F Murtz wrote:

What is the best range of moisture content for turning timber?


it depends on what you want to end up with. The easiest to turn is wood
straight from a freshly fallen tree. However, as it dries the piece will
warp because of the nature of how wood dries. So, you will need to do one
of the following, rough turn and let it dry several months and then finish
turning, turn it and microwave it, boil it or treat it in any of several
other ways (these are of different degrees of effectiveness.) My preference
is to rough turn and let it dry until the moisture content stablizes with
the surrounding air.

If you want the piece stable when you finish it, then you need turn dry
wood. Dry wood will not give you those long streamers as the wood comes
off, and will be more difficult, but the piece will be stable when you are
finished.

Deb