I was recently given a "scrap" hickory stave...not long enough to make an adult-size bow.  I was hoping to make two kid bows, one for my 4 yr old and one for my 3 yr old.  Can anyone suggest some good dimensions for me to consider while drawing out the bows (i.e. length, width, start of fade, handle, etc)?  I have very limited experience.  Thanks, Dino

Attached is a picture of my son removing bark from his osage stave.



Couldn't resist posting a couple picts of Colton from our last shoot...he LOVES to shoot!

Good hickory should be able to handle this design.  Average hickory might need to be made 1-1/4" wide instead.  Have fun.
 Kid\\'s Bow Tutorial

Re: Hickory and Osage.  What is the general consensus about roughing out a bow shape from a wet stave and then air drying for a period of time verse debarking (or leaving the bark on) and letting air dry prior to roughing it out?  I have heard about both methods being used.  In either case I'm assuming I would completely seal the ends (and back?) in wood glue to prevent checking.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Dino

It is safe to remove the bark on hickory and then rough out the bow.  For osage, it is risky to leave the sapwood on after removing the bark.  Safer to remove it all at once.  That being said, I roughed out an osage this weekend and left a few rings of sapwood on it.  I shellacked the back and ends pretty heavy.  So far it is doing fine.  We'll see what happens.

To dry your stave faster in either wood, make it less than 5/8" thick all the way across the stave.  Leave your handle and tips full width so you can adjust your layout for any side to side motion during drying.  I like to leave it in a relatively cool, moist area for a couple weeks and then start force drying in a heat box or hot area of my house.