crab apple question

[missilemaster]

Hi all,
               I am going to be cutting some crab apple soon and was wondering how I should dry it? I read that this wood likes to check and warp so I was thinking I should seal the ends, remove the bark, take it down to just above bow dimentions and clamp it to a form to dry. The piece Im looking at cutting is billet material, about 42" long and 7" thick. Has anyone used this wood for bows?

                                                                       Cody

[M-P]

Howdy,  A crabapple bow won BOM a while back.    Check out the  "You've Got to be Kidding" Birdseye Crabapple Bow thread.
I haven't used crabapple yet, but I've tried plum and that has a real rep for being hard to dry.   Plum has worked for me if I split it. leave the bark on and then paint the entire stave with tung oil.  It might help to clamp it down to to minimize warping.  I suggest something similar for crabapple.  Removing the bark would probably increase the chances of checks and splits.  Ron

[Pat B]

All of the crabapple around here grows spiraled. Study ther bark well so you cut a straight growing tree.

[Lee Slikkers]

I agree with M-P.  Not sure what it is about the fruit tree woods but I cut a nice Apple tree stave this spring, debarked, worked to profile and sealed the heck out of it and it checked horribly through the heart and twisted like crazy.  If I was to try Apple again I'd leave the bark on, seal the ends and just let it dry in a corner for a year or two.

Good luck with it.

[aznboi3644]

I've made a couple crab apple branch bows.  The wood is VERY hard and dense and fairly easy to work

[Hillbilly]

I cut a crabapple stave once, and it looked like the unholy union of a pretzel and a corkscrew by the time it seasoned out.