Q: How long will a bowl blank stay "green" if it has been coated in Anchorseal? I was under the impression that these blanks would not split, but I was wrong, as two of them have split so far.

John Swanson: Anchorseal can seal some woods for a month and some of the more stable woods for longer. End checking and cracking can occur on very wet woods, (60% water content or higher) even under ideal conditions. The bowl blank should be considered green until the moisture content is near 10%. A general guideline is one year of drying time for each inch of wood thickness, and two years for each inch over 4 inches. That is one of the reasons why turners are advised to turn sealed wood as soon as practical.