Aspen experts?

krazy · Sep 2, 2014

This is an odd topic, but I thought I would throw it out there anyway. Has anyone ever used aspen, with the bark left on, for building furniture? Like many, I carved my wife's and my initials in a tree, and decided it might be cool to use that portion of the tree for a piece of furniture, maybe a pedestal to put a piece of taxidermy on.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I have researched and found a couple recommendations for a poly product, but I haven't been able to find any information on how long to wait to apply it. We cut the tree down green, so I am not sure how long it should dry, if at all, before trying to seal the bark.

Anyway, happy hunting!

Zeke · Sep 2, 2014

So that's why our aspen groves are shrinking! It's all the carving and furniture making! We're in a real crisis and you want to chop down some trees for furniture. Be careful, aspen doesn't just grow on trees. .... oh wait, yes it does, never mind. LOL
Zeke

Nodakker · Sep 2, 2014

Everything you need to know about aspens

Honestly... I've done a lot of woodworking and I can tell you with cedar that sap will leak out for a good year after cutting down live. After that good for sanding and working with/finishing. Not sure on aspens though.

eelgrass · Sep 2, 2014

Pretty "neat" video.

I've done quite a bit of woodworking with raw logs and burl. You never want to seal a piece of "green" wood. The idea of sealing it is to seal the moisture out, not in. A piece of green wood will also shrink as it dries, so building a piece of furniture out of wet wood can be a disaster as it dries. The length won't shrink, but mainly width and thickness, so some projects will work OK.

A rule of thumb used by sawmills for air drying lumber is 1 year for every inch of thickness. You can do it quicker of course if you have access to a kiln.

I've never worked with Aspen, but Alder is similar. Sometimes the bark will "slip" as it dries, but sometimes not. I think it depends on the time of year it was cut. If you cut one late summer to winter, I think your chances would be better for the bark to remain tight.

Eel

sageadvice · Sep 2, 2014

LAST EDITED ON Sep-02-14 AT 08:30PM (MST)[p]If you are a child or teenager recovering from chicken Pox or the Flu, don't use Aspirin products.
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Be very careful of stomach bleeding with...

OH, you said Aspen! HaHa, i don't know $hit about ASPEN!

Joey

"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

John_The_Bastard · Sep 3, 2014

Hello,
My cousin Blacksheap makes primitive furniture. He uses rough sawn lumber, Old barnwood especially weathered previously painted boards and such things as willow shoots. He built me a set of a chair, a lounger and some tables with the combination using the aspen after it dried for such parts as legs and uprights. He used a hand held grinder and made marks like we see bears make on aspens. The furniture goes well in areas we decorate primitive or "rustic". Just a thought starter.
John_The_Bastard

elkun · Sep 3, 2014

fake bear marks? go to

Stonefly · Sep 3, 2014

LAST EDITED ON Sep-03-14 AT 08:20PM (MST)[p]My brother in law gave me a pic of both my parents names and the year (1978) carved in a quaky. for christmas last year. My Dad passed away in 92 and my mom in 94. Its one of the nicest gifts I think I have received. He showed me the tree this spring and its only a mile from my Elk camp. I walked over to eat lunch with my wife one day on our hunt this year.

hank4elk · Sep 3, 2014

I've done some Aspen pieces and Aspen will slip it's bark.It can turn dull gray,not the crisp white/black. Best just to bark it and dry,or bark later. It's not like Birch or others for bark on.
I have seen bent Aspen furniture,like the Willow.
Had good luck with Bitter Cherry and such and not lost the bark. I use a clear coat,makes it semi-glossy.
I got special drill cutters to make the dowel/tenon ends on legs,rails,backs,struts etc on trunk/branch wood 1/2"-1 1/2". Drill out for mortis. They make big ones the mass furniture guys use on beds,like stuff in Cabellas.
I use wood cured at least a year,stood on end in stacks or stickered, off ground.