Aspen grows throughout Russia and is a popular building material. A bathhouse made of such wood is considered one of the most durable and beneficial for human health.
Having a properly assembled aspen log house on your site, you won’t have to think about repairs or replace logs. Durability is its main, but not its only advantage.
A log house assembled from aspen logs only becomes stronger over time. This property has always attracted those who want to get a reliable structure. In addition to practicality, this wood has other useful advantages.
Aspen log house: buy a house or a bathhouse
More often, aspen log houses are purchased for the construction of baths, although it is also used for houses, but less often. This happens for several reasons, but the main one is price. How much does dried and properly processed aspen wood cost? The price is an order of magnitude higher than spruce and pine. The drying technology and assembly process are much more complex and take longer, so the cost increases.
The price of an aspen log house is 20-30% more expensive than a pine one.
The physical properties of the material itself also play a role.
Low thermal conductivity (prevents walls and shelves from heating up in steam rooms, which protects against burns when touched). Lack of resins (allows the use of paired ones without additional finishing to protect against them).
The construction of a log house from aspen is suitable for a bathhouse and a residential building. Size difference. An aspen log house: buying a house or a bathhouse is an individual decision, depending on desire and financial capabilities.
Building material: About Aspen in Bath
Eco-friendly estate: Aspen is an undeservedly forgotten tree by builders and woodworkers. Aspen has a number of amazing qualities: its density is whiter than that of other tree species in the middle zone; its resistance to abrasion is almost equal to that of oak wood; It is perfectly processed on a lathe and is easy to cut.
Aspen has a number of amazing qualities: its density is whiter than that of other tree species in the middle zone; its resistance to abrasion is almost equal to that of oak wood; It is perfectly processed on a lathe and is easy to cut.
The homogeneity of the wood allows you to make cuts in almost any direction without chipping or crushing it.
Light and durable dishes have long been made from aspen. To make a carved ladle or spoon, craftsmen steam the blanks in boiling water. After this, it is cut with sharp tools as easily as a turnip. They claim that cabbage soup and pickles do not even turn sour in aspen dishes. Apparently, there are some substances in wood that kill putrefactive bacteria. And it’s not for nothing that in some places housewives put aspen logs in sauerkraut.
Wood is also good because it lasts for a long time in water, and when dried it does not crack or warp. Therefore, from ancient times, well frames were knitted from aspen logs. You cannot find better wood for building a bathhouse: it is strong and durable, retains heat well, and does not burn the body when touched - therefore there will be no need to lay a rug on the shelves. Even in areas rich in timber, they preferred to build baths from aspen, however, such preference was given to it only where aspen trees with straight trunks and healthy wood were found.
Standing aspen is short-lived, as it is quite easily affected by heart rot. Therefore, it is necessary to cut down a tree at the age of 40 - 45 years. Previously, the domes and roofs of churches and other buildings were covered with aspen ploughshare (all the domes of churches in Kizhi are covered with aspen chips), which over time became silvery from the sun and rain. Such a roof is not only beautiful, but also strong, it does not rot for a long time. An interesting incident speaks about how strong this tree can be. Not long ago, a house was found in the Leningrad region, built more than a hundred years ago from aspen. It was preserved perfectly. The ax bounced off the dry, stone-like logs with a ringing sound.
About Aspen in Bath
In fairness, it is worth noting that the construction of a bathhouse from aspen is not carried out often these days, and aspen is used even less often for the construction of houses. We are reviving old Russian traditions and offering a log bathhouse made of aspen.
Aspen wood is a valuable building material from which you can build baths, houses, as well as small architectural forms. Aspen reveals its precious qualities best in bathhouses. Rounded aspen logs are aesthetically pleasing, practical, reliable, i.e. has all the necessary consumer characteristics. In addition, aspen is resistant to moisture and steam, does not crack due to temperature changes, does not rot or undergo other deterioration.
An aspen bathhouse can last for half a century without requiring any special repairs or maintenance. Bathhouses made from rounded aspen logs are durable because they undergo preliminary antiseptic treatment. A special advantage of aspen is its magnificent energy. Aspen takes away a person’s negative energy, promotes relaxation and stress relief, which is very important for healing bath procedures.
