Slow seasoning vs. Quick drying

[Marc St Louis]

LOL, Pat. Guess so. My friends, all wood rehydrates. Take wood out of your drier. Make your bow. Finish it with the finish of your choice. Wait awhile. The wood will take on the ambient humidity. I made a mulberry bow in a dry NH winter and watched it turn into a limp noodle when I brought  it to Mojam. That's why the old idea that kiln dried boards are too dry is a misnomer. The boards will take on the humidity of their surroundings in short order.  Doesn't matter to me what  y'all use for bows.  These days I don't make too many board bows. LOL. They are too straight and predictable which makes them a good choice for the beginner. I'm done. Jawge

George
We're not talking about the wood losing or absorbing humidity from the atmosphere.  I think it is well understood that wood will do that regardless of how long it has been sitting around. 

In any case, I have nothing against kiln dried lumber and I have speed dried staves many times.  I have noticed that HHB does seem to get harder with time though and so does most of the other white-woods I cut

[George Tsoukalas]

Thanks, Marc. Jawge

[osage outlaw]

George
We're not talking about the wood losing or absorbing humidity from the atmosphere.  I think it is well understood that wood will do that regardless of how long it has been sitting around. 

In any case, I have nothing against kiln dried lumber and I have speed dried staves many times.  I have noticed that HHB does seem to get harder with time though and so does most of the other white-woods I cut[/quote]


 I was given a 5" HHB log that had been in a guys shop for 8 or 9 years.  That thing was hard as a rock, much harder than the osage I usually use.  I had a hard time working it.  It made a fine bow though.

My typical drying method is split the log into staves and put them aside for a year or two.  Then I rough out a bow to width and thickness and bring that inside the house for a month or two.  That seems to work for me.  I am hoping to build up my stock of staves, so they will several years to dry.

[PeteC]

Art, If the whitewood stave is DRY when the bow is built,I can see no changes ,(that I can notice). When tillering bows like this ,I look for any sign of the stave over-setting,if it does ,I simply stop work,and begin weighing again. Another indicator for me is during the heat treating process.If the wood still contains too much moisture,the belly will check badly,which does'nt happen when dry. JMHO God Bless