Ocean Spray Mollegabet

[Zion]

Yeah if i were you i wold seal the whole thing with glue and cross your fingers 

[steve b.]

I've been shooting my OS lever bow and I like it alot even though it came out too light.

I've got a mountain of OS staves all ready to make into bows and none of it is checked.  You did exactly the right thing to keep it from checking--splitting it.  I also debark all my OS so that it can dry more evenly. 
OS splits for two reasons:  When it is left in log form AND when it dries too quickly.  Both are easy to manage--don't leave it in log form AND slow down the drying by covering the worked and debarked staves with a blanket or sleeping bag--something that will slow but allow the drying to occur.  Not a plastic bag.  I zip mine up in a sleeping bag in a 70% humid room. After a week or two in the bag I pull them out and air dry them for two more weeks.   And that's what I would recommend to you. 

[steve b.]

Oh wow, I, like everyone else, didn't get at first that you laid out the bow on the back.  I didn't really look at the pics until now. 
You HAVE to back the working part of those limbs.  Use that rawhide.

[southsoundjeff]

I've been shooting my OS lever bow and I like it alot even though it came out too light.

I've got a mountain of OS staves all ready to make into bows and none of it is checked.  You did exactly the right thing to keep it from checking--splitting it.  I also debark all my OS so that it can dry more evenly. 
OS splits for two reasons:  When it is left in log form AND when it dries too quickly.  Both are easy to manage--don't leave it in log form AND slow down the drying by covering the worked and debarked staves with a blanket or sleeping bag--something that will slow but allow the drying to occur.  Not a plastic bag.  I zip mine up in a sleeping bag in a 70% humid room. After a week or two in the bag I pull them out and air dry them for two more weeks.   And that's what I would recommend to you.

Thanks for the tip Steve!
That method makes the most sense for drying this stuff than any other explanation I've heard.
Or maybe you just said it in a way My Pea Brain could hear it.....
Either way, THANKS!
Got up this morning to a split and checked piece of kindling.....
But this afternoon I will head out and properly care for the other logs I have, the way you describe....
I don't have a spare sleeping bag available, but have a gifted comforter that I will spritz with a little water and wrap the split and peeled staves in....
I worry the humidity in the room will be too low and "shock" the OS into splitting still, so I want to temper the drying a little by raising the moisture A LITTLE in the old comforter....

[southsoundjeff]

I hope than I'm wrong, but I think that you just ruined a really exceptional piece of ocean spray. If there's any moisture left in that stick at all, it's going to split right down the center of your bow.

This was the least exceptional piece of OS I had stashed, but I appreciate the input.
My experience with OS has been that it has ALWAYS split from the bark to the pithy core, if it splits.
Also my experience that if OS is taken down to exposed the pith along the entire length, then I've NEVER had a piece split.
I've had 3+" logs of it, taken green in the early summer, in active growing cycle, that I've taken to the bandsaw within 1-1/2 hours, and so long as I've sawn it to the core, it had dried without splitting or checking.
Also my experience that the core rarely runs down the center. Mostly, I find it meanders around somewhere inside, but does waver from side to side from butt to tip.
Your mileage may differ.

[southsoundjeff]

Thanks to all who commented......
The stave split beyond being usable overnight, so I will be making another out of the remaining wood I have, when it dries enough.
I'll post another thread when it's ready.
Mean time, I'll probably post one of the other bows I've done....

[UserNameTaken]

Sorry about that. It would have been a really cool bow.

[Carson (CMB)]

When i look at a nice hunk of OS, mollegabet is the last design that comes to mind, but to each his own. 

I thought you were going to get away it having it sawed it down.  Must have still had quite high moisture due to plastic wrap and larger diam. 

Welcome!  Glad you are posting.  Where do you live? 

[steve b.]

Yea, that's why I mentioned the humidity level; just because I'm not experienced in dry climates with how the OS will behave. 

