Dinyar Chavda
>Joe:

I recently turned a couple of pieces of Box Elder, one of which was also a crotch piece. It was easy to turn, and, even though I turned the crotch piece as a single hollow vessel with all three piths in it, did not have any problems with either tearing or cracking. However, I do use the detergent soak approach now for almost everything, just to prevent splitting, and so I used it here too.

I just went back to one of the pieces as I had shown it to Phil Wall and he suggested a redesign, and, fortunately, there was enough wood in the piece to permit it. In fact, it is on the lathe now. The vessel had warped slightly, but, again, I have not had any problems getting it round again.

I'm curious, what are you planning to do with the crotch piece--split it into multiple sections for several pieces, or turn it as a single bowl, or as a single hollow vessel?