Oceanspray takedown, phase 1

[bow101]

It's drying quite well. I de-barked it except for 6" at each end. I shellacked the ends and the back of the handle. It's been sitting in the garage on my workbench for about five weeks and the only check has been the one I mentioned three posts back. The RH has hovered around 70-80% for most of that time so that's probably worked in my favor. The only bow wood I've found so far are Ocean Spray, Douglas Maple, Pacific Crabapple, Saskatoon(Serviceberry), Cascara and back up in the hills there will be Yew. There is Hawthorn around but it's mostly ornamental(in gardens).  Most of the above are small, so I will mostly be making sapling bows. There is a lot of cascara but I haven't read really glowing reports on it.

Lots of Hawthorn down here in the Cowichan Valley......

[steve b.]

Yea, Don, I have on handle that opened up like that too.  I don't have plans for it--I'll probably fill with homemade resin or wood inlay up through the fade.

A week or so ago I took my pile of OS outside in the heat and watched it over time.   Some of the larger pieces began to check so I CA'd the cracks and took them inside.  No further checking to this day.  The heat was just too much to soon for the bulky sections.  Lesson learned.