Osage moisture content

[Muskyman]

I was checking some Osage I harvested last September with my moisture meter and depending on the stave it was checking between 6 & 9 percent. The hickory I harvested about a week before was checking 16 to 18 percent. I’ve got quite a few staves so was just wondering if I’d be safe making a bow with it. At least taking one down to maybe bow shape and bringing it inside to dry further and make one this summer. I have seen some posts saying the older the better but have also seen people saying take it down and put it in a heat box for a while and weigh it until it stops losing weight.
Just curious about everyone’s opinion. Also if they’ve ever used the heat box method and how they do it.
Thanks

[Hamish]

^-9% may not be very accurate, if the staves are very thick. The inner parts can be significantly wetter.

There is no harm trimming a stave into floor tillered condition whilst a bit green. I would still keep the back sealed with shellac though.

You can do any steaming whilst a bit wet too.

Then you can put it in a drying box. I just use a Torges style plywood box with incandescent bulbs.

[Pat B]

With hickory, 5% to 6% is where it preforms best. With osage and most other woods 9% to 11% is the optimum M/C. Like Hamish said you can take any bow wood down to floor tiller stage with no harm. The wood will dry quicker at that stage but be sure the back and ends are sealed to prevent checking. Also, steaming a wet stave will aid in the drying process and if you put that stave on a caul you can induce some backset at the same time.
 IMO, a heat box is good for reducing the last little bit of moisture and maintaining the optimal M/C as you work the stave into a bow. Putting wet wood in a hot box can cause checking because you are forcing the moisture out at too fast of a rate.

[Jim Davis]

Incandescent bulbs are near impossible to find in stores. I've got a few I horded. LED bulbs only get slightly warm...

[Muskyman]

Thanks for the replies gentleman. I’m not in a panic to work these staves. Was just a little surprised by what my meter was showing me.
Also I can get incandescent bulbs about anywhere here in Ohio Jim. Wally World and all the big box stores seem to have them.  Also saw a ton of them online. Probably not like the old days but still seem to be around. They do seem pricier than they used to be.

[mmattockx]

Incandescent bulbs are near impossible to find in stores. I've got a few I horded. LED bulbs only get slightly warm...

Farm supply stores have heat lamp bulbs for raising chicks, those should be a solid substitute since the powers that be decided incandescent bulbs are verboten for us peons.


Mark

[superdav95]

Incandescent bulbs are near impossible to find in stores. I've got a few I horded. LED bulbs only get slightly warm...

Farm supply stores have heat lamp bulbs for raising chicks, those should be a solid substitute since the powers that be decided incandescent bulbs are verboten for us peons.


Mark

These are the same bulbs I use.  They are red heat lamp bulbs.  They seem to last long tiMe too

[superdav95]

With hickory, 5% to 6% is where it preforms best. With osage and most other woods 9% to 11% is the optimum M/C. Like Hamish said you can take any bow wood down to floor tiller stage with no harm. The wood will dry quicker at that stage but be sure the back and ends are sealed to prevent checking. Also, steaming a wet stave will aid in the drying process and if you put that stave on a caul you can induce some backset at the same time.
 IMO, a heat box is good for reducing the last little bit of moisture and maintaining the optimal M/C as you work the stave into a bow. Putting wet wood in a hot box can cause checking because you are forcing the moisture out at too fast of a rate.

Everything they said about mc.  Also I’ve noticed if I get it down to floor tiller And then let it get little dryer before adding any recurves with steam I’m safer.  It seems counterintuitive but steam will rapidly remove mc from those tips as it cools and it has potential to check with the rapid loss of mc still hidden deep in the wood if not adequately dry.  You’ll only know as you reduce down to floor tiller and take more readings to see. Not an exact indicator but pretty good anyway.  Generally below 10% mc on a recently floor tillered bow is pretty safe to steam bend in your recurves.   Ever since following this I’ve had less checks when using steam.  Fwiw

[JW_Halverson]

It is hard to keep wood drier or wetter than your relative humidity. It takes tightly sealed temperature and moisture controlled storage containers and, frankly, it's beyond most people's control. Really, the best you can hope for is to reach stasis with your conditions.

That's why I traded off my moisture meter and went with an inexpensive digital kitchen scale that I can weigh in grams. I weigh my staves regularly until they stop losing weight for a few months. At that point you are done, really. Moisture meters can only measure the moisture at the depth in the wood that the pins have penetrated. Ok, what's the moisture PAST THAT POINT??? With the scale you are weighing all the wood; surface, subsurface, and even into the very middle.

[Selfbowman]

JW I agree with you about y’our post . I like Osage between 7-9% after the build closer to 7%. Lower than 7 your taking risk of getting to dry. Over 9% you are inviting set. After 300 Osage bows that’s been my observation. I like flight bows at about 5-6%.

[Eric Krewson]

I always used a pinless meter that appeared to be very accurate, it may have been off a percent or so but any stave it said was dry, was dry when I started working it down. I left a new battery in it, these newer batteries leak and this one ate up the battery terminals and put my meter out of action, I am not working much osage now so I haven't had it fixed.

The way to never burn out a bulb in your drying box is to insulate it well, put more lights in it than you need, use 100W bulbs and put them on a dimmer switch, I have a string of 3 100W bulbs in my drying box. You can get 100 degrees in your box with the lights barely glowing, this way they never burn out. I changed the bulbs in my box from 60W to 100W about 15 years ago and never had a bulb burn out. I cranked up my dimmer switch one time and my box got up to 145 degrees if I remember right.

[Muskyman]

Selfbow, I’m assuming you are referring to during the build as far as the 7 to 9 percent mc goes?

Also do the pinless moisture meters test just at the surface or how’s that work.
The stave I’ve been working on that I was trying to test I couldn’t get a reading on which is why I tested my staves I had harvested last September. If I recall correctly most of the moisture meters don’t read below 5 percent. I have been keeping that stave indoors and have been doing some heating with wood but typically from around 5pm till around midnight. I’m guessing that probably helped dry it out. Also had steamed the limbs so I might check it again in a few days.

I’m getting close to time to start bending it so I’m gonna keep an eye on the mc

[Eric Krewson]

Pinless meters read the M/C to the center of the wood not just the surface, they tend to be expensive and some work better than others.

I have had this one for 25 years and had it rebuilt once after 20 years, a rebuild cost $99. compared to the cost of a new one this was a bargain.

[Selfbowman]

Pinless meters read the M/C to the center of the wood not just the surface, they tend to be expensive and some work better than others.

I have had this one for 25 years and had it rebuilt once after 20 years, a rebuild cost $99. compared to the cost of a new one this was a bargain.

Eric I also  agree With what you say about the pin type moisture testers. Thats what I have and yes they are not fool proof but do give you a starting point.

[Eric Krewson]

I bought another on off eBay yesterday for $40. Sometimes I get burned buying used stuff, sometimes I find a gem that hasn't been used much.