Splitting hickory staves

[Arrowflngr]

I had a storm blow my hickory over onto my outdoor kitchen. Figured I'd try a few selfbows from it since it's very straight.

My question is, can I put the logs on a sawmill and quarter them to make it easier to manage then split them with my wedges? A friend of mine has a mil and can knock that out for me.

Thanks

[Pat B]

Being green you should wait a while before sawing. Maybe ask your friend about that to be sure. If you want to split it I'd say split it in half now then in about a month split out staves. This time of year the bark should peel right off. If you remove the bark seal the back. I use spray varnish to seal backs. It is easier to remove later when you start building bows. In the mean time do seal the ends to prevent checking. Watered down carpenter's glue works well for that.

[Bowjunkie]

Yes. You can saw them up as much as you want. I put two big hickory logs on my buddy's sawmill. I didn't want a million hickory staves, so we cut as much of them into quartersawn slabs 2+ inches thick as we could so I could use it for bow backings, cores, lams, arrows, etc... and I STILL ended up with a bunch of selfbow staves and billets as 'by products'.


My hickory was cut in the late summer-early fall and went on the sawmill fresh and green. No issues. A few months ago I cut down a big black walnut and it went on the sawmill two days later. Same deal, mostly cut into thick slabs because I didn't want a bunch of walnut staves, but I still ended up with several staves as byproducts. Bark popped right off, sealed the backs and ends with shellac immediately, and they're quite dry now without a single drying check anywhere. The nice thing about being there to conduct each cut is you can get what you want.


How and where you store it immediately following the sawmill is important. Get it stickered and stacked in a cool place away from sun, wind, etc.

[Pat B]

Yeah, what Bowjunkie said. 

[Bowjunkie]

But if you want nothing but selfbow staves from the logs, sawing it into quarters may be a good way to go. Then you could bring them home and more easily finish the process... as long as the grain is straight. Hickory usually grows pretty straight-grained.

[Pat B]

Post a pic of the bark so we can see if it has a twist. If the bark twists the wood under it will also..

[Arrowflngr]

I plan on sawing it into quarters then splitting it into staves. It's about a 18" tree so it'll be easier to handle that way. I'll post pics as I go.

[Arrowflngr]

The tree was very straight. I ended up with three 6' logs before any knotty sections. I hope the grain looks good.

[Pat B]

It doesn't matter how straight the tree is if the bark spirals around the tree or zigzags up the trunk the wood under will do the same. Can we see a closer look at the bark?
 Years ago I cut a sassafras tree that was dead straight for over 20' to use for bows. When I split the 8' logs they had a 90 degree twist to each stave. It did make a nice split rail fence.