I need a hot box...

[PEARL DRUMS]

Ive decided to build a warm/dry box. For the most part I get 7-8 months a year with great, or slightly low moisture content in my staves. Its around 10-11% now and thats not cool. Now that Ive built a few bows wrong and right I realize just how much of a difference there is in a bow built at 7-8% and a bow built at 10% or higher. Seems hair splitting silly I know, but its really not if your experineced enough to feel the difference. Not to mention try sticking dry heat to a stave at 9-11%, odds are it will form splits on the back and belly.

[crooketarrow]

  PEARL your right just a couple % makes a big differents. Exspeially woods like hickory.
  On hickory I but my bow in the hot box when I start be when you start beening the limbs. For maybe 15 min's. If diffently cuts down on set and string follow. I;ve been buting mine in a hot bow for 15 years at least.
  I make my last box out of a sheet (4x8) on foam with silver attacted thats but on houses. Glued it up with TB and put a couple screws in it. 3, 20 Wat light bulbs. A couple bricks to hold the top on. Couple peices of a old arrow to hold your bow of stave.
  Before I made them out of plywood and lined it with the foam.

[crooketarrow]

  I forgot to say why I do this.
  Even though wood staves well seasoned.  Woods like HICKORY soak up relitive humitty. Puting in the bow for 15 mins. gets rid of SURFACE MOISTURE. IF YOU LEAVE IT TO LONG IT WILL MAKE THE WOOD TO BRITTLE.

[okie64]

Yep I need one too PD but I just havent gotten around to building one yet. I try to only build whitewood bows when the humidity is really low inside my house. That usually means January, february, july and august around here. Those are the only times during the year that my hvac unit runs enough to get the rh below 50% . Ive just about given up on using hickory around here. I try my hardest to keep the mc level to a minimum while im building a hickory bow and it turns out to be a good shooter and then pick it up and shoot it a couple months later and it feels like a noodle. Now that will piss anybody off! The cast of a hickory bow at 6% or 10% mc is like the difference in a 40lb and 60lb bow.

[nathan elliot]

I made mine out of a drain pipe with my food dehydrator on one end, worked well enough but I had to turn the staves to keep it even. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with, I got off my butt and made a form after seeing yours so I may just have to make a new hot box when I see what you make. No pressure or anything, but please keep it to your usual high standard

[ksnow]

I built one years ago out of the pink foam insulation.  I held it together with coarse thread drywall screws, and taped the seams.  I left the end open, with a "hinged" door.  I put old arrow shafts across to lay bows on.  The heat comes from three 60 watt light bulbs mounted in sockets on a 1x4 base.  These are all wired to a rheostat, so I can control the temp inside the box.  I stick a meat thermometer through the side to monitor.  It is very easy to keep the box at a constant temp, as long as the ambient temp does not swing too wild (not good in the second floor of a barn in the summer).  I would like to add a small fan to one end, to help with airflow.  I got the inspiration from an old back issue of PA (its nice having the whole set  )

Kyle

[Pat B]

Pearlie, I built my hot box from Bingham's plans when I tried to build a glass lam bow(unsuccessfully). That is a good plan for a more permanent hot box but I did add a few extras that I thought would improve their design fo suite my working style. Dean Torges had a plan for a simple hot box made from insulation foam board that I assume does the same thing but is less permanent and less expensive to build. You saw the hot box Pappy made at Twin Oaks. If you have the room that would be a good option also.

[Carson (CMB)]

Here is some pics of a cheap one I made:  http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,37088.0.html

[PEARL DRUMS]

I have plenty of room Pat. Now that Bear and Stevie the wonder took all my junk bows from me, I can make an under the bench box! Im not needing it hot enough to cure glue or anything. I just want to keep my current projects and maybe a few future projects in it for moisture stability. I have a temp/humidity gauge already. Just need to get building.

[fiddler49]

Pearl, I use a 6ft flex drier duct with a electric heater with fan put against one end, Will even work with recurves.
cheers fiddler49

[JW_Halverson]

I park my hotbox in the sun and roll up the windows. Jeep makes a great Cherokee hot box!

[Pat B]

A small fan helps to dry wood and would probably help maintaining M/C.

[turtle]

I built one years ago out of the pink foam insulation.  I held it together with coarse thread drywall screws, and taped the seams.  I left the end open, with a "hinged" door.  I put old arrow shafts across to lay bows on.  The heat comes from three 60 watt light bulbs mounted in sockets on a 1x4 base.  These are all wired to a rheostat, so I can control the temp inside the box.  I stick a meat thermometer through the side to monitor.  It is very easy to keep the box at a constant temp, as long as the ambient temp does not swing too wild (not good in the second floor of a barn in the summer).  I would like to add a small fan to one end, to help with airflow.  I got the inspiration from an old back issue of PA (its nice having the whole set  )

Kyle

Mines pretty much the same exept i made it out of a 4x8x3/4 sheet of celotex.

[mullet]

Too bad, I've given away two in the last two years. Didn't have the room.

[DGF]

Remember to stock up on non-flourescent bulbs if you build a box that route. I've heard they wont be available for long.

-Dan