Ideas on how to cut this?

[David Wrate]

I was given this piece of apple today.
It’s the first time I’ve had any crotch wood so I’m at a loss about how I should approach turning it.

 

[Monty Ivy]

I would cut it like this with a chainsaw. Aim for the pith on the other end along the axis that I drew. Try to get ALL of the pith out of the blanks. With that in mind you may need to make more than 1 cut to do that.

I find it a lot easier to do if I use a sawbuck. Not a requirement just something to think about.

 

[hockenbery]

That piece may be a pleasant surprise or firewood.
The cracks and quality of the wood are a concern in the bottom photo.
All the piths I can see have radially cracking. Crotches are prone to bark inclusions.
I’d cut it and then carefully inspect for structural stability and the depth of the cracks.
You want to be sure the piece won’t move or roll as you cut with a chainsaw.

I might try to get a heart shaped NE bowl from it
This is a handout I use it has some tips on how to cut a crotch and layout the center.

http://swat.hockenbery.net/SWAT%20Natural%20edge%20crotch%20bowl.pdf

I would try these cuts. First is what I think Marty suggested.

 

[robo hippy]

That big rotten spot would make me pause about making anything out of it. It might be better used for the smoker. I would also cut it on those suggested lines.... Then see what you have.

robo hippy

 

[John Dillon]

Hard to tell, but I think you will find that punky wood is where ants have tunneled right through the inside of the tree. Will be punky from one end to the other and probably kind of useless for a bowl. You might have some solid wood you can make some spindle stock out of if you get a reasonable cut with your chainsaw and then put it on the bandsaw.

 

[David Wrate]

Thanks gents. I'll slice it up and see what I get. All the cracks definitely give me pause.

 

[Dean Center]

I agree with all of the above comments. What you have is a complicated piece of wood, complicated further by defects. How to cut and turn is a challenging decision for anyone. For someone learning, it's a "maybe later" piece. I get that you like challenges and want to grow, but this chunk is 20 pounds of frustration.

My recommendation would be to take 47 pieces of defect-free wood, and work on turning bowls with a smaller foot and a continuous curve. But I'm a realist and look forward to the saga of the apple crotch attempts.

 

[Dave Landers]

Our club had a chainsaw training event last month, with some 1-on-1 sessions covering both safety and (once that was ok) strategies for cutting blanks. One thing I did with each of my students was to have them cut a crotch so we could talk about choices.
You want to cut out the piths, but most of the figure is between the branches, so cutting thru the two pith-lines also cuts right thru that figure. Doh! But if you cut so you keep that bit between the branches, you usually end up with a much smaller piece.
After discussing it, I had them cut thru the piths and we looked at the figure that exposed. Then I suggested that they make two bowls - one natural edge (figure in the bottom) and another with the bottom near the bark so the figure is on the edge of the bowl. That pair of bowls from the same crotch should give them a good start at "seeing" what's inside the tree and some experience to guide the decisions on their next crotch. (we didn't have the checking problems that your piece has, so you've got more to deal with here).
It all comes down to experience, learning how to "see thru the bark" to what (might) be inside. Only (best) way to get there is to quit worrying about how to cut each piece and just get on with it - make some decision and do it. (wood literally grows on trees, so there'll be more). Remember what you did and how it turned out, and apply that knowledge next time (and the next, etc).

 

[Brian Gustin]

Agree with Dave - Really only way to get to it is take a methodical approach and make the cuts, keep notes to refer back to later, and see what you can get out of it.
My suggestion differs, but ultimately the cut is up to you - It's hard to define just how things might run from just 2 images (I'd probably turn it back and forth multiple times to get a feel for where grain will be running) - Here's how I'd cut it if it was at my shop: - The first cut , I suspect you may get some reasonable figure (not necessarily flame, but Curly wood can be just as nice, if it is present) and the second cut, I'd then inspect the two halves and see if there's anywhere I could cut out the checking either to get bowl blanks (and rough turn ASAP) or spindle rounds (which I'd then end seal after turning round and set them on a shelf and forget about them for a few years)