Author Topic: dry or wet straightening white oak limb?  (Read 3184 times)

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Offline aurox

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dry or wet straightening white oak limb?
« on: April 24, 2014, 05:59:54 pm »
Hey guys. I have a 68" oregon white oak bow that is in early tillering stage pyramid design. one limb bends more than i want to the side. I already straightened it once by soaking the limb in a wet towel wrapped in bag for a day in the sun. then i ladled boiling water for half an hour over the limb and then tied it straight. i did not over bend to compensate for it relaxing. well now it bent back sideways.

so questions: is dry heat more preferable for this in white oak? or steam/boiling?
                      am i risking weakening the limb by doing the wet a second time or the dry?

i read on here that a guy named gordon likes dry heat to bend vine maple which is how i came up with the question.

thanks a bunch

Offline Wiley

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Re: dry or wet straightening white oak limb?
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2014, 06:23:43 pm »
Dry heat or steam works well for dry white oak, at least it does for our true white oak Quercus alba.

But now that it's been soaked and had boiling water poured over it, unless you sealed it really well before doing it, I would steam it. If you dry heat wood with a lot of moisture in it your asking for it to crack the wood as the water in the wood expands from the heat.

Good policy for most woods is steam for green/wet wood, dry heat for dry/cured wood. Now that the limb has been wrapped in a soaked towel for a day and had a bunch of boiling water over it, it is probably far from dry.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2014, 06:27:37 pm by Wiley »

Offline BOWMAN53

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Re: dry or wet straightening white oak limb?
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2014, 06:53:57 pm »
i steamed my piece of white oak and it bent like a wet noodle.

Offline aurox

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Re: dry or wet straightening white oak limb?
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2014, 02:14:08 pm »
thanx guys for the feedback. i have been away from the computer for a bit. i figure i will use dry heat on the limb when it fully cured and dry. will follow up and write what happens.

Offline mullet

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Re: dry or wet straightening white oak limb?
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2014, 09:18:48 pm »
Rub some Veggie oil or Crisco on the belly and use a heat gun. Oak bends good with dry heat. Or you can wrap a wet towel around the limb and heat it in a micro wwave oven for about a minute and a half or judge by smell ;D, both methods work good with oak.
Lakeland, Florida
 If you have to pull the trigger, is it really archery?

Offline Danzn Bar

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Re: dry or wet straightening white oak limb?
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2014, 09:55:13 pm »
Rub some Veggie oil or Crisco on the belly and use a heat gun. Oak bends good with dry heat. Or you can wrap a wet towel around the limb and heat it in a micro wwave oven for about a minute and a half or judge by smell ;D, both methods work good with oak.

I've heard that before  :-\ For the life of me I can't figure out how to do that in a microwave oven.  My oven is not long enough.   ???  :)
DBar
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking

Offline james parker

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Re: dry or wet straightening white oak limb?
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2014, 10:47:32 pm »
so as I understand you muller,,, if you cook the poop out of it you can smell it

Offline mullet

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Re: dry or wet straightening white oak limb?
« Reply #7 on: April 29, 2014, 10:59:54 pm »
Yes Sir! If you use Figi Bottled water to soak the rags you almost think you're on a Tropical vacation.
Rub some Veggie oil or Crisco on the belly and use a heat gun. Oak bends good with dry heat. Or you can wrap a wet towel around the limb and heat it in a micro wwave oven for about a minute and a half or judge by smell ;D, both methods work good with oak.

I've heard that before  :-\ For the life of me I can't figure out how to do that in a microwave oven.  My oven is not long enough.   ???  :)
DBar
When I get back from the Classic I'll post a picture how-to, think, hole saw ;)
Lakeland, Florida
 If you have to pull the trigger, is it really archery?

Offline Danzn Bar

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Re: dry or wet straightening white oak limb?
« Reply #8 on: April 30, 2014, 09:18:57 pm »
 :o   :o  I think my wife woooould kill me if I took a hole saw to the microwave................  :'(
DBar
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking