i did it

[david w.]

after being told it cant be done, from multiple people, i did split the wood. my dad said it wouldnt work but it did. he said he was very proud.  I will post pics of the 2 hickory staves i got. i made a wedge from another peice and it worked great. thanks for replying to my last post on how to split it that helped alot. tomorrow i will debark it.

[david w.]

here are the staves and a crude wdge i made

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Justin Snyder]

You were talking to the wrong people, we knew you could.  Good work....  Justin

[mullet]

  Way to go David,Remember the first name of this Web site and magazine.Your next challenge will be that snakey mulberry stave I mailed yesterday.

[david w.]

 i was reading and i found out not to debark until i have waited 2 weeks. how do i seal these things? what part of the staves get sealed? how long will the staves need to season? how do i straighten the staves? so many question

i looked and bothe staves have a bit of reflex in them so that is cool. i know that once i get the bark off that side will be the back but it seems to me that the grain will go hotizontal. once these dry be prepared for more questions

[david w.]

  Way to go David,Remember the first name of this Web site and magazine.Your next challenge will be that snakey mulberry stave I mailed yesterday.

we must of been typing at the same time i think im ready for the mulbery stave. it will be a challenge i think so bring it on stave . thanks alot for it.

carrying the staves home i got some weird looks from my neighbors they had no idea what i was doing the probably thought i lost my mind

[TRACY]

Good job. You can seal the ends with many things including Elmer's glue(yeah the white that kids use to eat in school), polyurethane in a spray or out of the can with a brush etc. and even paint. Seal the ends asap and then work on it as time permits as far as removing the bark. Seal the ends again if they need it after a couple days. Your staves will retain moisture longer if you leave the bark on. I work the bark off of hickory either the same day or soon after. Good luck, Tracy

[cowboy]

Good deal David! Yep, seal them ends as soon as possible - after cutting. Then you can scrape the bark off as you have time - but be sure and seal the back as soon as you remove the bark also.

[david w.]

do i need to seal the belly?

[welch2]

Most don't seal the belly on a rough stave ,unless it's close to bow size. You can spray poly or varnish on the back,or you do like I do and rub grease into the back and belly.

Ralph

[GregB]

David, don't seal the belly, that's where you want the moisture currently in the stave to escape from. Only the back and ends should be sealed.

[david w.]

will deft work to seal it?

[Hrothgar]

Congrats. the staves look good. The experts say to let the staves air dry for one year per inch thickness of wood. White wood can be dried sooner--hot box, or roughing out the stave so its closer to boe dimensions. If dried to quickly hickory can take on some pretty unusual twists. Be sure to keep your staves in a dry place and off the ground.

[david w.]

once i get the bow roughed out can i straighten it? because these staves have some twist

[a finnish native]

I have only sealed the ends of my staves. never the back or the belly. have had no problem at all. of course this is dependant on what kind of wood it is, but at least this Rowan wood, that I use is very much similar to ash. I think it is called also mountain ash

you could rough them out to 2x2 inches and then when the wood is green just put it to a board with clamps, or then press it to a form if you will. this way it will straighten out without any steam or dry heat.