Reasons a log will twist when split?

[tgtmatt]

I went out today after school while it was lightly raining to cut down a fairly decent sized black oak log and when I split it both sides twisted and warped so the bow is absolutely no longer flat. I don't even think it would be usable. Are there any reasons why it would split or did I just do a terrible job?

[bow101]

Just the nature of the beast. Food fibre under tension. Ever cut much on the table saw and had it pinch the blade and even kick back on you..?
I read a strange but true fact about wood sometime ago. In the old days they would split Granite rock using wood dowels placed into the holes. The dowels would be spaced about 2 feet apart or so and every day some guy would soak the dowels with water, when wood swells nothing will stop it not even rock. So after a while the rock would end up splitting.

[tgtmatt]

I'll post some pictures of it to show you guys. Very depressing to see it go unused. Fire wood it is.

That's amazing, everyday I find a new thing that wood can be used for/do. It really is an amazing thing. Thanks for the fact:)

Matt

[Weylin]

post a pic before you scrap it. There is an acceptable amount of twist that can be safely ignored in a bow. It might not be firewood.

[Pat B]

You get twist in a stave when the tree grows in a spiral. When you split out a stave it splits along the grain. If the grain wraps around the tree it will split in a spiral. This is a common occurance in trees so you have to study the bark well to be sure it doesn't grow that way before you cut it.
 Some twist is acceptable in a wood bow. Some more twist can be removed from a stave and some have just too much. There is a sourwood tree I can see from my kitchen window and have a deer feeder nailed to that has 360 deg twist in about a 6' section. That is extreme twist.

[tgtmatt]

Thanks guys, I'm going to go snap some pics real fast.

Don't go anywhere(;

[tgtmatt]

What do you think?

[tgtmatt]

One more.

[Youngboyer2(billyf)]

Don't burn it, you can use dry/wet heat and bend that out

[Newindian]

It looks pretty long you might be able to just cut it out, if you can't it's not that bad you could heat it out

[Puma]

I don't know anything about bowmaking but I've got my fair share of knowledge concerning trees.

It's the wind twisting the sapling that causes the split to be irregular.

[tgtmatt]

Should I debark it and seal it, then straighten it with heat after it's dryer or should I debark it and try straightening it while it's still full of moisture?

[Pappy]

I would debark,cut down close to bow size /seal it and steam it out while it's green,if you let it dry you can use dry heat but it may get worse as it dries if you don't clamp it to something straight.
   Pappy

[Del the cat]

Nah, that's not twist...
That's just 'straightness challenged'
I've heard one theory that even in places where there's not much wind and a tree is growin up dead vertical it can still twist due to the leaves trying to follow the sun as it crosses the sky.
Dunno if it's true, but just think how your neck twists when a pretty lady walks past
I've not worked with Oak, but on something like Hazel or Yew that wouldn't be a prob' just lay it out slightly diagonal and ignore it.
If you wait for something to split straighter than that, you'll have a long wait and a big pile of firewood.
Del

[crooketarrow]

  That picture the wood did'nt twist after spliting. The (grain) wood had already grew stwisted.
  Very few woods twist unless the staves are split really small. I've only cut and split 2 oak logs I did'nt have any twist in them.  Light weight woods like sassafras will twist.
  Those woods I let dry whole or split in half.  At least let it simi dry before I split into staves.