OSage cracking

[Jake Helmboldt]

I had posted this on the thread about osage orange, but it was a bit of a hijack and didn't get addressed. ( I should have just started a new thread from the beginning). But anyway....

Is it typical for OO to develop a lot of small cracks? My sister in law bought a blank and asked me to turn a bowl for her. I don't have a moisture meter so I have no idea how dry it was (seemed pretty dry when turning). The exterior developed a lot of very fine cracks, almost like a crazing with them going in all directions within a couple days of turning just the exterior.


After turning the inside and sanding it has warped just slightly enough that the foot isn't totally flat, but only noticeable if you are looking for it. But the cracks on the outside continued to develop and you can feel a bunch of fine ridges even after very fine sanding. Should I expect it to continue to move/crack? Should I put a finish on it now or wait? I'm thinking a basic BLO/beeswax finish since it has a nice satin sheen just with the sanding. I've had other bowls move on me, but never this kind of fine cracking.:confused:

[Gary Herrmann]

Osage does tend to crack, in my experience. Last time I turned a mallet from it, I started putting blo on it as soon as I got it off the lathe in an attempt to minimize it. In the time I walked over to the bench, it developed a fine crack. I don't know if it was just luck, but after several coats of blo, there were no more cracks. It was pretty wet when I turned it.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Jake I had a couple of OO bowls do that to me. I took a couple of final cuts and immediately soaked them with Antique Oil. Don't know and can't explain if it was the oil or what but they both did not crack after that.

[Allen Neighbors]

OO, and most other wood, for that matter, will crack while on the lathe. Sometimes, even when wood is 'relatively' dry, when you turn away the outside, you are releasing some of the stresses that are natural in the piece, and it'll crack if you're not careful.
When I turn a bowl, if I have to leave the piece for any time at all (even for nature's calls), I bag it in a plastic bag. Many times, I will finish the outside, and then while turning the inside, I'll keep the outside damp with a spray of soapy water... or, if it's dry enough when I finish the outside, I'll put a coat of finish on it while I'm turning the inside.