"TonyM" tonym.le"at"comcast.net wrote in message
. ..

I've turned about 150 species of wood into spheres but never tried to
make a bowl out of oak, why work a difficult wood when there are so many
others to choose from.

Amen to that. I had a goodly supply of white oak, some of it turned when
wet and the rest dried before turning. And I can say with complete candor
that I've never been as frustrated with any other wood. Tearouts and
catches are common, and the end products are really quite indistinguished
unless the grain is irregular. Simply not worth the effort and frustration.
Recently a neighbor cut down a black oak and was surprised when I turned
down his offer to take what I wanted.

Max