Expert: Jamie Yocono - 1/2/2007

Question
Hello, Is there Tuckernut trim pieces or something that would match close to grain and color?  May be pine?  I am thinking about trim pieces in lu of a lot of routering.  Thanks   Dave
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Greetings,
I am going to build a wet bar in my basement and am wanting to stain it a medium dark cherry but I don't want to use expensive woods.  What do you suggest to use wood wise?  I was looking at Poplar at Lowes yesterday.  It seemed to have a nice grain for the stain.  Thanks so much for your valuable time.
-----Answer-----
Hi Dave,

Poplar isn't a bad choice for building your wet bar, but if you're buying it at a big hardware retailer, you're probably going to pay too much for it.

Let me explain and give you a little more information, as well.

While Poplar is classified as a hardwood (meaning it comes from a tree that loses it's leaves) it's on the soft end of the spectrum of hardwoods. Hardwoods are generally thought of as being the best wood for furniture and projects such as yours. Softwoods, on the other hand, come from trees that don't lose their leaves, or needles, in some cases. These include trees like Pines, Firs, Spruce, and so on. If you think about it, these woods are sappy and soft, so that's why they're not in demand for the fine stuff. But Poplar can just about be as "soft" as Pine, so that's why I said it's a "soft" hardwood. But it also has another quality that some people don't prefer- and that is the greenish color that it sometimes has. It as something to do with way in which the wood has been dried, as well as where the wood was grown within the tree itself.

Do I use Poplar? Yes, quite often, but only in place where I need some inexpensive, strong pieces, and when color and grain isn't going to affect the piece I'm building. So I use it for braces, stretchers and hidden frames. I don't like the greenish tint, and while it stains somewhat well, my eye still sees the "green" and I don't like it.

Another thing about the Poplar you mentioned- if you're buying it from a big hardware retailer, you're probably paying too much. They sell it already planed and edged, and sold usually by the lineal foot. But wood from most "real" lumber yards is sold by the board foot, which is one square foot that is 1 inch thick.  Do the math on what you're looking at and you'll see that you're paying $6 or more per square foot for the Poplar at the big stores. That's way too much! The last time I purchased it, it was about $2.50 a board foot. And what I purchased was probably of WAY better quality than what you were looking at.

All of this means a couple of thing- Poplar isn't a bad choice, but if you want to use it, you might want to find a smaller, perhaps independently owned lumberyard in your area, and buy from them. You'll pay less and probably see a better selection of Poplar boards. You may have to do a little searching for a small lumberyard, but it will be worth it.

Another thing to consider is using a cabinet grade plywood, possibly with a Cherry veneer. You will save a lot of time in making the piece, since you won't have to glue up your large panels and plane them down. You'll be getting the beauty of Cherry, and while it will cost more than the Poplar initially, you will probably make that up in the time it takes to build your project. Once again, you will probably need to buy this from a smaller, independent store, rather than the big two. They usually don't carry cabinet grade hardwood plywood. I think the last time I bought a sheet of 3/4" Cherry plywood, it was about $90. If you calculate how much you're going to need to spend if you use Poplar, you might actually save money going with a plywood.

There are also some ways to save using plywood. If you find a store that has a decent selection, ask them if they have any shop grade plywoods. I have been buying some stuff called Tuckernut plywood, in a 4 x 8 sheet for about $30. It sort of looks like a blond Mahogany, and it takes a stain exceptionally well. It also is similar to Baltic Birch plywood, meaning it has more layers per sheet, so it's very strong stuff, with less flexibility. If I had to build a bar like yours, I would be using the Tuckernut plywood or a Baltic Birch, as they're inexpensive and take a stain nicely. Be careful if you use a BB, as the face grain can be full of those football shaped plugs. Or worse, it can contain some nasty knots. So look at it good before you choose it. The Tuckernut is blemish free.

So there are alternatives out there, Dave. You just have to know what to look for. Yes, Poplar will look nice, but if you decide to use it, know that there are some color issues, as well as price issues. If you want to use a solid wood, as opposed to plywoods I've mentioned, you might want to look at Ash, Beech, Birch, Soft Maple or even Sassafras. It depends on where you're located and what the local lumberyards in your area sell.

If this doesn't help you with your decision, write back and let me know what part of the country you live in. I'll try to steer you in the direction of a smaller lumberyard in your area. I hope this helps, write back if you have any other questions.

And if this answer was helpful... please take a minute and rate my service. Thanks!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com


Answer
Dave,

I'm not even sure there is such a wood as Tuckernut! I think sometimes, lumber companies make catchy names up for old boring woods. Sort of like how Orange Roughy (the fish) came out of nowhere, and it's just another name for a common whitefish. They rename it, market the heck out of it, and it catches on. So Tuckernut could be just a new name for a common wood, they've spiffed it up and are marketing the heck out of it.

I suspect it's probably some sort of Luann variety, as it has the look (grain) of it, and color, too.  Since Luann is a fairly fast growing wood, there are probably MANY "Tuckernut" tree farms out there. I'm not making fun of it, a few years ago, you never heard of Pergo and now it's pretty popular stuff. Plywood manufacturers have to keep up with the demand somehow.

I don't know if there's anything that would be a match (grain and color) to Tuckernut. But the bigger question is... can you even find it locally? I suggest you locate a shop grade plywood first, and then try to find a solid wood molding that will match it. The people who sell you the plywood should be able to tell you what matches it best. So start with the plywood, then look for something that's a reasonable match.

But as far as your question, I'm not aware of anything to match Tuckernut. If I was using Tuckernut and staining it a dark Cherry, I would probably match it with some variety of Mahogany. It's the closest match, grainwise, but not color wise. So you may have to pre-stain it to get them to match it.

OK, good luck, write back again if you need to. Sounds like you're on the right track.

Jamie Yocono