"Mike Mac" wrote in message
...
Ok... so I have a question..

I have some DRY firewood, (bottom of the pile for 1 or 2 years).
Providing theres no serious checks or splits, no reason I can't try
turning it to final size?

You may turn it to final size, but it will probably move a bit anyway.
Simply put, wood is influenced by the relative humidity of its environment.
The percentages and rules of thumb people spout are meaningless and often
worse - incorrect. It's a case of equilibrium with surroundings or not.
The greater the section of the wood, the greater the possible differential
between the interior and surface. Could be the interior is dryer than the
surface, most likely the reverse. If you're talking wood made green but
under cover outdoors where air could circulate for a couple of years,
should be able to turn smaller pieces or the kind of work that cares nothing
about warp start to finish. If you're talking wood stored indoors, you can
probably count on making a round piece that will stay pretty round, changing
only with its environment.

Nothing we make on the lathe is ever round for long.

The firewood on the bottom of my stacks is generally the wettest, not the
driest. Lack of circulation and proximity to the ground keep it from drying
like the stuff up top in the sun.