Last piece of dry wood in the pile(Death Of)

[DCM4]

Based on the set I might want for it to work a little more midlimb, but very subtle diff.  Too bad about the calamity, but an excuse to start another.

A passionate bowyer would be well served to get a fair stable of bow wood going as soon as is practical.  I (have) cut wood every year, even if I had 10s of staves already on hand.  First year I cut 3 big trees I think.  You can always cull it and gift it if you have... too much, if that is possible.

[Lombard]

Yeah I hear you DCM4. I have thirty staves in the drying rack, and enough Red Oak from the hardwood mill for a dozen bows. Will start to reduce some of those to aid in drying. A few those Elm staves have been up in the rack for a couple years, and may be very close.

Here is a photo of the shortened Maple. Did some long string tillering last night. Twisted up another string, and got it to low brace, and pulling twenty inches. Back to the Doctor again today, and maybe get to work on it some more later. No, I won't leave it there for the puppy to play with either. Lord that dog likes sticks.

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[Canoe]

Howdy Lombard,

Very Nice.   

I'm sure your friend will enjoy it.

All the Best,
Canoe

[DCM4]

I am an advocate of forced drying, but also I'm lazy and being 12 odd years into it have lots of naturally dried on hand as well.  A whitewood stave can be brought from stump to bow in less than 3 months, imho, and any more than that is just a waste of time.  There may be a smidgen of diff, expecially in woods with milky sap like yew and osage, in stave cured for 6 or 8 years, but I don't think most hobbiest bowyers can get enough of the goodie out of a typical project to make any difference, especially if not keenly atuned to not overworking the stave during tillering.

Shorty is looking good.

[Bill Skinner]

The humidity where Dave lives is 86%.  Unless you use a hotbox, it takes a while to dry out naturally.  Bill

[Lombard]

I have not tried force drying yet. Building a steam tube is on my to do list. I have been letting my wood stabilize in the drying rack in the overhead of my mini barn , then rough bows in. At that point, I am able to poke them in my air conditioning return, (wife doesn't even know I'm hoarding wood in the house), the humidity meter in there stays right around 42%. After a couple weeks in there, I start making shavings, and crumple them in my hand. If they sounds like popcorn, then I go closer to final dimensions, and check the shavings again. If they don't crunch like popcorn, back in the air return for some more drying. Not a perfect system by any means, but as I gain experience I seem to be getting closer and closer. I've ruined bows rushing tillering, with to high a moisture content.

Yeah Bill, it is plenty hot and sticky around here lately.

[Ryano]

Dave, just make you a hot box with three 75 watt bulbs in it. That's what I use, the humidity is very high here in the summer as well.

[Lombard]

Been working on the shortened Maple all morning. It was looking good, holding forty five pounds at twenty eight. I pulled a half inch at a time to thirty, and that is when it died. Looks as though it let go on the same lateral grain, as the split when the dog pulled off of the mantle. Death of Maple bow complete.

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[Lombard]

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[Pappy]

Ouch,to bad. 30 inches is asking a lot.
   Pappy