Un-Turnable Cherry Crown?

Is this 7-pith cherry crown section a complete waste of time… or hidden art waiting to be revealed? In this video, I take on one of the craziest logs I’ve ever put on the lathe — a gnarly cherry crown with seven piths, bark inclusions, burl, moss, lichens, and cambium layers everywhere. At first glance (and according to Burl), this thing was completely “un-turnable.” But I love a challenge. I start by breaking down how I safely mill a wild crown section at the bandsaw before mounting it between centers. From there, I shape the exterior, apply shear scraping for a clean finish, and lock in the natural edge. After remounting, I define the rim, control wall thickness, compare Forstner vs. traditional drill bits for starting holes, and hollow the vessel using traditional tools. Because let’s be honest — sometimes the most chaotic, unpredictable blanks create the most interesting art. This finished piece measures approximately 7” x 5” and retains its live edge, bark, burl, cambium, moss, and natural character from the original tree. If you’ve ever looked at a log and thought, “That’s firewood”… this one’s for you. 👉 Let me know in the comments: Would you have turned this? Or left it on the burn pile? If you enjoy challenging woodturning projects, natural edge vessels, and pushing what’s “possible” on the lathe: 👍 Like 💬 Comment 🔔 Subscribe ↗ Share with a fellow turner Thanks for being here — and thanks for watching. — Tony Feel Free to Jump around to the sections that interest you! 00:00 Intro 00:54 Milling 02:30 Mounting between centers 05:22 Turning and Shaping Exterior 15:39 Sheer Scrapping 16:44 Applying Exterior Finish 19:24 Remounting to Hollow 20:11 Defining the Rim and Wall Thickness 25:02 Drilling Starting Hole Forstner v Traditional Bits 27:56 Hollowing with traditional tools 33:40 Sanding the interior 34:48 Removing Tenon 37:56 Conclusion Tools I used in the video: UF Sharp 5/8th-inch bowl gouge: https://amzn.to/47XyNaC Hurricane HTC125, 5" Four Jaw Chuck, 1 1/4"x 8 TPI: https://amzn.to/459STLI Hurricane / Crown M42 Cryo, 1/2" Bowl Gouge (3/8" Flute): https://amzn.to/3yMeeyx 1/2" Bowl Gouge M2 HSS (pointy one): https://amzn.to/3yKqxvj