Question on drying green boards

[Bayou Ben]

Eric, so the cherry that you sealed all sides on, did it take very long to dry?  I thought about doing this more than once, but was reluctant because I thought it would trap the moisture in the wood, and cause rot issues. 

[ccase39]

This is a wagon load of ash I sawed earlier this winter. Maybe you can see how the boards have a air space between them and are strapped down top keep from warping. This ash was dead for awhile and then logs on a pile for a year before sawed. It was around 40 percent moisture when I sawed it. I put it in shop with heat at 57 degrees and a fan on it for about seven weeks. Then I put it on my mancave walls. It looks great. You'd want to let yours dry longer I'm sure and possibly slower.
Bjrogg
PS most of this was cut 3/4" thickness

Thanks man. Great looking rig.

[Hamish]

The wood looks like degame to me. It has the right buff colour.
Definitely seal the entire board on any of the dense tropical timbers. They dry very differently from US trees, and are more prone to checking.
It was common practice for lemonwood/degame staves to be coated with shellac. You have gone to a lot of trouble to get this timber, it would be a shame to lose some of it to checking.

[ccase39]

The wood looks like degame to me. It has the right buff colour.
Definitely seal the entire board on any of the dense tropical timbers. They dry very differently from US trees, and are more prone to checking.
It was common practice for lemonwood/degame staves to be coated with shellac. You have gone to a lot of trouble to get this timber, it would be a shame to lose some of it to checking.

The airport service dropped off the big pieces this afternoon and I got it done. Thanks to all for advice

[Eric Krewson]

My blanks were 3" thick, they dried in my shop in about 2 years. One cost of shellac will still let the wood dry out but will slow the surface drying so the wood won't check.

Any bow you make, no matter how well you have it sealed with fluctuate its MC depending on the ambient MC.

On my flintlocks I have very tight inletting for parts, a week of very dry weather and my inletting may have small gaps in it from wood shrinkage. I have at least 5 coats of finish on my guns and they still shrink in dry conditions. This is common among all gun builders.