Stave prep

[RopingReds]

Hey guys I'm new to the forum and bow making as well. I have a question about drying out staves. I have a lot of different options in picking a stave. I have hickory, red oak, white oak, persimmon, ask, maple, and HHB to choose from. My questions are, which wood would be best to start with for my first bow and when i cut the stave how to i prepare it? Do i go ahead and split it to dry or do i let it dry and then split it?

[Drewster]

WOW, you have a lot of good bow wood to choose from.  If you have some good straight hickory, that would be a good wood to start with.  If you harvest it this summer, I would split into staves about 3" wide if it splits nice and straight.  You will be able to peel the bark off easily and that exposed first growth ring will be the back of your bow.  Clean off the cambium layer, which will start turning brown when exposed to the air and coat the back and ends with shellac or glue.

Put the staves in a place with good air flow but out of the direct sunlight for a month or so then you can bring them inside to dry further.  After several more weeks you could rough out the bow and cut the limbs to 1"+ in thickness to help speed up the drying.  Hickory will need to be really, really dry........in the 6-8% MC range, so it will take a while depending on your environment.

Good luck and have fun!  LOTS of very knowledgeable folks here to help you.

[Pat B]

Any of the woods you posted will make good bows. HHB, hickory and white oak would be my choices in the order shown. All the woods you posted are considered whitewoods and now is the time to cut them. The bark should peel off freely and like Drewster said, that will be the back of your bow. I would seal the newly exposed back(I like shellac) and you can take any of them down to floor tiller stage now...or maybe wait a week or so. When you take it down to floor tiller stage you'll probably want to clamp it to a form to prevent any twisting or sideways bending. After a month or so check the M/C. If low enough(9-11%)you can start building.

[Eric Krewson]

Hickory or hickory followed by hickory, the perfect beginner wood.

[JW_Halverson]

Hickory or hickory followed by hickory, the perfect beginner wood.

I don't know what you are talking about, Eric.  What are you thinking???  Seriously! 

He needs to try hickory first.

[huisme]

I nominate hickory, don't know what you're all talking about.

I actually started with locust I thought was ash. Eventually the chrysals taught me to tiller and it's just been a matter of trying new things thus far.

[RopingReds]

hey guys thank you all for the information you shared. I'm really excited about getting started I've been doing a lot of research and I'm ready to give it a go. I think I'll start with hickory it seems to be a real winner 

[JW_Halverson]

Getting the bark off while the wood is fresh will be your key.  Do not wait but about 3 quick eyeblinks before you slap on some polyurethane, latex paint, wood glue, shellac, or something to seal the back and the ends, mind you!  That will stop the wood from getting cracks/checks. 

Like another said, once you have allowed the wood to cure a few months, you can reduce it closer to bow dimensions and bring it indoors or place it where there is more air movement and even sunshine to help cure it out a little faster.  You may get a little warping or twisting, but hickory will accept treatment from a heatgun and you can undo all that nonsense when the time comes!


We'll walk you through it and see you taken care of!  Just pay back the debt by passing on your experience and talents to someone else, that's how we all got to where we are now!