Osage Drying Time

[nlester]

If you took a relatively green stave, and roughed it out to relative bow dimensions.  Under decent/low humidity, how long would it take before it was ready to work without being too wet?  I have some green staves cut back in the late fall and was wanting to get to them as soon as I could. 

[Dazv]

i have never worked green osage, but you will want to tie the bows down flat to stop them from twisting.

[blackhawk]

Reduce it down to floor tiller,then shellac the WHOLE stave,use shellac only...then give her a steam bath n make any neccessary corrections. Then start a hot box regimen out at 80 degrees and increasing the temp by 5 degrees every week...all the while monitoring the stave for checks n such each day. N in a month it'll be "dry" enough to tiller out. That's my short version,n much more needs to be explained.

I shoulda simply said go buy Dean Torges ' Hunting The Osage Bow

[nlester]

Reduce it down to floor tiller,then shellac the WHOLE stave,use shellac only...then give her a steam bath n make any neccessary corrections. Then start a hot box regimen out at 80 degrees and increasing the temp by 5 degrees every week...all the while monitoring the stave for checks n such each day. N in a month it'll be "dry" enough to tiller out. That's my short version,n much more needs to be explained.

I shoulda simply said go buy Dean Torges ' Hunting The Osage Bow

I read Dean's book.  I shellac the belly too?  I most definitely need a hot box.  Thanks for the info blackhawk.  I forgot about Dean's speed drying technique.   

[Pat B]

I built an osage static recurve, 60"t/t, 55#@26", with a stave that was 2 months off the stump. It felt dry, it worked like dry wood but after a few shots it began to take on set and fretted just below the handle. Now, this was a highly stressed design so that accounts for something.
  I prefer osage to be at least 2 to 3 years old and older would be better.

[blackhawk]

Yeah..I seal the belly too(the whole thing,back,side,n belly) when quick drying osage cus it'll want to check on the belly as well.

And go check out poorfolks.com on how to build a cheap hotbox


Should also mention this can be done and make a serviceable bow that harvests game,and the deer ain't gonna know the difference between a quick dried,or 30+ year old seasoned stave...BUT its my opinion and preference to wait and use "seasoned" wood with osage.

[nlester]

I most definitely would prefer a well seasoned stave....unfortunately, I don't have one.  Only green staves cut this fall.   I'll get it figured out.  Thanks for all the help everyone. 

[osage outlaw]

You can monitor the moisture loss with a cheap digital kitchen scale.  Once I get a stave to rough bow shape, I'll weigh it and write it on the belly of the bow.  Then I will check the weight every so often until it settles out.  You can really monitor which drying methods work best by doing this.  A piece of hickory loves being in a car on a sunny day.  Just be careful trying to quick dry a piece of osage.  It can me tempermental like everyone else mentioned earlier.

[PeteC]

I can tell you this about the osage I cut last February. By March I had several roughed out staves,(near bow dimension),on the forms for a month,then up in the rafters of my haybarn over our hot and dry summer. I finished 3 or 4 of them in July with very little set. The wood has decent rings with with acceptable early wood,but not what I would call great by any means. But,with that said,I have built several bows since and they are very good performing bows.  I probably would not have attempted this with so little time to cure,(without the extreme drought of last year to speed things up),but,it obviously is well seasoned. I have always heard the saying that wood cures at the rate of 1"/year,so I figured 6 months should cure a roughed out stave. It did in this case,but who knows how it would come out in a wet year.  If you're willing to build a hot box,you can substantially shorten drying times. JMHO  God Bless

[Buckeye Guy]

Just listen to Blackhawk !
He is telling you strait !
if that ain't fast enough for you call Gary Davis !!
Guy