Hickory will dull your tools way faster than oak, teak is even worse because of the silica in it(also wear a respirator). Some exotic woods you have to be very careful with, the dust will make you sick and I am serious about that. Always wear a mask with cedar too, it makes really fine particles that can get deep into your lungs.
The diameter depends on the capacity of your lathe, just go slower with large diameters. Drying green wood can be done leaving it by your boiler in basement over the winter, you want to dry it slow over time , if you put it by a wood stove, it most likely will split or check. The thickness will determine how long, a year or 2.
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