snakewood

We (my son and I) have a snakewood blank (wrapped and covered in wax) that we have plans to turn into an Ultra Cigar pen for a family member. What are some of your best practices when working with snakewood, and what should we avoid?

I finished this guy up over the weekend, and am pretty happy with how it came out. I've gotten a few remarks regarding how "fat" I made the body. This is mostly just a personal preference of mine. I personally like a weightier pen, and it feels better in my hand. This was my first attempt at...

First time trying this wood, mostly due to how expensive it is and I really didn't want to have an expensive mess up. This was donated to my father-in-law, who turns bowls, by a gentleman who is allergic to the wood. I was more than happy to take it and give it a try. The wood was very dry and...

I would like to make a bangle using Snakewood and so I bought a small block to give it a try. I have read a lot on the IAP forum about Snakewood and cracking. I liked the advice of a few folks who suggested "don't try to avoid cracks, make them appear and fix it with sanding dust and CA"...

What if anything can we do to prevent snake wood from cracking after turning? I turned a cigar with snake wood and it cracked within 24 hrs.