Moisture Content for Hackberry

[Gaust]

I've got this stave to floor tiller stage, with about 4" of bend, plenty of thickness left.   I have it at around 6 to 7% right now, measured by a moisture meter.  It's been sitting inside the house the last couple of days in 40% average relative humidity.  Is it ready to move to the final shaping and tree tillering stage you think?  I read somewhere that this wood needs to be dryer than most.
George

[osage outlaw]

When did you cut the tree?

[Gaust]

It was cut 10/27/2013.

[osage outlaw]

Do you have a hot box?

[Joec123able]

So it's less then a month cut and you've already got it to 7% how?? If by just air drying then your moisture meters wrong

[rabbitassasin]

i also am interested as i have some hack that was cut in march (03) and it seems pretty dry to me!

[dbb]

Take the guesswork out of it and check the weight instead.
Just weigh it say twice a week until it stops loosing weight.
The only moisturemeters i trust is pro grade and those puppies are pricey !

[DarkSoul]

No way the wood is dry! Don't tiller for at least another two weeks, preferably more.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Hackberry is super light weight and dries super fast. If you have it sized as you say, keep it in the house at 40-50% humidity for at least a few more weeks. I think my first HB bow was a bow about 6-7 weeks after I cut it. If you continue as is your bow will take 5"-6" of set. Hackberry is a 8-9% wood, too dry and it will blow in tension. Too green and it takes alot of set.

[Gaust]

Thanks, everyone.  Consensus seems to be that I need to wait a few more weeks.  I've kept the stave clamped to a straight 2x4 next to the return air grille in the house where the air movement is the greatest.  When I had it in the garage in the beginning I had a fan on it continuously, but soon moved it into the house when the humidity rose after some rains.  When I put my $12 moisture meter on it in the garage, it did read 11% MC.  After I moved it into the house for a while, it now reads 6 to 7%.  Just did not want to get it too dry.  But keeping it in the house for a few more weeks won't hurt it.
George

[toomanyknots]

Hot boxing helps hackberry a lot. You can easily get zero set with hackberry if it is nice and dry, and good wood of course. Plus it smells awesome when it "cooks",  .