Guys, This is my first tree cut for bow wood. I've got it split, and sealed at this point. All of them have prop twist. A few of them have some reflex, and a few have deflex. What do you guys recommend doing after this. Bug repellent? What kind. Should I reduce them a little further to help speed up the drying process? Thanks.
(http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo247/Buxndiverdux/photo_zps73ce31ae.jpg)
With the bark stripped and the backs and ends sealed you shouldn't have to worry about bug damage. Place these staves in a protected dry area and let them season. You can reduce one or some to floor tiller stage and they will season quicker.
The prop twist isn't bad and can be removed later or just build a bow with that little bit of twist in them. You can tiller the twist out if you want.
You shouldn't need bug repellent now that you have taken the bark off.
Pretty propelled stuff but nothing you can't remove with heat after it dries.
I split out 17 hickory staves a couple years ago, picked a few to make into bow blanks out of so they would dry faster, the rest I stacked up to cure the way I split them out of the trunk.
Pat and I must have posted at exactly the same time.
And apparantly thinking identically as well ...
That is quite the bow building brain trust there on the same page so I'm going to take that advise and roll with it. I might take the easiest looking 2-3 and work them down a little more. Thanks. Now I guess I'm going to have to hit the road to go find some osage. :)
Is the sap up already down there in NC? Did the bark peel right off easily? Looks like it..its still stuck like cement up here in pa...I'd reduce one or a few down to nesr bow dimension for quicker drying if in need of some wood sooner than later...n +1 to pat n Eric's advice ;)
Yes, This tree had buds popping and the bark popped right off. It was kinda in the way of the view of a box stand on the club, so I took it upon myself to cut it out of the way, yet make good use of it for bows and the rest of it for camp wood. :)
You could reduce , and then strap to a form that removes twist and puts in all the reflex you might like.
I use a 2 x 4, and screw on some blocks as needed, and pad or shape them well, no sharp edges, and strap one stave on each side so they counteract each other.
Did it with some vine maple recently, worked great.