new bowyer with some questions about wood

[cryostallion]

well, i've just cut down my first tree with the intention of making many longbows.  it's a really nice white ash about 10" diameter.  i roughly split up the logs last night after felling into about 80" lengths, quartered them (some i went ahead and split further), sealed the ends with glue.  now i think i may have gotten ahead of myself, because i feel intimidated by it all 

so i figured i'd ask some pros for guidance, so i don't screw this up and ruin this perfect bow wood.  since some of these staves are still rather large, i'd like to know exactly how much more i can/should split them up safely.  i'd also like to dry them correctly obviously, and i think i live in a very forgiving climate for that (west-central massachusetts) where it's not too humid nor too dry. 
i am planning on removing the bark today, and after that i should seal up the backs, right?

what i am most concerned with is the general proportions i need to get the staves down to without going too far.
keeping in mind that i'd like to make various weights ranging from about 40lbs on up into warbow territory.

anyone's input is very very welcome.
thanks,
pat riley

[John K]

Nice haul there ! I wouldn't go any further with reducing them for now, seel the ends and back after you take the bark off. You could take one and reduce it to near bow dimentions, it will dry much quicker maybe strap it down to a 2x4 I have found if you remove to much wood to early the stave have a tendency to warp and twist.

Good luck !

[cryostallion]

hi john, thanks for the reply!
a couple of these pieces are a LOT bigger than others, such as in the first pic- the third from left with dirt all over the end.  i just measured it and its 9 inches across.  also in the second picture you can see the one in the middle is waaaay bigger than the one next to it. i was a little conservative in my 10" diameter estimate, as i just measured across a log from way up the tree that i was going to split for billets and its 9" diameter itself!  i'll go measure the stump today but i'd now say it's at LEAST 12".
i am going to take your advice and just start with one (like the smallest); reduce it down to near-bow dimension and tool around with that while i let all the rest dry. 
do you think if i split the two really big ones again it would hurt?

thanks again!
pat

[John K]

Pat, I would go ahead and split the 2 bigger ones.

[adb]

Well, you've done fine so far! Now you just have to be patient, and let them season. I cut some similar ash staves, and they've been seasoning now for over a year, and I will start working them soon.

[George Tsoukalas]

Around 3 inches in width is good. Jawge

[cryostallion]

ok, so i'll split the two bigger ones.
and about seasoning, from what i've read by tim baker, there are ways to drastically reduce the amount of time to dry.  seeing how i have a lot of potential bows here, i was thinking i'd try some of those methods out on some wood while letting other pieces just come down naturally.  best of both worlds right?
here's another doozy i bet you guys can't answer
is this the right layer to go down to when stripping the bark?  it kinda feels like what the wood wants me to do.


[attachment deleted by admin]

[cryostallion]

Around 3 inches in width is good. Jawge

right on, thanks!

[Marc St Louis]

You want to get down to the first growth ring just under the bark.  How thick are the growth rings?

[John K]

Looks right to me

[cryostallion]

You want to get down to the first growth ring just under the bark.  How thick are the growth rings?

ok, i think that's where i am at.
the rings toward the outside are 2-2.5mm, some toward the middle as much as 5 mm.

[Del the cat]

With so much to play with you could rough out a nice flat bow, it would dry quite quickly if you put it somewhere warm and airy, you could be tillering it in a month or two.
I've got one work in progress on my 'Bowyers Diary' (slap that into google and you'll find me)
Del

[walkabout]

if you rough a stave out to about 3/4" thick and full width (say 2" on what would be the limbs) and strap it to a 2x4 it will dry quicker and be less prone to checking/splitting. this is similar to what tim baker says in TBB the thickest part should be where your handle is going to be(roughly 2") make sure to seal the end grain in what will be the handle too, aside from that only seal the back and very ends. great haul there though should keep you making bows for some time.

[cryostallion]

With so much to play with you could rough out a nice flat bow, it would dry quite quickly if you put it somewhere warm and airy, you could be tillering it in a month or two.

yea man that's what i'm thinkin!

i'll definitely check out your blog. thanks del

[cryostallion]

if you rough a stave out to about 3/4" thick and full width (say 2" on what would be the limbs) and strap it to a 2x4 it will dry quicker and be less prone to checking/splitting. this is similar to what tim baker says in TBB the thickest part should be where your handle is going to be(roughly 2") make sure to seal the end grain in what will be the handle too, aside from that only seal the back and very ends. great haul there though should keep you making bows for some time.

thanks,
i'm going to give this a go.

it was the first mature tree i ever cut down so i kinda felt bad.  hopefully i'll get some good bows from it!