I've got a piece of silver birch which I found whilst filling up the log basket. This piece is a junction of two small branches and is beautifully spalted. it's been cut for about 30 months and appears very dry. Needless to say, it didn't make it to the log burner, but soon found itself attached to an expanding chuck and is the best bit of spalting I've turned so far (it's also only the third piece I've turned!). there doesn't appear to be any excessive moisture in it and the shavings coming off it are certainly very dry.
There were a couple of fine cracks radiating from the pith of each of the branches, but that was only superficial. I've just turned the outside of a bowl and will be returning to it later today to hollow it out. What's the best thing to do next.....rough turn it to a chunky thickness, then let it stand for a few weeks, or turn it thin-walled and finish it in one go.
Any comments appreciated.
Les (gwyntog)