Need an Experts Opinion

[Shondy55]

alright guys two quick questions.

1. i bought a board of hickory and left it clamped on a table outside in hopes of straightening it out.  it rained and the board got wet the next night.  i took the board off the table then put it by a fan, i then left it in the HOT sun for a day. it seemed to be dry as before it got wet.  is the wood still okay to use??

2. i cut some osage in december, it was in my basement and has been moved to my attic for the last 2 months.  i live in kansas so its been getting very hot.  if the osage ready to be made into a bow???

             thanks
                            -shondy

[DarkSoul]

D*rn...you need an expert so I can't chime in


Ok, I'll give it a go...
1) no problem at all.
2) depends on the size the wood was when you stored it. How thick was it for the past months?

[gstoneberg]

I can answer the osage question.   If you removed the bark and sapwood, sealed the bow back and roughed out the shape of the bow 2 months ago when you put it in the attic, you can begin the process of tillering but will have to go slow to allow more drying as you remove wood.  And, you'll still need to keep the bow where it's hot between sessions of working on it and will run the risk of some checking.  If you still have staves, no way.

Good luck.

George

[LivingElemental]

I don't know, I've heard of people drying green staves in an attic for 2-3 months, then having to REhydrate the wood a little because it dried too much.

You could always go out and buy a hydrometer to gauge moisture percentage in the wood.

I remember reading between 8-12% is perfect.

[Hrothgar]

If your hickory board hasn't cracked or warped from the sun, it should be ok; however, if it was in the rain very long it might be a good idea to wait several days for the wood to stabilize naturally.

[missilemaster]

Your hickory board will not straighten out simply by leaving it in the rain and sun. You could clamp it in a reflex form for a month and it still won't change. in order for anything to happen, you must heat the wood. I would use a heat gun to bring it to a temperature where it almost burns your hand but doesn't scorch the wood. bend the wood a little past straight because it will spring back a bit. Leave it in that position until it cools. Before you do any of this, rough out the bow and get it floor tillered, it will be much easier to heat correct. Also, Hickory must be very dry in order to get the maximum from it. Be sure to keep it in a warm, dry place for a few weeks before doing work on it. My first bow was from a hickory board 4 years ago, still shoot it often.  Hope this helps.

                                            Cody

[Pappy]

What Cody said. and  especially what DarkSoul said.  If you want to rush up the Osage you will need to debark,chase a ring and get close to bow dimensions,then seal GOOD and put up for a few months. Then I would go slow while tillering and let dry between tillering session's. 
   Pappy