Fresh Hickory Cut...What next?

[CherokeeKC]

Woods were just clear cut a mile down the street.  I asked the boss to point out some hickory to me when he sees it.  So i drove by today and there are 10 or so hickory logs laying by road.  Some had the bark pretty chewed up by the machines.  Hopefully it didnt mess the back up on all of them.  Do you guys think that would make a bow fail if the back was compressed in the spot where the teeth picked the trees up?  I cut them into 74-80" sections and hauled about half back to the house.  The lower bigger halves of the trees i left until tomorrow or next day.  This stuff has probably been cut since last thurs or friday.  How long do I have to get this wood up off ground?

I will work on pulling bark off what I have so far tomorrow and maybe get to splitting.  Should I seal the back with spray poly or somethn else?  I have always wondering how you can spray/glue/paint the back when that surface is going to be the back of the bow.  Do you slowly sand this off when making the bow? 

I have an outside building on end of my garage.  It is cedar siding with metal roof and door but not totally 100% sealed from outside.  Bugs and whatever can get in/out.  No rain gets in at all however.  Would this be ok to store the hickory or do I have to put them inside my garage?  Eventually I will have shelves and storage racks built in garage to store staves and other things but if I keep shoving more stuff in garage I will never have room to build the shelves lol.  Hopefully you guys will tell me the outside shed will be sufficient and not destroy the hickory . 











Bark ripped off and machine damage










I layed 2x's on ground to put the logs on temporarily until i have debarked and split them.  How long can they safely stay outside like this?

[CherokeeKC]

Forgot to mention there are different types of hickory in the pile.  I am guessing some butternut and others but not sure.  Anyone recognize the barks?

[Scallorn]

You are one lucky guy! . I did notice a few different types in there, but all hickories are created equal. I would split them into staves and debark them, and then seal the ends with regular old glue or paint. I have never sealed the backs on hick' or elm, because they don't really split that much on the back. I'm not sure about the building being good for storage, it would probably be alright though. Something to consider is that native Americans didn't really sealed off insulated rooms for wood to dry, and they did alright. another thing you can do is to take the staves and rough them out now. get them pretty close to final dimensions, and then seal the ends and store them. they will dry quicker this way. That is how I work hick' and elm. That's my two cents, great haul and good luck making bows out of them!

[Pat B]

How long have they been on the ground? Whitewoods are very susceptable to rot if not harvested and stored properly, especially in the summer.

[JT]

I see mostly Oak in those piles, red & white. There are a couple Hickories. Bottom of pic 5 & 6, middle of pic 7 & top of pic 8 appear to be a couple varieties of hickory & don't seem to be damaged too bad.

Those oak logs with all the damage might be better suited for firewood.
Good luck.

[TRACY]

I'm with JT, most are not hickory, but oak and maybe a walnut. 4th pic looks like mockernut or pignut but hard to tell from just the pic. It's all bow wood, but some might be too skinned up for what you're wanting. If storing outside, remove the bark and seal the ends and backs and get it off the ground under roof. Might want to put a fan on it to get the air moving in and around the staves to avoid fungus and mold and dry time. Good luck.

Tracy

[CherokeeKC]

JT i think ur right.  I forgot i did mention to him I could use oak too.  I jus figured it was a diff variety of hickory i was seeing and didnt really consiously think about it.  I was more concentrated on gettn them cut up and back to house.

PatB the hickory has been on ground since last thurs and some of the oaks maybe longer and some the same time.

Scallorn thanks for the advice!

Tracy thanks for advice!  I will get a fan in there

[Pat B]

I'm very skeptable of any wood cut by others unless I'm there to see it cut and can deal with it immediately. It doesn't take long for any of this wood pictured to be infected if it lays on the ground.

[Buckeye Guy]

Split it up !
Get the ends sealed on the best looking ones
Get them in your building
Then worry about the bark
Seal the backs as you peel the bark !
When you get how ever many stored away that you want to deal with then pick one out and reduce it to heavy bow dimensions and let it dry for another 6 weeks
Then come back and see us !!
The hickory will be the most forgiving , so you may want to try it first !
 
Most of that wood will make bows but some will be more work than others and they did not save you any work by moving it with the machine, actually cost you some work but still bows in there !
Have fun !!

[CherokeeKC]

PatB what do u mean infected?  Once infected if i split and seal ends and put inside will it still spread or rot?

Thanks buckeye! 

I split 3 logs of hickory  yesterday.  I tried to peel bark because i heard it should just peal right off in summer but couldnt get it started.  Any suggestions on getting bark started?

[dbb]

I got a Cherry log last year that was cut in late Winter that was a pain to get the bark off.
I had some success using a piece of sturdy pvc piping like a rolling pin with high preassure and pretty much crush the cambium to get a start.
There was a lot of starts and sweat...but the log remained pristine. 

[Buckeye Guy]

Method of bark removal will depend on how well it is stuck !
Some times beating it with a wooden ball bat will loosen it
Some times you can get the end started by driving a hatchet into it then use a draw knife that has the back rounded so you can rock it and pull it !
when the bark is stuck , the smaller your splits the less force you need to get it loose
One other thing when you get your splits hauled home you may want to spray them down with insecticide to keep the bugs out ! after the bark is gone and backs are sealed the bug are not a problem !
Lots off work ahead of you , but it will be worth it when the arrows start flying !

[CherokeeKC]

Here is about 75% of haul back at house.



I separated the hickory from oaks.  I am gonna work on splitting the hickory first.  Here are some more close ups of bark.









I split 3 smaller logs thursday evening.

[CherokeeKC]

Got some more staves split out earlier.

[twisted hickory]

Looks good. The biggest concern i would have would be where the machines have damaged the wood right under the bark.
It works easier to debark it now and get a couple of coats of poly on the back and ends then let them dry for year. Or take a couple and rough out to bow dimentions and in about 30 days if you quik dry you can be shooting one of them.
Greg