Quoted from stashyboy:The frame is made from poplar wood. Very common in the furniture industry back in the day. It's stable (less warping/cupping), easy to machine, slightly more durable than pine, tight grain that can mimic hardwoods. The stain used is opaque and created a faux cherry look. I just recently redid one myself but opted for a couple coats of dark Minwax followed by several spray coats semi-gloss polyurethane.[quoted image]
Are you sure it is poplar? Seems like every piece of wood I've seen on older Williams, Bally, Genco, etc. is either oak or maple. Poplar is very stable and great for holding paint but is not typically used for stained applications. More importantly, Poplar is very, very soft (540 Janka vs 870 for cheap yellow pine). Hence, why I was curious about this.
