Few things I learned about turning blanks: Keep a few inches away from the pith (no blocks with pith) and keep em 6" or under in thickness. Most wood working band saws will only cut a 6" max thick chunk, they cut em round before the stick em on the lathe. Sap wood is ok, even a little bark, but it fetches less than ones that are clean (no sap / bark). Seal the entire block with Ancoseal, theres a fine line between good and spalted and rotten and no good for nothing
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