Shaping the bow

[Gaust]

Question:  How far can I shape a bow from green wood, prior to drying?
George

[huisme]

I go all the way to floor tiller with a little extra wood in the tips. I've even finished a half-dried black locust and had to re-tiller because it dried ten pounds above my comfortable draw weight, but it did take about a half inch more set than usual before I heated it out.

[Gaust]

Thanks.  I'm working on a hackberry stave and I've shaped it down to plan dimensions but not even close to floor tiller or final thickness.  I've got it in the house to dry and every time I see it I keep wanting to shape it even more.  Just don't want to overdo it at this stage.  Thought maybe I should stop and wait till spring.
George

[Pat B]

Take it down to floor tiller stage(about 4" of tip movement) like Huisme said. Be sure the back is sealed well so it won't check. This time of year is pretty dry in most areas and storing it in your house you should be able to work it more after a month or so. If it feels mushy at the time set it aside for a little longer.

[Gaust]

My house this time of year is around 35%-40% humidity at 73 degrees on average.  I thought about standing it up in a corner of the kitchen, or should I keep it horizontal?   About a couple of months, do you think?
George

[Pappy]

I would lay it flat if possible, Hackberry I would leave a little wider just to keep it from twisting as it dries,even better to clamp to something like a flat board to keep it from propeller twisting. A month or 2 should be OK.
   Pappy

[Gsulfridge]

Interesting.  I just found a few hackberry trees that I think I can aquire   Please post pics when youre done with your bow.

[Del the cat]

As far as you dare... at the risk of coming in under weight.
Del

[Gaust]

Pappy, I'll take it down to where I can floor tiller it about 3" to 4" and then strap it to a straight 2x4 so it doesn't warp before it drys.  The limbs are about 2" wide now.  The back is sealed with Elmer's glue.  I may end up heating a limb it to flatten it out.
George

[Badger]

  Hackberry is a great wood for the guys who like crazy recurves, once you steam hackberry it will bend easier than any other American wood and it will bend on a very tight radius.  Several years ago I tried to build a bow that would unwind like a coil spring so I used hackberry and wound it up after first tillering what I thought would work and then steaming. It almost kinda sorta worked LOL.