Pete,
good to have you in the forum, we hope this is the first of many posts. I personally always enjoy seeing the timbers we don't have ready access to and what can be done with them.
I can't see the checking you refer to in the piece, guess you hid it around the back for the photos.
Pyro work is something I keep meaning to explore, if I can get away from colouring things. I do like what you've done with this, the dark of the timber is highligthed by the black of the fire work.
Do you use a normal Pyro machine, or have you followed your countryman and built the Priddy wood vapouriser?