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This is the first time i'm creating what i hope will be a well enough durable axehandle. I don't like to buy my wood, I would rather take a tree down and work from the beginning. It's feels better in some way. I have Aspen trees just 20 meters away from my house, so getting it isn't very challenging.

What i know, aspen is a medium strong wood. It flexes very badly, but it is extremely light. I am going to treat it after the head is on the handle, so things like water and insects shouldn't be that big of a problem.

I hope it's not going to be too horrible. I'm not really going to use it that much, I do this more for fun and to prove my skills. I still want it to be durable enough to be able to be used. I've cut aspen many times before and i have dried it. I know it's stiff but it seems like it can take a beating.

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    How big is your axe head? How long will the handle be? What cross section can it have (esp. the width of the eye)? How much use do you intend for the axe after hafting it (occasional light use v. regular heavy use makes a big difference in terms of how any handle might hold up)? And last but not least, are you intending to use a branch, a section of trunk or a split-out wedge from a trunk as the donor wood for the handle?
    – Graphus
    Aug 17, 2017 at 17:26
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    Re. drying of green timber, if you intend to use a freshly-cut aspen as your Question seems to indicate you realise the wood won't be dry for at least six months to as much as a year and a half after you fell the tree?
    – Graphus
    Aug 17, 2017 at 17:30

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Yes you can do it. No, I would not recommend it. Generally speaking, wood hardness is proportional to density. Aspen is a soft wood, and as you have indicated, it is very light. In an application like this where safety is a concern (you dont want that handle flying off!), I would not use a species as soft as this. In a pinch, I would make it out of aspen and for my first project I would take down a proper hardwood (ash and hickory are generally used for axe handles).

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