anyone ever try this?

[Swamp Thang]

So I conducted an experiment of my own. Had a fresh stave after a week of drying I "started" to split with some butter knives I pocketed from my wife's silver ware....shhhhhh.   I started with splitting for 3" and everyday after whilst drying I'd split a little more in a week I had two non warped staves. Afterwards I tied them together with rubber bands. Touching in the middle and a couple Dowls in the ends to encourage reflex. Every couple days I take them out and whittle a little and then put them back so far no check no cracks and no warping.

[Hrothgar]

Never tried this before, but daily attention and taking things gradually should yield a bow. Did you seal the back of the staves?

[BowEd]

Interesting experiment.I can see how that would work for ya.A single 3" log or sapling split will do that.They should yield you some bows.It seems I've tried what your doing  too once.The dried in reflex I induced most time just pulled out while tillering.Did it with red elm here though and our red elm here is'nt that great of bow wood.
In the beginning of drying harder denser woods I like it to be cool out 60 degrees or less if I leave them as a stave.In the fall mostly into the winter or early spring before summer.When preparing staves.After a month or two of that temperature it can get hot and not do much damage.All staves get a coating of shellac on the back and ends.
Some types of wood will warp no matter how you dry them though it seems.Especially ones with twist in the grain.Too much and it's firewood here.It's hard to figure exactly what a stave will do reflex wise untill you let it dry.Hickory lots of times reflexes a bunch on it's own drying.Straight as a gun barrel too.Paying attention to what side of the tree can give you a heads up I've heard.

[Swamp Thang]

Didn't seal the back left the cabium on and coated with fat

[Swamp Thang]

OH AND Breadman it's cedar elm if your interested I can see about shipping you a stave. My first successful bow was from this yielded 15 to 20 lb bow.

[BowEd]

Does the wood make 50 to 55 pound bows?Tell me more about it.Density/heat treating retainment/designs best suited etc.I'll look it up once.

[loon]

haha i was just trying to sharpen some butter knife to make it useful..
so you're hammering the knives into the log to split it

i think primitive tim might've split that hickory log in his video into staves before it was fully dried, but with sealed ends. but didn't reduce it until the end..

[Swamp Thang]

Yeah slowly beating the knives in unshaven ed they dried the straightest I've seen yet

[Swamp Thang]

Does the wood make 50 to 55 pound bows?Tell me more about it.Density/heat treating retainment/designs best suited etc.I'll look it up once.

I don't know about all that wouldn't know what to do with that info if i had it let me know in your opinion though