Questions cutting Locust and Hophornbeam

[Webradbury]

I recently received permission to cut some Black Locust and Hophornbeam from property in my town.  When harvested, should they be split into staves with the ends sealed or left as logs with the ends sealed.  Should the bark be removed promptly or left on.  I'm confused about this and have heard that it depends on the species.  I know some species is very hard to remove bark after seasoning like red Elm (I know from experience!).  Thanks, Will

[RBLusthaus]

When I cut locust, i I split it out to a large stave size, but with 12 -18 inches of extra length, and I leave the bark on to store.  If a real big tree, split the Belly off the larger pieces.  The ends will check, but they Are long and will get cut off later anyway.  HHB I have never cut, but would assume that you should take the bark off and seal the whole shebang real well.  Extra long staves never hurt anyone and leaves you room trim later.  Russ

[Dances with squirrels]

Always seal the ends of ANY log or staves asap after cutting. I use shellac. It dries fast, and then I give it another coat.

Best case scenerio is to split both promtly.

Treat black locust like osage. Cut the log a little longer than needed, seal the ends, split out staves, and remove the bark and sapwood as soon as possible, preferably bringing the back to a single ring, then seal the back. Again, I like shellac.

Hophornbeam, cut while the sap is up, split into staves, the bark will peel off easily and that is the back of the bow. Seal the back, or it may check.

Again, this is best case scenerio. Black locust logs can sit for a while with the ends sealed, but the longer they sit, the greater the risk they will check through the bark down into your bow wood. Hophornbeam should at least be split into staves right away to begin drying, otherwise it will degrade internally.

[Webradbury]

Thank you... now I know!

[Slackbunny]

Peel and split the HHB as soon as you cut it. The bark should peel nice and easy this time of year and come off in nice big strips. It is likely to check badly if you don't seal the entire back and both ends well, so make sure you get them sealed up good. 

I did once have some mold problems on one stash of HHB that wasn't stored in as dry a place as it should have been. I don't know if HHB is more prone to mold than other species, but I store it in a good dry place now.