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Hi Jack, Apple is lovely wood. I've successfully dried a few trees. Wish I could get more. Your problem appears to be trying to dry the whole trunk or branch, yes? If so, the shrinkage on the outside far exceeds the shrinkage in the middle, resulting in cracks that are large on the outside, becoming smaller toward the center, or pith. Almost every tree will do this. One notable exception is dogwood, which often will dry check-free. Generally for lumber drying, the 3" around the pith are not good for much of anything. Commercial sawyers have pallet material. To get a good 3" blank for turning, you need to have at least a 6" thick trunk. 8" would be much safer. There are solutions you can buy that will prevent the wood from checking. PEG is one, which you submerse your stock in. Not anything I've been interested in experimenting with. One point of disagreement we have is your assumption that a check(s) makes the wood unacceptable. I've turned lots of wood with structural defects. Sometimes so holey that I've had to tape it together on the side opposite that which I was working. You might try turning while still very green. Dale Nish, at one time of BYU, was promoting that very strongly 25 yrs ago. You take a shower when the wood's very wet, but it sure turns easily and fast. Turn it oversize, then you stick it in a plastic bag for a few weeks with gradual exposure to your shop air. The idea is to make the drying extremely slow, to minimize checking. After it's dried, you turn to size. Don't expect your oversize turning to be anywhere close to round. Shrinkage won't be uniform. If you really want to understand wood movement and drying, the best book is "Understanding Wood" by R. Bruce Hoadley ISBN 0-918804-05-1. In Community Album take a look at an 8" walnut bowl with substantial checks, filled with plastic. Some find it more interesting than if there was no check. Eye of the beholder.
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