Oak bowl

[Percy]

I have acquired two very large six inch thick slabs of oak, and have tentatively started turning a few bits. The timber has been air drying of sorts - is been left on a pallet under a tarpaulin in a farm yard for 4 years, so it has several splits and cracks that I have been working out what to do with. Below is a photo of my first try - a large bowl (diameter is 450mm, depth is 150mm) which I have left deliberately thick and heavy. The wood is lovely, but I have filled the few cracks with pigmented epoxy putty so its vaguely water-tight. I carved some scoops into the rim the try and add a little extra interest. Any c & c welcome, as always.

[Les Symonds]

That's a heck of a lump and must be an impressively heavy bowl. Did you turn it in one go, or did you rough turn and let it relax for a while? My concern would be that the cracks might open a little further.
Les

[Percy]

I roughed it out but then was too impatient to let it acclimatise for more than two or three days before I finished it. I'm pretty sure the cracks will open further - it will give me an opportunity to see if the epoxy putty will drop out, or if it will glue the existing cracks shut so new ones form. I think the next few pieces of this oak will just get roughed out and then sealed and hidden away for a few years!

[bodrighywood]

I would put it aside and let it dry then fill with some contrasting material. Make a feature of the splits. Epoxy won't glue the cracks (IME) I never use the stuff. Trying to fill splits and cracks on wood that is still moving is usually a waste of time. If you can put it somewhere  nice and warm and dry for a few weeks, that should finalise any movment.

Pete

[Derek]

I roughed out an Oak blank which was wet and it still split so I left it for some time and when it was dry enough I then added some butterflies across the split and made a feature of them.

https://www.awgb.co.uk/awgbforum/index.php/topic,5562.0.html