Turning softwood, and even softwood offcuts, allows the production of inexpensive pieces while the high cost of wood is one of the main problems faced by the wood turner. It also requires a good mastery of the art of turning and of the cutting techniques. The difficulty with this material is its tendency to warp or even split, so it is better to alternate the grain of the wood so that the different elements of a piece work in opposite directions and cancel the warping of the whole.