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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: Dreamcatcher on October 01, 2008, 11:41:00 AM

Title: Do i need to dry wood ?
Post by: Dreamcatcher on October 01, 2008, 11:41:00 AM

Hey

   I cut trees from my hunting area.  oak,  pine, maple .  after i cut them, do i need to dry them ??

 i hear of people drying and sealing the ends of there new cut wood.  i had 1 peice of oak and it got deep cracks in it.  i am on to my new cut wood now

any info on bow drying or sealing, would be greatly appreciated.

ty all

Title: Re: Do i need to dry wood ?
Post by: John Scifres on October 01, 2008, 01:16:00 PM

Yes, you need to dry it.  I highly recommend Dean Torges' book "Hunting the Osage Bow" (www.bowyersedge.com) for some great info on cutting and seasoning wood for bows.

You should definitely seal the ends with shellac.  Keep it in a realatively cool and shaded place for a while and then you can split it into staves.  From there, you need to take off the bark.  Wood takes about 1 year for every inch of thickness to dry.  You can hurry this along a lot if you reduce your staves to bow dimensions and then force dry it.

Title: Re: Do i need to dry wood ?
Post by: Dreamcatcher on October 01, 2008, 01:29:00 PM

THANK U SO MUCH JOHN !!!

  I GUESS ME AND MY NEPHEWS WILL HAVE TO WAIT TILL WE START , SHAVING AND SANDING.  

  AND OFF TO THE WOODS I GO , TO FIND SOME GOOD TREES TO CUT.

TY AND GODBLESS

Title: Re: Do i need to dry wood ?
Post by: tim-flood on October 16, 2008, 09:00:00 AM

If it is real wet reduce to bow dims plus 1/2" leave limbs wide and clamp it with some back set to a 2x4 and put it in a car that sees some sun.

Title: Re: Do i need to dry wood ?
Post by: Springbuck on October 18, 2008, 01:50:00 AM

And put it up off the ground, out of the sprinklers, and out of dank places.

  I store mine in th crawl space above the garage.  Warm, but not too warm, dry, reasonably consistent..etc...

Title: Re: Do i need to dry wood ?
Post by: shamus on October 18, 2008, 10:39:00 AM

Drying and seasoning wood, from my website:

  http://analogperiphery.blogspot.com/2008/08/drying-and-seasoning-wood.html

Title: Re: Do i need to dry wood ?
Post by: Roy Steele on February 01, 2009, 06:36:00 PM

Seal the ends.Outof the sun in a dry place.