Building a Hickory Selfbow

[Rain Bows]

I've weighed my Stave every morning and evening now for 3 Days storing it inside. Very close every time.

[Stick Bender]

I usually weigh mine every 2 weeks it seems to me the closer to dry the smaller the change  do you know when the tree was cut ?

[Rain Bows]

I have no idea Stik. I called Raptor Archery where it was ordered and the told me its plenty dry enough to begin work.

[Stick Bender]

If it weighs the same in a week I would guess your good to go maybe they season them before selling
One of the hardest things for me to learn in this craft is being patient but after a couple of faliures from rushing things I got it lol ,but if your any thing like I was you want to get your first bow done  but hickory is prone to taking a fair amount of set if its not dry

[Msturm]

In my experience, with buying a hickory stave (not from your supplier) they are dried well, but will take a bit of moisture due to hawaii's  humidity.  If the seller says its good to go have at it.  But expect it to take up a bit of moisture.

[DC]

I keep track of the RH while I'm weighing. If it's say, 50% RH for weeks and the stave is losing weight daily, then it jumps to 70% RH your stave will stop losing weight until the RH goes back down, then it will continue to lose. I've read that you should wait until it stops losing weight for about 30% of the time it's been drying. ie if it's been drying for nine months and stops losing weight you should wait another three months. I don't have that kind of patience but I do wait a month. Once you build a stock of staves, drying becomes a non-issue. You should have enough staves so that you can't build bows faster than the wood dries. Get a dozen staves, wait as long as you can for the first one to dry. Make a bow but expect a little set. Make another, you will have less set. 1. because your wood is drier and 2. because you know a little better what you are doing. Every time you make a bow, replace the stave. I have a warm spot that I keep a half dozen staves in once they stop losing weight. There is always a nice dry stave waiting.

[Bob W.]

If Ted Fry told you it was ready to work you can trust him. He is a good guy.

[Rain Bows]

I trust Ted! He is an excellent guy and I can't say enough about my experience with Raptor Archery! Great people, he even took the time to tell me specifically what to read in the Bowyers Bible before starting and that if I have any questions at all along the way to simply call and ask for guidance.

[timmyd]

well I don't want to sound like I'm going against the grain here but I've worked with hickory quite a bit and you just can't use procedures with it like you can other woods. Weighing the stave until it stops losing weight isn't going to help you unless the conditions will get you at a max 8% moisture level. If you build a hickory bow at 12% moisture, its going to take a lot of set and be a slug. I won't work a hickory stave until its at least 8% and  I prefer my meter to say 6%. I can take my wood out of my drying box and it will read 8%. If I let it sit out for a day, its back up to 12%. and these are roughed out staves that are years old. You can't think of hickory in terms as other wood...its in a category by itself. Again, just my observation and opinion but you will be disappointed in the results if you don't get the wood to 8% or below and its impossible for me to do that in PA without some form of drying box and even then its tough this time of year. Example...I'm working on one now. I took it out of the drying box in my basement and the stave was literally very warm to the touch...I mean significantly warm...my moisture reader still only read 8%. If I left that bow and just weighed it like some have said, it would jump to over 12% before it stabilized in weight and that just won't work with hickory.

[Rain Bows]

What do you guys pad your bench vise with? Just a piece of leather?

[JW_Halverson]

well I don't want to sound like I'm going against the grain here but I've worked with hickory quite a bit and you just can't use procedures with it like you can other woods. Weighing the stave until it stops losing weight isn't going to help you unless the conditions will get you at a max 8% moisture level. If you build a hickory bow at 12% moisture, its going to take a lot of set and be a slug. I won't work a hickory stave until its at least 8% and  I prefer my meter to say 6%. I can take my wood out of my drying box and it will read 8%. If I let it sit out for a day, its back up to 12%. and these are roughed out staves that are years old. You can't think of hickory in terms as other wood...its in a category by itself. Again, just my observation and opinion but you will be disappointed in the results if you don't get the wood to 8% or below and its impossible for me to do that in PA without some form of drying box and even then its tough this time of year. Example...I'm working on one now. I took it out of the drying box in my basement and the stave was literally very warm to the touch...I mean significantly warm...my moisture reader still only read 8%. If I left that bow and just weighed it like some have said, it would jump to over 12% before it stabilized in weight and that just won't work with hickory.

So, are you saying he should chuck the stave in a suitcase and move somewhere other than Hawaii?  Because, frankly, it is pretty well impossible for him to alter the local climate or to change the hydrophilic character of the hickory. 

The stave is gonna do what the stave is gonna do at the RH of the local conditions.  Build the bow and accept it for what it is.  A huge part of the primitive archer experience is dealing with the natural and immutable properties of the given natural materials.  If you can't live with those limitations, then build fiberglass bows, or better yet, buy something. 

[timmyd]

LOL  yes I believe he should move from Hawaii never to return and also make sure the suitcase has a light bulb in it to get rid of the humidity ....come on man that's not what I'm saying...I'm just giving my experience with hickory. people can do what they want...I thought that was what this forum was for...the sharing of experiences...and I shared mine. build a hickory bow and shoot it under the ocean I could care less. just wanted to give my thoughts. To each their own. Hickory gets a bad rep from a lot of people and I feel its because they treat it like other woods and all I wanted to say was hickory is a great wood for bows if you treat it right.

[BowEd]

I've got a number of hickory bows.Self and sinewed.I live in Iowa.I don't own a hot box.I have a dehumidifier running in the basement that keeps things at around 50% humidity.I store my bows there.I shoot them a lot both target shooting and hunting.Even early fog drizzly conditions too for hours at a time.I can honestly say I see absolutely no set or cast difference in mine.This issue comes by every now and then.I suggest to take it inside in like conditions I described before and during construction then seal it when finished.I use laquer as a finish.

[bradsmith2010]

if you live in a moist climate, a heat box ,, or closet with a light bulb going would be a good idea,,
the lower moisture content will make the bow take less set,,
yes if kept in high moisture even with finish it might take some moisture on,
but if kept in side,, it shoud stay to a reasonalbe moisture content if sealed ,,
if you make the bow at 12 % it may not perform as well as you would like,,
that being said,, even a bow that follows the string a bit,, can shoot an arrow quite nicely,,
you may just have to pull a bit more weight to get the cast you like, thats my take on it,,, I dont think you have to move to get a nice shooting bow,, just keep it in the driest area available when you are not using it,,

[Danzn Bar]

When I was using a lot of hickory, I took a aluminum dryer vent hose and hung it from the joists in the basement with a 60 watt bulb in the bottom of it.  I put my bows in it when I wasn't working on them.  Kept them nice and dry for tillering.
DBar