any ways to speed up drying process?

[Shondy55]

hey guys,
last x-mas i cut some osage logs and have six staves drying out in my attic.  I've been making some board bows to pass the time and I'm dying to start on an osage bow before i have to leave for school (to use for next deer season).  is there anything i can make/do that will speed up the drying process???

                    -shondy

[mikekeswick]

Yes it's dead simple.
Pick a stave, chase a ring and reduce it down to a stage where it is 'floor tillered' but simply don't bend it very far. If you get ANY set at all that is the point at which to stop. The idea being that you have made the wood as thin as possible so it can dry as quickly as possible. Seal the back with shellac and then weight it as accurately as you can. Mark this weight on the stave and keep weighing it everyday. You will see it losing weight over the days, when the weight loss stops give it another few days  and then start working it again, keeping a good watch for any set or wood that is acting a little 'damp' eg.not springing straight back when load is taken off the limbs.

[johnston]

...and while you are waiting make a deer killer board bow.

[crooketarrow]

  hot box

[PEARL DRUMS]

I just finished up a 3" HHB sapling bow that was cut April 31st. Holds over an inch of reflex and shoots better than any bow I have built, including sinewed bows. No hot box for me. I used the wind and sun.

[Justin Snyder]

Send it to me! With RH around 6% and temps over 100 it will be dry in no time.   
Seriously don't get in a big hurry. Get down to near bow dimensions and give it some time. The quicker it dries the more chance of checking and warping.

[Slackbunny]

Even a fan will help. Get that air circulating.

[Shondy55]

thanks guys! but how exactly does one chase a ring, and what does chasing a ring even mean???

[Newindian]

I'm hardly an expert but, chasing a ring means that you are taking the back of the bow down to one growth ring along its entire length, the preferred method is to cut the wood down with a draw knife which can "glide"  on the top of the ring or use a cabnet scraper I use a pocket knife. Some times people use a bandsaw  , or sandpaper, two opposite extreams.

[gstoneberg]

Well, other than the band saw part where I suspect he was kidding, New Indian is right on. With osage the common approach is to remove the bark and white sapwood and use one of the yellow heartwood rings as the bow back. The common tools for this are the draw knife and scraper. It is a lot of work, but with experience it can be done reasonably quickly. Your first attempt is going to go slowly though. Most people I teach get comfortable with the process in a couple hours and finish their bow back in 2 or 3 sessions of about that length. Subsequent bows they do faster. It's much easier to demonstrate than explain. Look for youtube videos on osage bow building, most will show at least a little of the process. If you're near Dallas, come to my shop. I've toyed with doing a video just on chasing a ring, but never have. By now there's probably one out there.

One other thing. Once you've exposed a few inches of heartwood, seal it with some shellac. Even long cut osage can have enough moisture in it to check.

Good luck,
George