First bows, Scotch Broom

[lebhuntfish]

You might be able to leave that kink. It's what we call character! As long as your tips line up with the handle. What happens between points a, b, and c don't really matter to much.

By the way, welcome to PA!
Patrick

[Goldmarble]

Looks like a cool piece. Not sure if it classifies as I white wood, I suppose it does. They don't ususlly do to well when they're dead and on the ground. It doesn't take long for them to get rot of some sorts. there's only one way to find out!

Well, definitely called it. As I was probably trying to "floor tiller" it as a complete first timer, top half of the stave snapped in half, and precisely where I thought the hinge was.

Lesson learned: I can see where the hinge is, BEFORE it snaps!
Course, it could have had a bit of rot, or anything else; but the end result is a learning experience, that I will be able to apply to the other staves.

Good luck. Only ones I've found that size were rotted out. looks like the 3rd one in from the left has some issues.

Yeah, third from the left is the 2.5" beefy one. Has an 8+" split at one end, and a big knot. Not intending that to be a stave. I know some drummers, going to see if Broom wood makes even half-way decent drumsticks. Never know until it is tried

You might be able to leave that kink. It's what we call character! As long as your tips line up with the handle. What happens between points a, b, and c don't really matter to much.

By the way, welcome to PA!
Patrick

Yeah, I've seen quite a few, very beautiful character bows in my research/studying. Unfortunately, this stave, even when it was whole, never lined up very well at all. The limbs were kinked in 2 different planes, and never re-centered. Course, it's broken now, but I am learning heat-bending in the meantime, as I try to straighten the broken limb into a drumstick.

[lebhuntfish]

Well sorry it broke but the way you described it, I wasn't surprised to much.

When I'm trying to align a bow stave, I tale a small string with a little weight on both ends and put the string on my center line on each tip. Let the weights hang so the string is taught. The string acts like a temporary bow string. Then I will look down the stave and decide where to bend it so that the string will line up in the center of the handle. Hope this helps, Patrick

[Goldmarble]

Update on the drying of the other staves.

They are going slowly. Very slowly. To be honest, I'm not sure they've lost much moisture in these past 15 days. The smallest, thinnest stave, does feel a bit lighter, but the majority of them still have a lot of heft, also have an almost...damp feel to the bark. Not sure if this is typical or not.

The thickest stave did check at the end, opposite of the split, not surprised about that, and not worried about it. Didn't really anticipate getting a stave out of it anyways. The other staves seem to be alright otherwise. No visible checking.

[DC]

Drying takes it's time on the Island. The RH as I type is 78%. At 70 degrees F wood will never get dry enough. You have to collect wood faster than you make bows. Once you get a good stash you've got more drying than you're making. Then you start getting better bows. I think I'm about a year ahead so anything I cut has at least a year to season.