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ttt

Dubois What's ttt.

[half eye]

Gutshot,  means "to the top"....a way to move the thread back up the list.
rich

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Oh not up on all the fancy terms

[Ranasp]

I have a question about ring chasing.  I'm removing the sapwood from my Black Locust, and there's parts where I'm getting to the heartwood but right next to it the sapwood dips down into it.  Do I just keep peeling away until I've gotten rid of the heartwood, even though I'm going to make the heartwood ring thinner?  This is a big fat heartwood ring so I'd be removing a good chunk of wood if I have to go down to the next ring.  Which is worse?  A compromised ring or less material to work with, or is it even an issue as long as other rings aren't peeking through?

[Josh B]

Do you have pics?  If the ring in question is the first heartwood ring, then that's normal.  It's the transition ring and it may well have some sapwood colored wood marbled in with the darker wood.  Doesn't hurt a thing and I find it quite aesthetically pleasing.  Some people refer to it as creamsickle. You want to maintain the integrity of the ring.  If you dip down into it trying to get under the lighter wood, you will still be violating the grain even if you don't go all the way through to the next ring.  I hope that helps.  Josh

[Drewster]

2X what Gun Doc said.  If the ring you're chasing has valleys and ridges, use a gooseneck scraper to follow the contour more easily and leave all the thickness of the ring that you can.  Tree rings definitely do not grow symmetrically concentric as you are seeing.   

[Drewster]

A most ornery hickory stave.  Per a previous post, I've been having a hard time getting the crook out of my stave at the handle.  SO, I steamed that bad girl for over an hour Sunday afternoon and clamped it up until this morning.  Five minutes after I unclamped her, she moved back to the original crook.  DANG IT.  I drug out the heat gun and greased up the area that needs to bend with Crisco.  Heated that baby for 15 minutes and tied her off.  Well see what happens this time.  If this doesn't work, guess I'll have to start on Plan B.......never had this kind of problem getting hickory to bend.

[ajooter]

I'm surprised it didn't hold drewster....thats how I handle all my hickory.  Maybe you could try steaming it again and after its clamped in the position you want it you can hit it with the heat gun to try and cement that position into shape.

Is it a well seasoned piece of wood?

[ajooter]

I have a question about ring chasing.  I'm removing the sapwood from my Black Locust, and there's parts where I'm getting to the heartwood but right next to it the sapwood dips down into it.  Do I just keep peeling away until I've gotten rid of the heartwood, even though I'm going to make the heartwood ring thinner?  This is a big fat heartwood ring so I'd be removing a good chunk of wood if I have to go down to the next ring.  Which is worse?  A compromised ring or less material to work with, or is it even an issue as long as other rings aren't peeking through?

I have wondered if using an iron and steaming the suface of the stave would help separate the sapwood and or cambium from staves cut later in the year?  Anybody try this?

[DC]

A most ornery hickory stave.  Per a previous post, I've been having a hard time getting the crook out of my stave at the handle.  SO, I steamed that bad girl for over an hour Sunday afternoon and clamped it up until this morning.  Five minutes after I unclamped her, she moved back to the original crook.  DANG IT.  I drug out the heat gun and greased up the area that needs to bend with Crisco.  Heated that baby for 15 minutes and tied her off.  Well see what happens this time.  If this doesn't work, guess I'll have to start on Plan B.......never had this kind of problem getting hickory to bend.

How much are you trying to bend it? Like how much did you move it where the string is tied? Did you heat it where the brown ares is? All I'm thinking is if you're not trying to move it much and you heated it where the brown is, maybe the two thin sections of the handle are absorbing all the movement. If you follow me that's all I got

[bubby]

If all else fails i have cut an angled slot then steam it or use dry heat and drive a wedge in gently, then after it sets pop the wedge out, coat in epoxy and re install, do this where the cut will be covered by the grip wrap

[Ranasp]

So far it seems to be close to the end of the stave, I haven't stripped all the sapwood off the rest of it yet.  I'll get to work on that and see if it keeps happening, here's a close up and a view further back with a dotted line showing the sapwood.

Never having done this before I'm a bit nervous about how far is too far.  I think I've figured out what the "pithy" areas are talked about in Clay Hayes' videos, but is it a dealbreaker if you end up going past it?  The outermost ring is well over 1/4" thick (at least at the very end of the staff, I doubt it's consistent all the way through). 

[half eye]

Ranasp,
      Usually when the majority of sapwood has been removed if any is left it will more than likely "pop" durning the floor bending or at least by the time you reack brace height......other than the fact that the "tick" when it does will scare the bejesus out of you it really is not much of an issue.
    While I have no direct experience with Locust the condition I described above happens frequently on Creep Myrtle, and some of the woods like service berry, choke cherry etc.
rich

[bubby]

What i do is get close with a drawknife and then use a scraper to clean up the back before continuing, is that stave cut close to bow dimensions if not go ahead and get that done no sense getting a clean back on wood that gets removed

[Drewster]

I'm surprised it didn't hold drewster....thats how I handle all my hickory.  Maybe you could try steaming it again and after its clamped in the position you want it you can hit it with the heat gun to try and cement that position into shape.

Is it a well seasoned piece of wood?

Yeah, after steaming it for about 70 minutes, I'm surprised it didn't hold either.  Never had hickory to act this stubborn.  It's pretty well seasoned.  It was harvested from a road widening project almost a year ago.  I roughed out the stave and it's been in my shop that long.  I've also had it in my hot box for the past three weeks.

Thanks for your idea of steaming and heating.  When I unclamp it in the morning, I will try that if it doesn't hold.  I'll figure out SOME WAY to beat this stick of wood ;-)