Some recent posts in the forum have made me see and appreciate how other turners think about their wood.... many of the turners I respect a great deal on the forum are quick to chuck wood in the firewood category. Makes me wonder what I'm missing since I pretty much ONLY turn wood with major checks, cracks, holes, mold, defects, punkiness, etc....

the old woodturner's saying goes "life is too short to turn crappy wood" but I think I actually prefer wood that other people think is crap.

Perhaps this is is because I don't earn my living with my turning. It's a hobby (although a serious enough hobby that it nearly pays for itself) for me. I can "afford" (in both time and money) to experiment with funky woods that no one else would, apparently, dare deal with.

i cut off really bad sections of wood and graft in new bits. I might use epoxy resin.
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Or I might just leave a crazy void.

im a stubborn SOB, I guess, and I won't give up on a piece of wood until it completely blows apart on me or I completely screw it up. No matter what, I try to learn something or teach myself a new trick at every opportunity. "What would happen if I......??" Is a question I'm asking myself constantly in front of the lathe.

do you have a general rule on when you will throw something out or give up on a piece of wood?