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Drying and Cutting
Once the morta has been unearthed and transported back here, it must be
dried. This process is also rife with challenges, as morta dries faster
than briar and if left exposed it will lose moisture too quickly and
crack badly. The wood is kept covered in dark sheds for at least 2
years, and I will also be adding some end grain sealant and frequent
re-moisturizing to this process in an attempt to control the splitting
of the inflexible material. The logs are cut into radial sections and
eventually moved into the workshop. A currently dry and usable log is
visible in the picture below in the lower right shelf - each round
section is ready to be cut into blocks, which will be further dried
before use.
The large sections of morta are cut into small blocks on the bandsaw,
where it is possible to inspect them closely and work around the splits
that have appeared. Below you can see a few large chunks of morta ready
to become usable blocks:
The cutting of the blocks will determine the layout of the radial
grain, and blocks can also be cut specifically to allow for different
tightness of rings. As with briar, each ring signifies a year's growth
of the tree and tighter, more densely packed rings indicate wood that
is the oldest within the tree. Below is a picture of a cut morta block
with the sides sanded smooth in order to view the grain and plan the
pipe design. Also visible is a small flaw. Morta is not prone to pits
as briar, but does have its own share of defects including tiny splits
and damaged areas.
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Talbert
Morta 
