What to do with apple.

[Bill Jobe]

A while back I posted pics of some apple wood.
My intent was to turn large bowls, but many suggested that due to specific problems with apple my best bet was to cut them up to make smaller bowls.

I would like to take one of these 2 pieces to a sawmill and have a slab cut maybe 2-3" thick and make an end table.
What problems would I encounter considering the limitations of apple?

The piece on the left is ~20x15". On the right ~21x20".
If making a tabletop was doable which piece would you have sliced?
Both are sealed with amber shellac I bought by mistake. That's all I had on hand that I did not want for now.

[Bill Jobe]

Piece on left 15" long/tall.
Piece on right 11"

[Allan Ferguson]

I would choose the one on the left for a table top.

[Peter Blair]

It's gonna crack!

[daryl moses]

It's gonna crack!
You can bet on it!!!!

[John K Jordan]

It's gonna crack!

I know what I would do with it: cut it up into spindle and box blanks, wax the ends, any wild side grain, heart/sap transitions, and sides with mostly transverse rings. Stack and let dry for a few years. Wood with a reputation of being unstable has a better chance of avoiding the fireplace this way. (It as a T/R ratio of almost 2) Apple is a wonderful turning wood.

381003

JKJ

[Leo Van Der Loo]

As I looked at the pictures of your Applewood pictures, I see lots of splits already and voids in the other one, splits always get bigger and voids larger.

You might have been able to turn a larger bowl out of the wood at one time, but I would cut my losses and start cutting the wood into smaller pieces, trying to keep the splits out of them as much as possible.

Make sure you seal al sides and place the pieces in a cool place where they can dry at a slow pace.

[Ted Calver]

Guys who restore hand saws are sometimes looking for apple wood for handles, but I'd probably find a bowl or two in there.