Ive just had to cut down a Laburnum and a Cherry and am thinking about seasoning the wood for turning; any hints or tips?
Answer This is quite a big subject, but I will try to boil it down. Timber shrinks most around the annual rings; so when it is drying in the log form something has to give. In a section of any size, ie over several inches in diameter, one or more ‘V’ shaped splits often open up. If you want to reduce the splitting the best thing to do is to split the log longitudinally down the centre. Very often I don’t bother to split it – as wood in this form should be free, ie a gift (I wouldn’t normally buy it in this form) I just take my chance that something will be worth salvaging eventually. When you use wood in this form you must expect some failures, ie splitting or warping after the piece has been turned. It’s worth noting that turner’s often have these kinds of problems with wood bought from the timber merchants. The most important thing when storing your logs is to keep them cool. They must be kept in the shade in the summer in a well ventilated place. Keep the sections of log as long as
