Has anyone made anything out of solid aspen?

Christina H
by Christina H
  3 answers
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Jul 12, 2012
    I've done lots with aspen...from simple picture frames to complete log beds. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kmswoodworks/4497266296/in/set-72157623787645678 The Bed is aspen and the framed photo is also aspen. I prefer to work with "dead standing" timber as is has a lot more color and variation...when aspen is harvested "green" the wood is kind of white and boring.
  • Christina H Christina H on Jul 12, 2012
    Menards carries the solid Aspen and it seems kinda soft compared to other wood..do you think KMS that you can make an accent table out of it w/out it splitting?
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Jul 12, 2012
    Its not so much a splitting thing as the general "softness" as an accent table the wear and tear will be greatly reduced....compared to a desk or dinning type table. Aspen is soft enough that writing with a pen on a single sheet of paper would leave tracks or dents in the wood. I would put aspen at the bottom comparing it to basswood and poplar. The reason I have done a lot of work with it is because I can harvest it locally so my costs are just time in the shop milling it and converting it into projects. Here is one of two small end tables I built using aspen for the "log" legs. The top is douglas fir...which is a bit harder.