hop hornbeam

[cailean]

I have 2 nice straight logs of HHB sitting in the rafters of my shop, the cut ends are coated in wood glue to slow drying and hopefully prevent checking... both logs are from the same tree, with the top portion being about 4" in diameter and the base portion being about 10"....now my question is this....can i split this kind of wood before it's seasoned without fear of checks and grain cracks or must i season it first and if so how long will it take to dry to a level that i am able to work with....i appreciate any information you fine folks can provide. Thanks

[radius]

yeah, man, split it already...the more surface area you can expose to the air, the better, provided it is surface that will be carved away from the final product.

[cailean]

Thanks for the prompt reply Radius....i'll go split it right now, but should the bark stay on to keep drying relatively slow like Osage {which also grows close to my home} or can i take it off right now and hope fro the best.

[radius]

yeah, man, split it and send me some!  bark on, probly

[coyote pup]

How long ago did you cut it? I would let it season for a while myself. I have not had good experiences with HHB as far as splitting goes. It has always split spiral on me and I've ended up with 2 pieces of firewood. You gotta love Raduis's enthusiasm, and there are a lot of guys who know way more about it than me. But I would wait a while on splitting if it were me.

[aruge]

HHB is a great wood to work with. You just have to make sure the grain is straight before you cut the tree. If the bark shows a twist ( or spiral) you will have a twisty stave. The bark always seems to follow the grain.  Good luck,  Al

[Pat B]

I agree, split it at least in half. If you remove the bark, seal the back also. I like shellac for this because it can be remover easily of your finish can go right over it.

[sailordad]

HHB is a great wood to work with. You just have to make sure the grain is straight before you cut the tree. If the bark shows a twist ( or spiral) you will have a twisty stave. The bark always seems to follow the grain.  Good luck,  Al

true to a point
i have had some hhb that the bark looked damn near perfectly straight
when split it still twisted
now i leave the log whole for about 3-4 months,then half it,then leave sit a couple more months,then split each half in half
they still twist a little,but less when done this way(atleast for me)
i think this wood just likes to twist when its split due to its interlocking grain,kinda like elm ya know just tuffer

[PeteC]

cailean,I use quite a bit of HHB,and I'll tell you how I treat mine. Split the log now into staves.Go ahead and lay out your bow,(on every stave). Rough it out to near bow dimension,to a floor tiller thickness.I then clamp mine to a simple 2X6 form,in reflex,and leave it for a month.I live in Texas,so it is hot enough to dry it quickly,but humid enough to keep it safe.After a month,I tiller.You can tell if it is dry by how the wood works.If it does'nt seem dry,give it another week or so.If it is dry,I tiller till the stave has made it to the short string,or,final brace height,then clamp it back in reflex,and heat treat the working area of the limbs.Give it about 3 days to re-hydrate,then finish tiller.This way,you usually end up with a finished bow that holds reflex,and performs very well.Hope this helps. God Bless

[Pappy]

A small log I do like Coyote Pup,I leave it for a few months,I have had them turn inside out
with twist. If you are just cutting a few you can clamp it while it dries,but I usually do more at a time than I am able to do that with so I let it dry some. I also do it with bigger logs.I don't split  it any less than about 6inche wedges till it dries some. Then split again later.It will dry quicker thats for sure smaller but there are some risk involved to quick drying.
    Pappy

[GregB]

Pete, do you seal the back or take any other precautions to prevent checking? Thanks!

[cailean]

Thanks for all the input folks but i think I'll try running it thru my tablesaw to score the log as deeply as possible first.....the small log got turned into firewood because the wood held onto itself along the sides and was just too ragged, so there was not enough useable wood left...it split straight but it split like elm and on such a small diameter piece, {I'm glad it was the small log i ruined} that the larger piece will need some help to control the split..i cut the HHB about 5 months ago and got it under cover right away.

[Pat B]

If the log grew twisted it will twist when split. If you cut a kerf into a twisted log to get a straight stave I believe your stave, or later the bow, will twist.  There are other reasons for wood to twist such as uneven thickness or uncontrolled drying practices.

[PeteC]

No Greg,I do not seal the back if I'm going to lay them out immediately,but I de-bark them all,regardless.(This applies to whitewoods only).If I can't start them right away,I seal the ends with parafin just like any stave.I've never had any trouble with HHB,elms,or hickorys using this method.The oaks will tend to check  when rushed,so I give them more time. God Bless