"Chuck" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 09 Aug 2004 23:26:57 GMT, "Maxprop"
wrote:

Thanks to nature (wind) and my neighbor (cum chainsaw), I've just
acquired a
sizeable lot of apple wood. Some of the pieces are 20-24" in diameter,
most
roughly 14", and the heartwood is a medium red/brown.

Any thoughts on turning apple? Ease? Precautions? Finishing?

Cracks like crazy, as most fruitwoods are prone to. Although, I've
had pretty good luck drying wet pieces in the microwave, as well as
using LDD. Split any large pieces lengthwise, ASAP, and end coat them
with Anchorseal, if you have it. You can try mismixed latex paint,
but I've found it to be almost useless in this application.

Uh oh.

It turns beautifully wet or dry, has gorgeous sapwood and heartwood.
The crotch pieces make nice bowls, especially if you have a crotch
with three or more limbs coming out of it.

Finish as you would any other moderately soft hardwood. Depends on
what you're using it for. I've used danish oil, beeswax, poly and
mineral oil/beeswax, all with decent results.

I have lots of stock to experiment with. Thanks for the advice.

Max