Given the pruning habits of old orchardists, the wood was likely subjected
to many different loads in its life, thus the bad behavior. You may have
been more fortunate, and received wood from neglected trees rather than
carefully tended orchards. Tends to cooperate better in drying.

With the modern practice of using espaliered trees, we'll see a lot less
apple to turn in the future. I'm fortunate to have a lot of volunteers
along the old road where kids threw cores out of the sleigh on the way to
school, and quite a few in the woods, where they grow somewhat more
vertically. Only one that tasted good to we humans was one down by the
river which the bank beavers dropped out of sheer spite, in my belief, since
they didn't eat the bark.


"Russ Fairfield" wrote in message
...
I hate to disagree with everyone, but Apple wood seems to have developed
an
"urban legend" around a nasty behavior. I have never found that Apple
takes any
more caution than many other common turning woods, and there are a lot of
other
woods that will warp and crack more. Maybe I am just lucky.