About a month ago I cut two small trees in my first attempt at a self bow. I am very much an amateur and have very much to learn, but one must start somewhere. I cut one small osage and a walnut. I brought them home and noticed the osage had quite a twist but not so much it can't be used (I think) however it has a large knot in the riser area that I hope will not affect it. The walnut was absolutely beautiful and straight. I de-barked both, careful not to violate the growth ring. I also rough shaped each stave yet left quite a bit of wood to be removed.
I sealed the back and ends with polyurethane, the ends have since showed slight cracks. In a mild panic I bought some elmers glue and re-sealed the ends with glue. I still need to cut about two inches off each end of the stave to size the bow. Should I be worried about these cracks?? Am I wasting my time at this point with these staves or should I cut the ends this summer/fall and still try to use them??? Any thoughts from the experts??
sounds like you are on the right path.
the osage will need to be taken down to a heart wood ring. but sounds good so far!!
pictures can help a lot!
If you cut those logs longer than you needed, then the checks on the ends shouldn't be too much of a problem. You can just cut the ends off when you're ready.
Sounds OK so far, if the staves are getting small cracks it's normally because they are drying too fast. You may want to move them to an area where they will dry slower.
QuoteOriginally posted by Mark Smeltzer:
Sounds OK so far, if the staves are getting small cracks it's normally because they are drying too fast. You may want to move them to an area where they will dry slower.
I actually wondered if that may have been the cause. I cut them on a twenty degree day then brought them into the basement to cut them down and leave them to dry. The basement is cool but quite warmer than twenty degrees.
The temperature isn't causing the checking problem, it is the low R/H, typical in the winter.
Checks don't really hurt anything unless they run off the bow. They are more a cosmetic problem.
which is the preferred (best) season to harvest bow wood? or is there one?
Cut wood when you want to or need to, or when the opportunity presents itself. I prefer winter because it's easier to see, the weeds and underbrush are down, and it's not hot. And no bugs. But I have cut in August in Ohio and had no problems with the wood.
You need to remove bark and sapwood from osage at the same time in almost all cases.
Store cut wood in an unheated space until you get it down to near bow dimensions or a few months have passed. Green wood loses moisture really fast and this moisture loss causes shrinkage. If it happens too fast, the shrinkage near the surface or cuts ends separates the fibers and causes checks.