Slow seasoning vs. Quick drying

[Marc St Louis]

Ask makers of fine musical instruments if they build their instruments out of kiln dried wood or seasoned wood.  Ask gun stock makers if they build the Walnut stocks from kiln dried wood or seasoned wood.  You will find that anyone that has a good reputation and takes pride in what they make will NOT use kiln dried wood.

There's a lot more to seasoned wood than just the water leaving the wood.  Internal stresses get ironed out and the wood seems to get harder with time

[crooketarrow]

   I was taught that you go slow and to let wood season on it's own out of the sun and moisture. And woods like anything else it's got it's own sprit and It should be treated like so. Not that that matters to many people but it dose to some of us. And beleive like marc saids let it season slow releaves the internal strees. And only have exsperince with hickory sapplings but in a hot box and have made many hickory bows from long seasoned staves. Although saplings arn't staves and at the time I never took any nocies. But like marc said on one ever uses fast dryed kiln wood in musical instrumentsor gun stocks.
  I can say if it's better but it fits into my way of bow building. I'm slowwwwwwwww any way.
 

[George Tsoukalas]

I don't know, Marc. I don't make guitars but I've made many bows from logs and from boards. I've made tons of kiln dried board bows and they shoot just fine and in many cases better than my air dried log stave bows. I'm kind of surprised that we are still having this discussion these days in view of Baker's pioneering work with bows. Jawge

[PatM]

The gradual shrinking of wood is demonstrated in the loosening of tool handles over time. Sometimes that is because the handle was too high in moisture initially, but not always.
 Sometimes what we buy as kiln dried wood has likely re-hydrated and then air seasoned again stabilizing the wood better.
 Any time you attempt to work wood that is known to be air dried for an extended period there is a palapable difference in wood texture and hardness.
 I have no problem with making a quick dried bow but usually we end up with extra staves that do end up seasoning for a long time whether that is planned or not.  I'll always favor those staves.
 I'm surprised that you are surprised about this discussion George. Isn't this the way of the world?

[beetlebailey1977]

Man this is funny ....we can agree to disagree.    I say what ever works the best for you, do it.  I can agree with both sides of this debate.

[sailordad]

i realy perosnaly think long natural seasoned wood is best
but will and have used kiln dried boards for bows
especialy when waiting for my staves to season properly 

[artcher1]

Whether it's air dried or kiln dried, fact remains, seasoning process doesn't start until it's dry  . If you really want to see the difference between just dried wood and seasoned wood then make up a few hardwood shoot arrows out of each . ...........Art

[Ryano]

There's no doubt in my mind seasoned wood is better than forced dried wood for bow making. Having said that that, I will tell you I still use both methods.

[Kegan]

How's the weather? Not every one who "quick dries" wood is really getting it "dry" quickly, as several folks already mentioned, and not all "seasoning" is done safely (yes, I speak form experience ).

It seems that the biggest difference between quick dried wood and seasoned wood is density. However, adjusting the bow's width to compensate for the mass should be enough to make both the lighter quick dried wood and the denser seasoned wood perform equally well.

The problems really seem to start when corners are cut either way, which I'm pretty sure anyone can agree with. I thought I was using cured wood, both quick and seasoned, but in both cases the moisture content was way too high for hickory. Since then I've been able to use pieces of hickory that had been dried for several years and "baked" for good measure during the bow's construction, as well as "quick dried" bows that had been given several months to fully stabilize, rather than just a couple weeks to dry out. Both make great bows, and more often than not the nod will go to which ever piece was less trouble to get a bow from in the first place. At all times I try to get the bow roughed out early, as the wood usually cures better either way.

[PeteC]

I'm in agreement with the "heartwoods favor longer seasoning time",and, "whitewoods don't seem to mind rapid drying" theories. I have built whitewood bows ,from tree to finished bow in less than 2 months,and years later,they still perform the same as the day they were finished. Heartwoods tend to contain oils and resins that solidify over time ans cannot be rushed.  I follow the 1" of thickness per year curing time for these woods. When  I rough out a green osage stave,with near bow dimensions,with limbs a little over 1/2" of thickness,I give them 6 months to cure.Then I carefully weigh the staves for at least a couple of weeks to make sure the weight remains constant,then proceed with tillering.    JMHO   God Bless

[artcher1]

Gotta ask you this Pete. Any erratic behavior (arrow grouping/flight) with a 2 month old whitewood bow? The bow stay straight as it seasoned out? Leaving in a hot car draw/crook/twist the limbs? I've noticed all this with fresh made bows. Not so with well seasoned made bows...Art

[Kegan]

Gotta ask you this Pete. Any erratic behavior (arrow grouping/flight) with a 2 month old whitewood bow? The bow stay straight as it seasoned out? Leaving in a hot car draw/crook/twist the limbs? I've noticed all this with fresh made bows. Not so with well seasoned made bows...Art

I've made a few bows that were as young as 3 months. The bows remained sturdy and never changed, and any arrow flight problems are issue with the arrows or archer, not the bow.

[artcher1]

No problems with this archer or his arrows here . Boy Kegan, I've seen many bows that I couldn't hit a bull in the butt with, and that's if were standing between his legs. So I don't buy this, it's either the archer or his arrows ........Art

[Kegan]

No problems with this archer or his arrows here . Boy Kegan, I've seen many bows that I couldn't hit a bull in the butt with, and that's if were standing between his legs. So I don't buy this, it's either the archer or his arrows ........Art

A reliable bow reacts the same way every time, put in a machine it would be able to hold a nice tight group at 60-100 yards, if not further, if the arrows are perfectly matched to each other, and to the bow. Some bows are hard to shoot with (I know I certainly can't use short bows or really reflexed bows worth a darn), but it's not the bow, but the archer. Any time there's porpoising or fishtailing, it's a problem of how the arrows are tuned to the bow, the spine or nocking point being wrong.

[George Tsoukalas]

LOL, Pat. Guess so. My friends, all wood rehydrates. Take wood out of your drier. Make your bow. Finish it with the finish of your choice. Wait awhile. The wood will take on the ambient humidity. I made a mulberry bow in a dry NH winter and watched it turn into a limp noodle when I brought  it to Mojam. That's why the old idea that kiln dried boards are too dry is a misnomer. The boards will take on the humidity of their surroundings in short order.  Doesn't matter to me what  y'all use for bows.  These days I don't make too many board bows. LOL. They are too straight and predictable which makes them a good choice for the beginner. I'm done. Jawge