Speed drying....

[CodyCoyote]

I have some hickory and ash to cut but its green. Whats the quickest way to dry staves. I was gonna rough it out and put it in the car but I dont know how long it will take, what would be my best bet? I only have two dry staves that i wanted to practice on but they wont last me long if i really get into it. 

[sailordad]

the car trick should work,probably a few weeks if ya have them close to bow demensons
longer is better in my opinion

[adb]

I let most of my green wood air dry in my shop for over a year before I even look at it. I've found that if I start forcing anything, even drying, I'm less than happy with the results. If bow making has taught me anything, it's patience!

[gmc]

Hickory stands up pretty well to quick drying but some woods don't. I have my doubts about ash, but haven't tried it yet. I always clamp my stave sized down to about floor tillering dimensions leaving the stave a bit wider than normal to reduce limb twist, warpage. Air flow is key @ about 95 degrees with a relative humidity of 25 - 30%. Those conditions will have you ready in about 7-10 days. The above data is based on using a hot box which sounds like you don't have but this can at least give you an idea. Make sure the ends are sealed properly to prevent checking. I have access to additional information on quick drying wood but haven't completely read the rules to know if posting links to other websites is within the boundaries here. Hope this helps. Greg

[CodyCoyote]

Gmc, pm me. I have wax can i seal the ends with that? I have sime oil tung oil and linseed oil and a few others to. With winter coming here soon might have 3 1/2 hours of 80 degrees in the car but the rest will be cool around the 50's, how long should I expect?

[Pappy]

I do the same as Greg,if you don't have a hot box put it over the ac duct if you are still using ac.I would seal at least the ends and back if it is green ,and it is a good idea to clamp it to something
maybe with a little reflex or it will warp.You can straighten that out with heat later but it is best if you can keep it from doing it to start with. I usuall give them a few weeks and then work them down a little more.You don't want to bend them much,even when you are floor tillering while it is green.I just get it to move a little and let it dry for a couple of weeks then work it down a little more and dry somemore.and so on till I get it floor tillered.You can do one in 6 weeks or so doing it that way.
   Pappy

[gmc]

Having thought about this a bit more with what you have to work with, buy a cheap weight scale and temp. GA. if money is an issue (always is here) weigh the stave, clamp it down to a board then place in the car. When it stops losing weight for 1/3 of the total amount of drying time your ready. The scale will need to measure in small increments such as grams, if possible. The amount of time to dry would depend on RH and ambient temp. level inside the car. Expect to lose somewhere around 20 grams of water the first couple days and tail off to around 5 or 6 daily. That's based on my above post under those conditions. I would be very careful about exposing the stave to temps above 100 degrees F. for any length of time. A stave sized down will dry pretty quickly under reasonable conditions, the quicker it dries the more prone it will be to movement as it shrinks. Good luck and hope this helps.

[gmc]

PM sent.

Best option for sealing the ends based on the above list would be tung oil. And I only say that because it does have a drying agent that would work if enough coats were applied. There are better, low cost options such as glue, Elmer's that is or any kind of wood glue. Still better options than that but I wouldn't worry too much about the Hickory, it still needs be sealed thou to slow down the moisture loss. I don't see wax as an option.

I have not needed to seal the back of Hickory, but I have heard of folks that live in lower RH regions feeling the need.

Agree with Pappy: additional moisture will be lost as the bow is sized down to final dimension which should occur pretty quick at that point.

I see no advantage to quick drying in a car based on the ambient temps provided. As recommended by other posters , cool, dry air may be the best option. AC or not, sounds like your best option is indoors. If no AC is available, use a fan for air flow in the warmest room in the house. Cool air tends to be at a lower RH but depends on your surroundings. Pappy's 6 week estimate without using a hot box sounds very close to me.

There will be much to learn about moisture, Hickory will be your best teacher.