seasoning

[misfitxnet]

I am going to begin making a bow. This will be my first bow.
I decided to use Birch wood, and found some very good straight pieces.

After doing some browsing around the forum I picked up that the wood should be seasoned or dried for sometime before working it.
I also read that it is a good idea to cut the wood first before drying it, and then after cutting the wood, it is a good idea to seal the ends.

I have a couple questions. How long should wood be dried for? What is a good way to seal the ends? Does the wood HAVE to be cut into the stave before it is seasoned
or can it be seasoned first?
How does wood get twisted and warped? What does this do to the final piece?

I found there is a lot of helpful advice on this forum, and it is really great. Good people it seems.
Thanks!

[DustinDees]

well im fairly new to staves myself, but i do have a few answers for you. to seal the ends some shelac or TB2or3 will do the trick. i put 3 layers of TB3 on the ends of my elm and had no problems at all. the wood does not have to be cut into staves but it saves on drying time. a good way to check if the wood is dry without a moisture meeter is to weigh it every week, when it stops loosing weight for a few weeks straight it should be ready to make a bow with.  i believe twists and warps during drying are cause from compression and tension equalizing out in the wood as it dries. some twisting is present in the wood when it is cut and can be partially viewed from the orientation of the bark on the tree as it stands. most of the time snakey twists can be left in to make a nice character bow but you can steam/boil/dry heat bend them out if they are too pronounced and string track is way off. you can search this forum for lots of advice on heat bending wood as well. hope this helps. enjoy your new addiction.

Dustin D

[Ryano]

Welcome. What diameter is the wood your cutting? If its thick enough at least split it in halfs or quarters depending on the size. Seal the ends with what ever you have on hand paint, wood glue, polyurathane etc.....Depending on where you are you may not be able to get your wood dry enough during the summer months with out a hot box. It's simple to make one with just about anymatials you have on hand. Just build a box long and wide enough to fit a few staves in and mount 3 100 watt light bulbs on the lid. This will speed up the drying time of your staves. How ever don't just chuck grren wood right into the heat or it may dry check on you, let the moisture level come down naturaly for a few weeks before you throw it in the hot box.

[adb]

I suggest you purchase a copy of Trad Bowyers Bible Vol 1. I've had it for many years, and I still refer to it often.

[misfitxnet]

The wood is 2 inches in diameter.

I have read that drying time is very important, and some have even said the longer the time given to dry, the better.
Is this because once the wood is dry, there will be no more potential warping, and the size  won't change?
Is drying to prevent working with wood that might change in shape once the bow is finished?
What is the reason for sealing the wood?


Yes this is probably going to be an addiction.
I took some archery classes in school using fiberglass longbows.
I really enjoyed it, and figured it would be cool to start making one.

[Ryano]

2" is to small to split. Just remove wood from the bellyside of the limbs . There is a diferance between seasoning and drying wood. Seasoning wood takes time, it takes several years to season a stave which does make for a better bow, but dry wood can make a very servicable bow and since most of don't want to wait for years for a stave to season thats what most people use. 

[misfitxnet]

how do you season a stave?
let it be for a couple years and then work with it?
or cut it out, and then let it season

[Ryano]

either or.....Seasoning is just that. It takes a long time to season, and only a short time to dry.

[George Tsoukalas]

Saplings are a wonderful way to start making bows. My first shooter was made from a sapling bow.  Look for a sapling 2-3 inches and free of limbs.. Pick out the best side for the back. Marking 2 magic marker lines to delineate back from front would help. Remove the belly wood with a hatchet. Remove the bark and begin to floor tiller the bow. Get it bending just a bit.  If it is reduced to near bow dimensions it is less likely to warp and will dry faster. See Bowmaking Directions on my site. Leave the stave a few inches longer to compensate for the large crown. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/