Hitch wrote:

of reaction wood. Thus, I don't expect I could mill out thickish boards
and not have them move and check significanlty with humidity changes, but

Or should I just try turning bowls out of the wood? I've heard that
reaction wood from maple can have a lot of curly or quilted grain.

If you try to make a workbench out of them, you'll be sorely disappointed.
Likewise bowls. Those species are no good for bowls at all, and you're
wasting your time.

If you mail the logs to me, I'll dispose of them properly.

Seriously... If it were me, I'd be reluctant to make a bench out of such
lumber until it had been drying for a good year per inch, at least.
Benches want to be pretty flat and stable, and a green bench, laminated or
not, sounds like a bad plan to me. I'd probably just build a bench out of
KD lumber if I wanted a bench anytime soon.

OTOH, for turning just about anything goes. I'm personally short on turning
stock, so there would be no room for doubt there. A couple trees that big
would keep me turning everything I could imagine for a good long time, I'd
expect, and I'd be like a kid in a candy store.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/