Post #394477 by bamboo stu on Wed, Jul 16, 2008 2:09 PM

Part of the problem is with the poplar you're practicing with. It has a very homogenous grain, by which I mean that the growth rings that alternate hard and soft aren't very different. A wood that might work better is douglas fir because the darker rings are hard and the lighter rings are quite soft. Find any old dry fir 2x4 and go nuts.

You might try the blowtorch again, and see if the soft grain burns faster than the hard grain, and then brush away the charcoal with a wire brush.