I was at a friend's house last week and she had been watching some episodes from the UK on green woodworking. They made a few basic things and worked up to a chair using all hand tools and a spring pole lathe. Another one showed hollowing small logs and grooving the inside to accept a bottom made of dry wood so that when the log section shrunk it would make a tight container. I never heard any mention of what to do to control checking or splitting. This hands on style has really sparked my curiosity, but how do pcs dry without splits and checks. Also, are there any really good books out there. I've learned most of what I know from books and being willing to try new things