Bob Hackett
Until the middle of the last century there was a type of craftsmen called "Bodgers" in the UK who were effectively subcontractors to the mills that mass produced the chairs and tables. These people lived in the groves and turned chair parts on springpole lathes. They cut the wood, split the billets and turned the spindles from green wood. When they had depleted the suitable material from a grove they moved on and set up camp in the next grove.
My Conover lathe is patterned after what was originally a bodger`s lathe from the High Wycombe area of England.
There is a whole lot of history on both sides of the ocean to back green turning of chair parts Warren. Freezers aren`t the only way to keep billets green, all it takes is water. Water contained in a bucket, tub or pond. Even free running water like a creek or stream will do if you don`t have a bucket or tub (or a freezer) handy.