just scored 3 really sweet 1x3x8 ft boards, the grain is good and striaght, they are fresh on the saw meaning they are pretty wet, my question is can I start cutting them out or do I need to wait for the boards to dry, and if so how long should it take them to dry under normal conditions? thanks in advance for any help
It really depends on what you want to do with them. Pretty sure you could rough shape them, but beware of drying distortions.
Rule of thumb is 1 year per inch of thickness for air drying outdoors. Bringing the boards into a conditioned or heated space would speed things up, but you run the risk of checking. Seal the ends to minimize the risk either way. Whatever you end up doing store them flat and well supported so you don't warp them, even weight on top helps as well.
thanks for the help, btw what would you use to seal the ends?
Shellac is good, or a wood glue or just about anything that will stick.
Roy's right on the money, if it sticks and forms a skin it will work. Shellac, poly, wood glue, wax, some paints.
I've got a gallon of anchorseal 2 that I use for sealing logs for the mill. Works really well if you use it quickly after cutting. It's a very waxy coating that makes a very good seal, and gap fills o some extent if some minor checking is already present.
Shellac and wood glue are much easier to remove later on when working on your bow.
I agree with Inuumarue, if the boards have been recently sawed, I would leave them covered but in unconditioned space for 4 - 6 weeks. Then you could safely move them into conditioned space to help speed the drying.
If you start shaping them while the wood is still green, you run the risk of the wood bowing, twisting, cupping, etc. Be patient. Hickory needs to be around 7% MC to preform the best. That takes a while. You can download a chart that tell you what relative humidity and temperature it will take to get you to 7-8% MC.
Good luck and have fun.