Lots of ways to try, but first, make sure you're cutting bottom up.

If the depth is not too great relative to the diameter, you should be able
to work a bowl gouge or fingernail spindle inside it. To begin the
finishing cuts on the bottom you may find your tool handle far to the right
of centerline at the start. Just follow the curl, moving off the nose to
the wing as you start up the side.

Best tool for this is the right-angle gouge - a ring tool like the Termite.
Worst, but still workable is a scraper. If you're going to scrape the
bottom, clean the sharpening burr from the tool and turn a smooth one with a
burnisher. Start center, nose down, roll into the scrape to get a bit of
shear as you pull the tool outward.

I wouldn't try to soften the wood with anything. Might try to consolidate
it with some shellac or lacquer, CA or one of the commercial products so it
doesn't peck out. Water'd have a tendency to foster tearing.

Greg G. wrote in message
...
Greg G. said:

I have been exclusively turning green wood, but ran across an
interesting piece of very dry spalted dogwood.

Actually, it's beech, not dogwood - don't know why I said that. :-\


Greg G.