rainbow Poplar

[Normang]

whats the going price bbf, for 30 "  rainbow poplar,, virginia?

[nativewolf]

same as poplar, down from summer.  Poplar is Poplar.  If you saw it and sell it on craigslist, facebook, etc you'll do better and get a bit of added value but for logs...it is just a log.  

Whereabouts are you?  I'm in northern VA, close to Front Royal.  

[Southside]

Actually my experience is that mineral stained poplar will bring a lower price at a commodity mill as it will drop in grade due to the color.  If it can't be sold into the molding or furniture market the commodity mills don't really want it as it becomes pallet wood.  

[Brad_bb]

The peanut gallery here sure wouldn't mind seeing a picture  ;D

[YellowHammer]

In slabs, we get $1.50 more per bdft than regular Poplar


 

[xlogger]

Waiting on these to dry

 
Just hope they don't fall off ceiling first :D

[curved-wood]

Are those streaky colors hold or tend to fade out once the piece of furniture is varnished ? Like what is happening with the bloody red streaks in negundo maple ?

[PA_Walnut]

Same as @YellowHammer , we get a premium for rainbow...big premium.
These 50" slabs have generated a LOT of excitement with customers!

[nativewolf]

It is neat stuff for sure.  I personally love it and wished it was more UV stable.  Sadly it is not.  

In log form just not enough market, in board/slab form there is a premium and @PA_Walnut and @YellowHammer pics show you why.  

My whole farm was basically rainbow poplar, it is how I learned about it.  Sadly...had just joined the FF.  Today I'd have merchandized it much better.

[PA_Walnut]

People love the colors, for sure. Always one of the first questions, "Will it keep the color?"  Apparently, as @nativewolf mentioned, keeping it out of the sun is a good way to keep color. I tell people, that it's no different that walnut...in that, if you put it in direct sunlight, the colors will fade. Thankfully modern UV/Fade resistant finishes will slow it down. 

I've been known to mention that the best recourse if fading is a concern is to budget for a replacement slab in the coming years! I always have MORE!  :D ;D 8)

[YellowHammer]

They colors don't really fade, they darken, except for the pinks and light reds.  The blues will turn purple, the purple turns walnut brown, etc.  They look great, and it does help to put a UV inhibiting marine finish in them.  The thicker the coat, such as an epoxy, the lionger the color lasts.  If you put them out in the sun, yes, they will darken in a few days.  Leave them inside, out of UV rays, they stay that way for a long time, years has been our experience, even without the finish.  

We had one couple who hand picked through a pallet or two of these until they found the perfect one for a mantel to go over their big stone fireplace.  They literally took hours finding just the one they wanted.  They paid and left and a couple weeks later came back and when I asked them why, they said they put the other piece up like a mantle and could only see the live edge, so they took it down and hung it up flat like a huge picture on the stone, because it was so pretty.  It was the centerpiece of the room.  So now they were back to get an "ugly" mantle.  

[Magicman]

The way I read the OP, he has 30" "rainbow" Poplar logs.  There is no way to add a premium to the lumber that "might" be in a log. 

[kantuckid]

I've got lots of poplar ranging up to near 36", most tops out around 24-30". I cut a couple of trees 30 yrs back that were larger yet and they had lots of color that I don't see in the smaller trees?

[Normang]

thanks for the replies, have gotten a number of 12 to 14' footers, up to 36", off one site, with vivid , purples, blues, reds and yellows,  just didn't know how long they would retain the colors, and if their was another market, other than crafters

[YellowHammer]

Here's a rainbow polar table a customer made last week.  As I said, the colors darken. 


 

[Woodpecker52]

Red cedar is a beautiful purple but I have never seen it last long.

[WDH]

Even when the colors darken, it is exceptional wood.

[tacks Y]

What does the end of these look like? Can you see the color in the end grain? Been thinking of these ever since I saw the pictures. Not likely to find around here.

[YellowHammer]

Yes, the colors are very visible in the fresh cut endgrain.  

[PA_Walnut]

The way I read the OP, he has 30" "rainbow" Poplar logs.  There is no way to add a premium to the lumber that "might" be in a log. 

Not necessarily so. As @YellowHammer says, you can see the rainbow in a log. My logger is regularly looking for it for me, since I pay twice what his normal buyer does for poplar. win:win! 8)

[Magicman]

Yes, he brought that out after I made my statement.  Remember that I am still learning too.  :P

The difference is that I only saw what the customer has, and then woo and wow after I saw it.  I am not actually seeking or looking for it.  When I start taking pictures the customer may realize that he has something special, maybe not.  :

[PA_Walnut]

he difference is that I only saw what the customer has, and then woo and wow after I saw it.  I am not actually seeking or looking for it.  When I start taking pictures the customer may realize that he has something special, maybe not. 

No harm no foul. Of course EVERY customer's log is super-special, aren't they!? :D:D

[YellowHammer]

The interesting thing is that some, if not many logs, aren't equally pigmented around their circumference.  Some may only have 45° of very highly colored wood, some may be 180° or so.  I'm not sure why that is so, I've been told that's the side of the tree where the highest concentration of minerals were, but I don't know about that. 

So its important to eyeball the log before sawing and try to cut boards and slabs that have the maximum of balanced color while eliminating the boards that won't be as vivid.  That's better than just generating a stack of random color boards.

There is some trial and error involved, but it makes for interesting and enjoyable sawing.