Good move. In fact, from my wood turning days I can give you this tidbit to help you out. We usually cured our wood for a year. The curing environment needs to be mostly dry. This way, when you work with the wood, it is much less likely to crack once done. Doesn't mean it will never crack... just that it will help against cracking. The cracking forms when you dry out the wood. When you oven-kilned your first batch, they probably had a little moisture still in the wood and drying it out like that caused the cracks. Your second batch should fare better but if you cure before you carve then you'll have the best results.

I'm working with osage orange wood which is uber hard stuff and hell to work with. I'm having to cure the wood for 2 years before I can trust it to be made into a (bass) guitar. It just takes forever to cure that kind of wood because of how hard it is.

Well. Actually I cracked it by using the wrong type of drill bit. But in general, yes. When I'm doing oven kilning, I bind them up with silicone bands or cotton twine to help prevent warping and cracking. It's not as good as letting them cure under the house for a year, of course. I'm doing some that way just because as you say, better result. I lost my carry-about flute when I was hiking last month and wanted a new one to at least hold me over until I can cure wood for better ones. I'm fairly adept with heat. I've done a lot of fire-hardened wood. Bamboo is tricky to fire harden because when it sweats, it's fairly volatile and it can blister and ruin the natural varnish. Works better using the often, I think.


Last night I made six more flutes and cored 3 more elderberry bows for work next year. I'm finding with the elderberry at least, drilling out the pith while it's green is safer than when it's dry (less likely to crack) and of course being hollow, it dries faster.

I only have two 'flutes' myself and both were made by native south americans when they came here to do shows. I also have a 'oil drum' from the Trinidad and Tobago group as well. While working for the entertainment company I got to meet a lot of non-american people and get to enjoy their native music. I really love some of the Mayan and Inca music as well as the native Ireland music. That was my first time ever playing bagpipes and I really took to it well. When I was in Australia I got to meet some of the native people there as well and play music with them as well as learn from them. I am beyond blessed when it comes to just how much music I have had in my life and I hope to someday have my music enrich someone else's day. It's what we live for.