Wood carvers love aspen, like linden, for its ease of processing, light tone, fine fiber texture, and because it is accessible and even more common than linden. In the handicraft industry, aspen is also “respected” for the fact that it is not afraid of moisture and for its low density.
Only Siberian fir and poplar have a density less than that of aspen, and linden has the same density. Therefore, aspen is used to make lightweight toys and dishes. Previously, troughs, tubs, and gangs were made from it. In addition, it does not crack or prick from impact. In addition, aspen peels well - it is used to make shingles and matches. A healthy aspen tree, if it has dried out for at least two to three months, burns very well even without kerosene.
When aspen is burned, the chimney of the stove is cleared of soot, since it has an amazing ability to burn during its combustion the soot that remains in the stove from other types of trees. Therefore, it is used to fire rural and regional bathhouses, village houses, and boiler houses. The practice of our ancestors confirms what has been said, although it does not fully reveal all the reasons and secrets.
It turns out that the walls of the huts, built from aspen many years ago, still amaze with their strength, whiteness and cleanliness. The ax bounces off such wood and, at best, penetrates only shallowly. It is not for nothing that aspen is now used in villages for making shelves and benches in bathhouses, and for lining their walls - it is hygienic, light and clean, not afraid of moisture, does not warp or crack.
Experienced villagers make handles and handles for agricultural implements, when the combination of lightness and strength, just from aspen, is worth its weight in gold. Only for this purpose it is necessary to cut down a young aspen in the spring, when the wood is filled with sap, and give it the opportunity to dry well in the shade - to wither. Then it will become both light and strong, like bone. Obviously, the aspen does not just dry out, some kind of polymerization occurs under the influence of the components of its juice.
In terms of chipping strength, aspen is similar to linden and is superior in this to coniferous species, as well as poplar. And in terms of resistance to splitting from impact, it stands next to birch and ash, even ahead of beech, oak, maple, walnut, linden, and coniferous trees. This indicates the viscosity of aspen.
We can also mention the famous property of the silvery glow of aspen, which we observe on the roofs of the cathedrals of wooden architecture of the North of our country covered with ploughshares (curly carved planks). It must be assumed that for the ploughshare, the old masters used high-quality wood blanks, i.e. cut down while filling the aspen with spring sap. Folklore has created an aura of mysticism and mystery around the aspen. In proverbs and sayings it is characterized unflatteringly:
“Aspen is ugly, bitchy and noisy.” “Aspen does not burn without kerosene.” “The aspen keeps whispering, damned tree.” “On the aspen there is blood under the bark” (the bark under the skin is reddish). “Fever and teeth are spoken against aspen” (rubbing gums with bark until they bleed).
Many builders who build wooden houses do not like and try to avoid this type of wood, because aspen has a number of negative properties. The negative properties are as follows:
As a rule, this type of wood grows in the central zone of the Russian Federation in swampy areas, or in areas where there is a lot of moisture. Hence, aspen has very high humidity and, as a rule, in most cases, a rotten structure (core). It is very difficult to select 1st grade aspen for sawing, because out of ten sawlog trunks, only one is not rotten and is ready for sawing and further processing.
One cubic meter of freshly sawn edged boards and timber weighs 1:1 or 1 m3 = 1000 kg and is very heavy when loading. This becomes especially obvious when loading timber, say 150x150x6000mm. The vices of aspen do not end there, but are just beginning.
For in-depth processing (drying and selection in the category), only the crown of the entire tree trunk, only 3 to 4.5 m long, is suitable, since the core has not yet had time to rot and has few knots.
It is for this reason that you will never find aspen paneling 6m long. Due to its humidity, aspen has a very high shrinkage coefficient and reaches about 40%. Cube dry edged aspen weighs about 500-600 kg.
Any drying of edged boards and aspen beams is a lottery (natural or chamber, it makes no difference) since 60%-80% of the boards will definitely be rejected because they will definitely move or “twist”, i.e. they will be crooked. Only 20%-40% of the board remains ready for further processing. There is even a pattern: the longer the board, the greater the likelihood that this event will occur.
When building, say, a roof (sheathing) where edged boards 25 mm thick are used, builders prefer to work with coniferous boards and this is understandable because what will happen to the roof after a little time when the sheathing boards are unscrewed from aspen does not need to be explained, I think the example with the rafter part of the roof It's not worth taking apart.
