: Poplar is fine, slightly heavy and not in the least rot resistant
: but under glass that's not a problem anyhow. Have a guy locally
: that built a Guillemot all in poplar and all 1/4" strips,
: it's around 45 lbs. but otherwise it's fine. Going to perhaps
: 3/16" strips would save some weight.

: Bill H.

My Night Heron, totaly made with black poplar strips 18 mm wide and 4.5 mm thickness, is almost ready.
The poplar is good to bend and carve but fairing with a plane gave to much tear out so the ROS was the proper tool for that.

I made the strips from inland (Dutch) grown poplar with a very course grain. The boards were straight but after ripping a great many strips had bends and warps.

The mistakes I made were many but everything could easy be repaired.
The poplar weighs 4 kg/dm3 against WRC with 3 kg/dm3 and fir 6 kg/dm3, so the extra weight can be overcome with thinner strips.

I think my Nigth Heron will be bomb proof because of the two layers glass in and out for the hull and the deck with one outside and 2 inside. The total weight at this moment without chair and footsteps is 20kg, but that is not because of the poplar. I used 80g/m2 glass. Do not know if it is e- or s-glass.

The poplar looks nice. The photo was taken before glassing. Sorry for the size. You have to make it smaller to see it sharp. Use CTRL - on the browser.

Greetings from the Netherlands
Daan Daniels