[Don Case]

I think if you tried to dry OS in somewhere like Arizona you would have kindling in about three days. I gathered a bunch over the winter and have tried every drying method I could think of. Some outside(under cover), some roughed out, some as they were cut. Most I cut ala SteveB, expose the pith. I split the handle on those that I roughed out but they open like a clam. They'll get the Rossfactor handle treatment I think. I have two sets of staves one of which I didn't split the handle. I drilled the pith out with a 6" long 1/4" drill. I'm hoping the heartwood will dry a bit faster that way. To hedge my bets I've got the handle end loosely covered with a plastic bag. So far I only have minor checking on any of it. I think the secret is exposing the heartwood so it can dry with the sapwood. There isn't actually heartwood and sapwood but you know what I mean. It may also just be cutting though the sapwood that keeps it from splitting. It does seem to need a long drying period. I have one piece that is about an inch through the handle. All I did with it was seal the ends with shellac. I weighed it every few weeks and after 5 months I weighed it every few days. It got to the point that it seemed to be going up and down with the RH so I roughed it out. That was in December. I kept on weighing it and and the next day it started losing weight again and two months later it still is. It's down to about a gram a day so it's getting close. I'm rambling, I'll shut up now.

[Carson (CMB)]

Don, I enjoyed your ramblings.  Good info.

[vinemaplebows]

Don,

        Have you tried the opposite approach?? Try soaking the wood for about 30 days, after the 30 + days seal the ends with glue put it in a cool place...no extremes.

I mentioned this before, and was met with a little critcism. My belief is that wood is dryer closer to the pith, wood near the cambium layer is much more moist....if you equilize the two you will have less cracking....I said less, but I have dried some this way with NO cracking.


VMB

[Don Case]

Did you de-bark it first? I agree with your idea in principle. It seems fairly obvious that the outer wood is shrinking faster than the inner wood. Wouldn't wrapping it in plastic for 30+ days accomplish about the same thing(allowing the moisture level to equalize) without adding any moisture? I would hesitate to do something that would possibly extend the drying time. I'm just spitballing, I haven't tried either. I'm starting to think that outside, in the shade, protected from the rain and leave it for a year might be the answer in high humidity areas like mine. Once I get a stock of workable(dry) staves time won't be an issue. It's this da%*%ed impatience that causes most of the checking.
Don

[vinemaplebows]

I never take the bark off. Dealing with a lot of wood bowl turners, they have come up with several ways to avoid cracking....one is boiling, another is to always place the preform (bowl) in paper bags with wood shavings that are close to the same MC as this with have a slow exchange between the woods to slow rapid MC loss.

Native americans would place their staves in creeks, or water ways hoping to wash the "sap" away making the wood more usable..... Personally I think they had it half right in theory....but the reality in my mind, was to stabilize the wood at a consistent MC throughout the entire piece.....This is my PERSONAL belief.

Forgot to address the wrapping...yes in theory this may work...BUT in cellephane exposed to the air temp changes are more drastic, it takes a lot more to change water temps over a given period of time....water will be more cosistent if it"s not is direct light.

VMB

[bow101]

Did you de-bark it first? I agree with your idea in principle. It seems fairly obvious that the outer wood is shrinking faster than the inner wood. Wouldn't wrapping it in plastic for 30+ days accomplish about the same thing(allowing the moisture level to equalize) without adding any moisture? I would hesitate to do something that would possibly extend the drying time. I'm just spitballing, I haven't tried either. I'm starting to think that outside, in the shade, protected from the rain and leave it for a year might be the answer in high humidity areas like mine. Once I get a stock of workable(dry) staves time won't be an issue. It's this da%*%ed impatience that causes most of the checking.
Don

I have dried quite a bit of Hawthorn, OS and Choke cherry.  This is the fastest way I have done it without any checking.  Some of the Hawthorn was 4" the OS was smaller stuff about 1"..

[1] Cut wood in Feb. or March
[2] Seal the ends, leave bark on
[3] Place in Garden shed
[4] Place outside during Summer for about 2 weeks and never had any checking.
[5] Bring inside and hang up near the cieling of garage or inside house
[6] Strip bark near August and seal
[7] Strip bark and shape in September /October