My son bought a new house in the country on a lake and had to cut down a
large 2 foot diameter dead evergreen tree. There was no foliage and the bark
was still intact. It has wood that's quite red. I thought it would be a
nice idea to make a salad bowl set for him and his wife from the wood.
I have an old lathe that I used once about 5 years ago as well as the tools.

My question is what do I have to do to the wood to prepare it for turning so
that it doesn't split? Right now it's a pile of 2 foot logs.
Thanks
Wayne