The potential usefulness of X-ray CT scanning as a means of grading aspen logs is investigated. This work is important because logs that can be selected for lumber or veneer production have much higher value than those for OSB chips. X-ray data from an industrial-style scanner using only three measurement directions is shown to give realistic and stable CT reconstructions of the interior features of aspen logs. Two CT reconstruction schemes are described, specifically tailored to the cylindrical geometry of logs. These have annular and sector-shaped geometries, and they effectively reduce the dimensionality of the measurement task from three dimensions to two. This is the key feature that enables credible CT reconstructions to be created from very modest amounts of data, less than 1% of those used by typical medical-style scanners. Although they give much less resolution of fine detail, the two CT reconstructions are still able to identify the main physical freatures that control log grading, such as knots, rot and heartwood/sapwood regions. The much smaller amount of data to be measured and processed enables an industrial-style scannner to operate in real time, which is an essential feature for practical use.