George , I really am perplexed as to where you see a "sudden change in direction " enough to feel it spoils the form so much . Yes of course it was turned wet , a piece of Ash of this dimension would be hard to find fully seasoned and then would be less pleasant to work , there will of course be some distortion of the overall shape but for me this is both expected and desired as I prefer / intend my work to have an organic , natural feel and appearance to them , it is from a real tree made of wood felled by myself ! Terry ..