wood keeps cracking what am i doing wrong

[A.WILLIAMS]

I recently got some sections of a wild cherry tree that some one was removing from there property, I cut the wood to the lengths that i wanted and let a few of them sit for a day or two before i turned them, when i did turn them i just got the general shape that i was looking for and let them sit for another day or two to dry some more but when i came back to them they were very badly cracked, am i putting them in the lathe too tight or am i just doing something completely wrong. Its getting rather frustarating that every thing that i turn seems to split and crack. thanks for the feedback in advance.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

It's not your technique, they're drying out too quickly. Cherry is a notorious wood for checking and needs to be dried oh so slowly, slowly...

Try sealing them all over with end-sealer or diluted PVA glue after rough turning them and then put them aside to dry over several months. Check them regularly, add another coat of sealant if needed. Once dried, finish turning as per normal.

Another method is to pack them in a box or similar container, covered with their own shavings. I've never had much long-term success with this, although I've been told by others that they do. [shrug] I do use it when I'm going to finish turning within a few days though.

It's a common problem, so there's a lot of info on the subject in this forum. The Search Engine really is your friend. ;)

[Ianab]

If you are just cutting small limbs etc to length and trying to use them intact they will usually split for sure. If you try and dry a complete round section of log it will end up looking like a pizza with a slice gone. There are a few species you can get away with this, but I dont think cherry is one of them.
Try ripping the bit's in 1/2, taking out the pith. Use your chainsaw or bandsaw depending on size. Then seal the end grain like Skew suggests and see what happens. Generally any piece of wood that contains the pith is likely to split to some extent.

Cheers

Ian