How to saw aspen?

[idaho04]

I got 6 big aspen logs, 24" dia from my neighbor. I was wondering what is the value of aspen, how to saw it and what is it the lumber good for?

[beenthere]

Aspen can make good construction lumber, in dimension sizes. Also, good for casegoods, such as drawer sides/backs and parts to be upholstered.  Even has a nice figure in some pieces, that has some striking sheen to it.
In other words, lots of things....

What types of things do you make from wood? 

[idaho04]

I usually mill cedar, pines and firs. I air dry the lumber. I make outdoor furniture, tables, chairs, benches, etc. Never milled an aspen. I have WM LT40G28.

[Sprucegum]

You will notice everything Beenthere said aspen is good for is "indoor stuff"

Aspen doesn't like outdoor weather/moisture near as well as the woods you mentioned. It can be used outside if you have nothing else, long as you can keep it reasonably dry.

[logwalker]

It used to go into casket linings. How 'bout that? Joe

[OneWithWood]

I milled a lot of aspen on a very similar mill.  All of it went into dimension lumber that I used to build the barn I keep the mill, kiln and woodworking equipment in.  Keep it dry and it is a pleasure to work with.

[Brad_S.]

Perhaps it's a regional thing, but every aspen I've sawn excessively bowed up off the saw and required that the cant be turned 180° before taking the next board. Often, a cleanup cut is also required beforehand to minimize thick and thin boards. Luckly your logs are fairly large. Cutting thick dimensional stock off of small aspen logs compounds the problem.
Jeff has cut one or two aspens in his day and can probably tell us whether this is normal in aspen in all areas of the country.

[Furby]

I had a lot of trouble with cant movement in the aspen tops.
The butts didn't move nearly as much.
There are different types of aspen as well.

[Dave Shepard]

I have only sawn a few aspen, I hope I don't have to do any more. The boards jumped, wiggled, split, cupped, bowed and do-se-doed all over the place. It made some interesting lumber though, with the white sapwood on either side of the board, with the dark heartwood in the middle. If they ever got it dried in one piece, they were going to make cabinet doors out of it, which would definately get your attention.


Dave