Aspen drying

[Allan Ferguson]

Any suggestions for drying fresh Aspen? Cut a few days ago, split this AM. This wood has a tendency to rot rather than dry. I would like to turn it dry rather than wet. Any one handled this stuff.

[Dennis Ford]

I tried some dry Aspen once, it was pretty difficult to cut cleanly. I have not had much experience with drying it (it does not grow where I live).

[Curt Fuller]

I used to turn quite a bit of aspen. It's pretty miserable stringy stuff when wet. You just have to rough it without regard to the tearout and any sort of decent cut and then set it aside for a few months to let it dry. The local wood here in Utah seemed to dry relatively fast and didn't warp or crack much. So I would turn things pretty close to finished shape and size. The thing I found with aspen is that it gets a lot more interesting if it stands dead for a while. It's pretty bland when green but it gets more color as it sits out in the weather. If you can find a nice big dead standing tree that's lost all the bark it will usually have some nice wood inside.

[Al Wasser]

I have tried some of it, but an expert I'm not. The larger logs like 8" plus seem to crack about in 1/2 when left to dry. The smaller stuff does not seem to crack much. I've not rough turned any of it. Like Curt said, the stuff you find dry has a lot more color, the green stuff is pretty plain. Yes you do get quite a lot of tearout even with sharp tools but it sands quite easy.

[Greg Just]

In my experience, cut it up as soon as possible, rough out your bowl blanks and then seal with wood sealer. You will get a lot of tearout. After it drys for a month or 2, finish turning. It is a rather plain looking wood, but crotch pieces are nice. It stains and dyes well too.

[Allan Ferguson]

Thank you for the replies. I turned some green when I first stared turning. Miserable stuff! Right now it is split in half's and Anchor sealed. Sitting out under cover. It will turn easier dry than wet if it does not rot first. 10" diameter.