hickory sapling

[luke the drifter]

folks,


i happened upon a real good sapling and am in the process of roughing it out.  in some cases, osage orange is recommended 1 to 2 years curing time.  will hickory require and extensive drying/curing period?  are there good alternatives for this before i get to the tillering stage?  it is 66 inches long.

[Bevan R.]

If you have roughed it out, it will dry much faster. In one of the TBB, didn't they make a bow using only ABO equip and still finished it is weeks?

Bevan

[rileyconcrete]

Talk to Kegan, he does alot with hickory, and I think he uses a hot box and dries them in a couple days.  Hickory likes dry.

Tell

[crooketarrow]

   If you ruff it out and hang it up high the heat. I wait 2 months but Il ike to make sure hickory likes to suck up moisture. But Im sure you could start sooner. If you can't weight, depending on the size of stave (again simi bow form) and want size light bulbs you use you. I've but them in a hot box for a couple weeks. I use the hot box as I tiller mine and again when I  finish and seal it. This helps with string follow. But I just cut,split,seal here in WV you have to spray in down with pestiside for the wood boarers. And let nature do it's thing.

[George Tsoukalas]

For a 2 inch sapling, cut it and rough it out. Leave the handle full width and the nocks  an inch or so wide. Put it near heat and let it set a couple of days and remove the bark. At least that is what  do. Then I keep checking the moisture reading with my meter. If I get a reading <10% I keep working. If I get a reading >10% I stop. Before I do heavy bending on hickory  want < or = to 8%. If you don't have a meter you can keep checking weight. When weight change stops and stabilizes for few days you can work it. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/