These are, in fact, all the main reasons why builders avoid working with aspen as a building material.
HOWEVER: Let us turn to the origins of Russian Construction Architecture; the history of wooden construction goes back more than one thousand years. After all, just a century ago there were no such huge drying chambers, chainsaws and sawmills.
The work was painstaking and time-consuming, the construction workers were less selfish, were not familiar with modern technologies and did all the work by hand (from preparation, processing to construction). Consequently, the craftsmen understood more about how and what kind of wood they need to work with, and what kind of approach this or that wood needs. It is for this reason that knowledge was passed on to the master “through hands” with experience or by inheritance “from father to son”, so this profession was respected and in demand throughout Holy Russia.
Properties of aspen edged boards:
the material is very durable, and when dry it practically has the properties of concrete (monolith). With age, this material only gains weight, i.e. it becomes stronger. Anyone who has worked with dry aspen can tell you how often you need to sharpen a chainsaw chain (it gets stuck in the dense texture of the wood, the chips are very large, and fly off in flakes the size of “popcorn”), and how difficult it is to work with an ax or hammer. That is why selected, large, dry aspen was used in the manufacture of inter-storey floors and roof trusses.
The material is not afraid of moisture, and being in a humid environment is not subject to rotting; in addition, once in a natural dry environment, it restores all its properties.
Having gone through all the stages of sorting and processing, Russian craftsmen used, as strange as it may sound, in roofing (shingles).
Even unplaned aspen in good sunny weather has a silvery white tint.
And in the rays of the sun it shimmers like silver metallic paint (this can be seen in the photo of the well frame). Those who have not seen it, are welcome to visit the open-air museum of the city - Suzdal, where houses and temples of wooden Russian architecture from all over Russia are collected.
It has a subtle pleasant smell that is not “tart” like pine needles and does not hit the nose with its sharpness when the temperature rises and does not emit resin, and also does not burn when touched. It is for this reason that aspen and not pine needles are used for finishing the steam room, or even for the construction of the entire bathhouse.
This material is very cheap due to its mass production. Mainly used for rough work, formwork, scaffolding, subflooring. Selected aspen is very expensive and is probably not worth comparing with pine needles.
Aspen firewood is used as a chimney cleaner. That is, they remove the soot. And they are often or usually mixed with birch fagots.
Based on the above, we strongly recommend that the first crowns of a log house (beams or chopped logs) be made from aspen. It is expensive, and it will take a lot of time to find the right aspen in sufficient quantities, but it is necessary, because this house will outlive you and will go to your children without major repairs. published If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to the experts and readers of our project here.
PS And remember, just by changing your consumption, we are changing the world together! © econet
Features of building a log house from aspen
The main property of aspen wood is hardening. In the future use of the building, this ability only increases the positive effect. But this same property can create considerable problems during the construction stage.
Features of the construction of a log house from aspen: felling and preparation are carried out at a certain time and with professional tools. To prevent cracks from forming when the log dries, it is recommended to cut “in the paw”, since in this case there are fewer open areas left. Over time, the aspen will become harder and it will become impossible to repair the log.
Properties of wood
On average, these trees grow up to 90 years, but there are also long-livers that reach up to 150 years. Construction is carried out from trunks aged 45-50 years. Since aspen prefers to grow in wetlands, the core of the trunk often rots.
The percentage of wood moisture changes and reaches a minimum in August - 64%. The maximum figure occurs in January – 118%.
Such differences force us to carefully choose the time to harvest timber for the construction of a bathhouse. Moreover, this moisture is unevenly distributed throughout the tree trunk. The upper part contains more water than the lower part.
Negative properties of aspen
Often professionals even refuse to work if they know that they will have to deal with aspen. After all, many properties of wood of this species are negative.
First of all, it is worth mentioning such a negative property as the excessive amount of moisture contained in the structure. The core of the aspen trunk, as a rule, rots because of this. Moreover, the process of decay occurs even before the tree is cut down. But this is just the beginning of all the problems. When delving deeper into the processing process, it turns out that only the top of the tree trunk is suitable for this. It can reach a length of four meters. The same moisture contained in the structure makes aspen wood dry. As a result, one edged board has a very large weight.
