Checking woes

[dobson]

Hey guys,

So last summer purchased some ash staves off a guy who runs a bowmaking course here in the UK, they were green, debarked and sealed at the ends so would need time to season so I left them in a room above my garage to dry. Recently I went to have a look and I'm worried by what I see.

Pictures are not the clearest, but you can see what looks like checking on the back of the stave and the end.





Am I right and if so is my timber a write off already?

[Buckeye Guy]

Chase the first ring off and see what the next one is

[Blaflair2]

Always sea the backs. Not just the ends. U only want to give moisture one way to leave

[Del the cat]

Whereabouts in the UK are you?
If you are anywhere near Harlow Essex I have some Ash staves you can have and I'll have a shufti at yours.
A little bit of longitudinal checking isn't too much of a problem generally.
In the UK we have relatively high humidity, I never seal backs, but then I don't remove the bark! Maybe it's 'cos I'm lazy, but it works for me.
Del

[dobson]

Cheers for all of the replies,

Del that's awfully kind of you, unfortunately I'm in Yorkshire so I doubt I would be anywhere near Essex anytime soon.

Unfortunately the staves came debarked when I bought them, so I had little influence on that, thankfully they were relatively inexpensive. Never come across sealing the back of a bow before I always heard about sealing the ends, something to remember.

Would I be able to use the stave as it is for the back of the bow, or do I need to chase a ring? If so Should I reduce the bow closer to the working dimensions or do I need to do the whole stave?


 

[Dances with squirrels]

I had some checking and bugging woes yesterday as I started into some osage logs I got a couple weeks ago. The guy had them piled up for firewood, some for 3 years. I got them for $20, but it's too much work cutting and digging through junk looking for a chance of a bow. The bugs didnt go beyond he sapwood, but the checking is as bad as what you have there. I might get a bow or two out of them. Not worth it. I prefer to cut my own and take care of it right, and right away.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Ash rings can be chased off easily. I had a large batch I cut do the same thing. I went down two rings and it was spotless.

[okie64]

Those are pretty minor checks. I would do as others suggested and chase a ring or two and I bet they're gone. Ash usually has thick early wood and is knot free making it one of the easiest woods to chase rings on. Get the drawknife out and get after it:)

[bradsmith2010]

also keep in mind,, the bow will tolerate some checking and still make a bow,,,

[Hamish]

Ash is usually one of the better woods that resist checking on an exposed back unless its been exposed to heat or dryness.
The ash may have been cut in summer when the sap was high, which meant quick loss of moisture on the outside compared to the inside hence the checking.
Most of my ash was winter cut and left in quarter splits, from a 10-12" dia log, no checking whatsoever. Not many woods will let you do that.

[Eric Krewson]

I have super glued checks like that and had now problems with the finished bow.

[dobson]

Again thanks for all of the replies guys, quite encouraging!

Hamish the timber was cut in the Summer, so that would give creedence to your explanation.

Moving forward, I know its a good idea to reduce the stave to rough dimensions to help the stave dry faster, should I try and chase the rings before or after?

[PatM]

Definitely before. You don't know how deep you will have to go to get a clean ring.

[Eric Krewson]

Pat is right, I have screwed up several staves by trimming off what looked like excess belly wood only to find a spot on the back I had to go several rings down to get past. I would end up with a kiddie bow blank because of the thinning that I wasn't counting on.

[George Tsoukalas]

Made some with checks. They are usually not a problem unless they run off.
Jawge