Trad Gang
Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: Keb on August 23, 2015, 07:01:00 PM
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Looking at buying a stave online, they were cut in April to August this year.
Bark is off ends and back have been sealed.
Advice ???
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Depending on the dimensions of e stave, it'll probably take a year or more to dry.
If you reduce the stave to near bow dimensions it will dry much faster.
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It 68.5 long 2/12 wide 3 thick
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At those dimensions, a good 2 years. Rough it down closer to a bow dimension and you are looking at 1 year at the very least. The longer Osage dries, the better bow it will make. There are guys who dry Osage for 5 years to attain a premium stave. I won't even begin to make an Osage bow till at least two years of drying right after cutting down the tree. Three is better, four is sweet, and 5 is perfect.
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I went ahead and got it, it was cut March of this year.
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That is fine Adam. Depending on what weight bow you are looking for, it's possible to cut that stave in half width and thickness wise and get 4 bows out of it. Or at the very least cut it in half thickness wise and get 2 bows. It's better to go for 2 bows than push it for 4 bows. Or depending on how nice the stave is, just cut it down closer to a rough bow shape and then let it dry for at least 6 months, then make one bow. But the longer it dries, the better bow it will make.