This may be a stupid question, but what does checking mean?

[Sleep Junkie]

I was reading through the posts and when people are talking about freshly collected arrow shafts, they say that you should wait to remove the bark until they dry because it prevents checking.  I assume that a check is a crack that forms and then runs down the length of a shaft because it dried to fast.  Am I correct?

[TBod]

Check is a crack, correct as far as I know.

[Josh]

Drying checks are cracks that form during the drying process.  If wood is cut green and left to dry, the outside of the wood dries faster than the inside wood.  When wood dries it shrinks.  So if the outside of the wood is drier than the inside wood, it shrinks causing checking.  Hope this helps.    -Josh

[ZanderPommo]

yup, you're right junkie

[Pat B]

Josh nailed it! 

[El Destructo]

       Dang...and I thought that it was when you got drilled by an Opposing Player in a game of Hockey....how silly of Me.......

                                               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAFGzsPCFrI

[recurve shooter]

       Dang...and I thought that it was when you got drilled by an Opposing Player in a game of Hockey....how silly of Me.......

                                               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAFGzsPCFrI

good god!!!

and to think i hit that linebacker hard last year. man that was a love tap compared to those guys.

[bebloomster]

Oh wow!!!  Don't see a check that hard very often.... thank goodness.