Hickory stave

[short slugger]

Just cut a 3 1/2" sapling...have a piece 75" at 3" if i take off bark, and a 105 " piece at 2" diameter. I have varnished all ends. What's next? Do I take off all bark at once on both pieces? Do I need to seal all around the stave if bark is removed? Do I need to split it now, and if so ,How? Band saw or wedges?  Should I cut the longer on into 2 pieces for shorter, youth bows? How long before I can start cutting away? Sorry for all the questions, just want to do it right to get started! Thanks, Tony!

[Kegan]

Hickory only benefits from sealing the ends. Yes, take the bark off and split it up. The you can either let it sit, or as I prefer, rough it into a bow and let it sit to cure .

[sweeney3]

Take the bark off.  Do not seal the full length after bark removal.  The idea is to let the moisture escape that way.  You can either let it set untill you want to work on it, or you may split it now.  Splitting it now will help it dry more quickly, and hickory is very wet wood.  I've not used a band saw yet, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.  I've used an axe to begin the split at one end, and continued it with two wedges, leapfrogging down the log.   If you do cut the longer one in half, you will have two very short pieces.  I guess they would make good youth bows.  I dunno.  If you want to make a full size bow of it, go ahead and shorten it to 6' or so, then reseal the newly cut ends.  Split and rough out the form of the bows and then let them set for a while to get the moisture down before you start tillering.  This will help you avoid some set. 

Hickory is good wood!  Enjoy!

Incidently, when you do split the logs, look to see where any knots/twists/etc are and see if you can get them positioned conviently within the stave.  This may mean splitting the log so they wind up on the very edge of the stave and will be removed in the profiling process, or it may mean having them in the center of the limb so that more wood can be left on the belly side if need be, or it may mean laying out the design so a big rough knot is where your handle will go and making a ridged handle design.  Fortunatly, hickory is really tough wood so you have a lot of options.  I'm pretty new still, but I haven't even blown up a hickory stave yet! 

[George Tsoukalas]

Seal the ends. Bring it in and let it settle for a few days. If there's any large knots put them on the back but try to imagine where the string would lie on the handle and orient the stave that way. It's borderline as to whether you can split it. I think not but that's up to you. Mark out a 4 inch handle and hack away the belly. I use a hatchet. You can even start the limbs bending  a bit. Let it dry. I like hickory. Jawge

[jthompson1995]

You could cut the long one off center, say at 70" and 35", to get staves long enough for a self bow from the longer piece and split the shorter piece to splice together and get another full length bow.

[barebo]

George, will bending the limbs on a "green" stave induce a degree of set later on??  if you got it roughed out ,and began bending the limbs would they recover to the original profile ?? I guess that I've been led to believe that the wood had to be a certain moisture content (dry !!) before stressing the limbs??? I'm anxious to hear more on this !!

[short slugger]

Great info guys...I will start peeling bark tomorrow...I like the idea of trying to get three bows, one by splicing a handle. This is a great website. I will keep you informed of progress. I will be back for more questions, I'm sure! Thanks, Tony!

[George Tsoukalas]

barebo, no not if he's gentle (his name is slugger!) and only pushes them about an inch or so. Jawge

[gmc]

George, will bending the limbs on a "green" stave induce a degree of set later on??  if you got it roughed out ,and began bending the limbs would they recover to the original profile ?? I guess that I've been led to believe that the wood had to be a certain moisture content (dry !!) before stressing the limbs??? I'm anxious to hear more on this !!

If you've done any reading at all it doesn't take long to figure out that Hickory needs to be dry to make a bow. Dry in a sense that means more than other woods. Sizing down your stave with a little bending to check progress won't hurt anything. But later on, when the show begins, that wood needs to be dry. Hickory is the best teacher out there when it comes to moisture content in woods. Good luck with your bow and keep us posted. Hickory is one of my favorites, too.