions isn't as much fun. I've cut 52' white pine plates with no movement.