In any case, if a person chooses aspen wood for building his house or for renovation work, then more than half of the purchased boards will simply have to be thrown away, since they will be completely unsuitable for work. Many of them will be crooked. And only a small percentage of aspen boards can be subjected to further processing.
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Advantages of aspen wood
The amazing properties of aspen make it an indispensable material in construction. The advantage of such a log house is its exceptional hardness. And when moisture enters, the structure of the material only becomes denser and ossifies. The strength of such a building is much higher than the same log house, but made of other types of wood.
The value of wood lies in its thermal conductivity. In practice, this means that aspen products do not heat up like other types of construction wood. In a steam room at high air temperatures, you cannot get burned when you come into contact with the walls, as they will be slightly warm.
Another advantage of this material is that aspen does not emit resins. This allows you to save on finishing the interior of the room, namely the steam room. No additional costs are required, and the effect is enhanced. While in the steam room, you will feel the ease of breathing and comfort when touching the warm wood. By building a bathhouse from aspen, you get:
- environmental friendliness;
- aesthetics;
- durability;
- safety.
Brief characteristics of aspen wood
Aspen's habitat is wetlands; these trees prefer places where there is no lack of moisture. This state of affairs affects the nature of the wood: it turns out dense, heavy and very wet. If the tree is old, then there is a high probability that its core has rotted, making it unsuitable for making aspen timber. The wood texture is uniform, the color is usually light yellow. When drying, the material acquires a characteristic shine and becomes lighter. Aspen wood is strong, and when it dries it becomes even stronger, as well as with increasing age (we are talking about a healthy, selected species). Raw materials with natural moisture are processed well, dried ones - poorly (the ax and saws become dull due to their dense structure). One of the reasons why a do-it-yourself log bathhouse is often built from aspen is its subtle, unobtrusive smell. In addition, like larch lumber, aspen beams are not afraid of moisture, perfectly withstanding the hell of a Russian bath.
Practicality and costs for further operation
Harvesting aspen logs
The best time to start harvesting aspen timber is from the end of March to mid-May. During this period, the juices move inside the plant, and the bark is easier to separate from the trunk. Doing the same thing at another time is much more difficult. Therefore, only this period is used for procurement. The further process of preparing cut trees, processing speed and appearance depend on the correct choice of time.
Drying wood
The process of drying cut aspen logs takes a long time. There are several methods, but the most popular is the water hammer method. It helps the wood to dry out gradually with minimal loss and deformation. When moisture evaporates from the wood structure, drying occurs. It loses up to 40-45% in volume, and this is taken into account at the construction planning stage.
Characteristics of properly dried and treated aspen logs:
- elasticity;
- aesthetic appearance;
- increased hardness;
- moisture resistance;
- antimicrobial properties.
Where can you buy quality aspen
When making the final decision to build a bathhouse or house from aspen, it is necessary to take into account that the life of the room for its intended purpose depends on the quality of the wood. If, when selecting sawn logs, they are found with rotting cores, they are removed and not used in construction. If you miss one such workpiece, instead of durability, in a few years you will get a rotten structure that will not last long.
Our company offers you to purchase properly sawn, dried and treated wood.
Russian steam room: what should it be like?
Our website presents a number of log house projects, for example: Or you can see all prices for log houses. You can calculate the house or bathhouse you need with maximum accuracy using our log house cost calculator. To order and buy a log house, call:
- Vologda
- Moscow,
Comments
Svetlana
Why is the steam room lined? If the bathhouse is made of a log house, does the steam room need to be doused?
14.06.2019
Answer
- dom
Hello, I don’t understand the question, what does it mean - the steam room needs to be doused, it’s like, but the steam room is sheathed for aesthetics, it’s more beautiful and comfortable.
14.06.2019
Answer
What types exist and grow in Russia
In forestry, aspen is generally considered a weed because it is unpretentious, takes root in any conditions, grows quickly and occupies large areas. At the same time, this tree is a pioneer, which is the first to appear in unsuitable places. Aspen is a light-loving crop. She chooses well-lit areas.
The ability of aspen to withstand severe frosts allows it to inhabit the subpolar regions in the forest-tundra zone. The distribution area covers most of Russia: the European part, the Caucasus, Siberia, and the Far East. In Chukotka, trembling poplar has been included in the list of protected plants in the Red Book since 2008.
