Lesson learned

[BowEd]

I like to store em horizontal DLH.Off the floor.So each limb is at the same height.Just makes me feel better.I'm sure someone will say it did'nt make a diff and I guess I could say it too,but it still just makes me feel better......LOL.

[mikekeswick]

I like to store em horizontal DLH.Off the floor.So each limb is at the same height.Just makes me feel better.I'm sure someone will say it did'nt make a diff and I guess I could say it too,but it still just makes me feel better......LOL.

Oh yes it does!!
Like Beadman syas weighing the staves is a great idea too.
Shellac isn't actually a very good sealer anyway and certainly won't hold excess moisture in a stave whilst heat correcting.

[DLH]

Alright I'll store them horizontal across the dresser too I think I have seen where others do that as well. Thanks for all the advice.

[BowEd]

DLH.....It may sound like we are preaching to you but we want to see you get a nice bow made and be happy happy happy.
Ill give you an example of what when on here in the last 2 months with my BL future bow[I HOPE].Ive always got to say that to cover my hinny.
I cut the tree 7/13/13.Shellaced my ends.Immediately pulled the sapwood and bark off.Shellaced the back.Within a couple days I reduced the staves to 2 to 3 inch wide by 1and1/2" deep.Let it set in my shed at around 80 degrees for a short week.Picked a stave out and roughed it out to a bow.Within 1/4" of final dimensions.Let it set a few more days.Took it inside by my dehumidifier with a fan on it for a few weeks.Reduced it more to floor tiller.I'm weighing this all the time while I'm doing this now to get a guage on it's moisture according to the graph Tim Baker shows in the TTB 4 book on Bow Wood.After a couple more weeks of drying I tiller it to 20" checking for set to see if it is dry enough.It was so I heat treated it.No checking.Now I'm waiting for the wood to equilliberate.I'm waiting 10 days.I'll tiller this bow within a couple of weeks.That'll be 9/16/13.Almost 2 months since I cut the tree.I've done this quite a number of times with bows.A hot box can cut off a couple of weeks I'm sure.Letting wood season I think makes a better bow most times by a certain degree and that degree will show itself in the amount of set your bow takes while tillering.That's why if a person gets enough inventory of staves they can season longer and why moisture content is very important in making these bows.

[DLH]

Your fine everyone's post have been informative and your not preaching just helping out and giving advice to end up with a nice end product.

[paoliguy]

Hey DLH, I saw a comment ealier about bring it to Scottsburg. That the ITBA 3 day Tracy's refering to? If so, I'll see you there too. Not that I'm all that helpful or anything, just happy to find a fellow ITBA shooter in the midst. Mark B.

[BowEd]

DLH...this bow making is not magical like Mike said earlier somewhere.A number of things have to be right for a lesser stressed type of bow to be made that holds a good reflexed or flat profile after tillering and shooting in.I'm not going to speak to you in half truths here.It is not a secret.Wood moisture before tillering is just as important as tillering in my book.I can't stress it enough.