First Stave

[BrewerMo]

I will start by saying...I have zero experience building bows..😄
I have been wanting  to give it a go for some time now but last fall a guy I play softball with ( who also has 0 experience) gave me a Hickory stave. He said he has had it for over a year. My first  question is... is this stave even usable? It's far from straight and it seems to me like it might not be thick enough. I also noticed that people remove the bark before seasoning their staves and the bark is still on this one. I did get to watch some guys work at Bois D Arc last year, but that's all the knowledge I have...😁
My goal is to build a set up to hunt whitetail.
Thanks in advance, Ryan

[osage outlaw]

How was it stored after it was cut?  If it was outside exposed to the elements I wouldn't use it. 

[Pat B]

Whether it is usable or not will depend on how it was treated off the stump. If it was kept in the dry, out of the weather and off the ground then, yes it should be fine.
 You will have to remove the bark. Do this carefully, especially around the knots. Under the bark is a brown cambium layer. You can lightly scrape it off or it may even come off as you tiller the bow. The wood directly under the cambium is going to be the back of your bow so be careful not to dig in to it. If the stave was cut during the growing season the bark and cambium should pop right off leaving a clean back with ridges along it's length. That is what you want for the back.

[High-Desert]

From the pictures, the stave looks usable, but it doesn't look like the stave was sealed on the ends and has some checking. You will need to cut the ends off bit by bit, and see how for the checking goes in. It doesn't look terrible tho.
You are starting in the right place. If you take pictures step by step and post them here, you will get plenty of help to get yourself all set up with a shootable bow. Can you post a picture of the stave along its back so we can see it its straight and has any twist.

It is fine that the bark was left of for seasoning, it just makes it more difficult to get off. You can carefully remove the bark with a drawknife down the the brown colored cambium layer and lay out your bow on that and get it roughed out. The cambium can be removed with some work with a cabinet scraper.

[PaulN/KS]

Before you start you might want to read up on building bows with hickory. Lots of good info both here, in books and other sites of the interweb.  Read up, learn, gather tools, let it age a bit longer(indoors if possible) and bring it to Mojam in July. Plenty of help and advice to be had there as well as extra staves available for the next one.

[Morgan]

That stave would make a fine bow if, as others stated, it was properly stored. The end cut pic looks weathered and it looks like there may be some fungus / mold on the corner and edge. If the wood was stood on bare ground it would cause that and is not good. That may not be the case though. My advice is to very very carefully remove the bark and go to work. If it fails, it’ll give you a feel for the task at hand, if it doesn’t.... you have a bow. For your intended use, I’d make it as long as the distance of the tip of your nose or your eyeball to the ground. For me that is 64-66”. Figure out your true draw length and tiller it to that. I usually go 2” past but my son shoots my bows and has a longer draw.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,61422.0.html
 Make one of these gizmos and tiller slowly.
Good luck.

[JWMALONE]

I just completed my first one from a hickory stave, if I can do it you can do it.

[BrewerMo]

Thanks for all the replies. It is twisted and bowed. I have Alot of hickory, Locust, elm, ash and several other woods on my property if something else might be better to learn on.

[stuckinthemud]

I would use it but it's going to offer some challenges; the twist will need taking out with heat, eventually, and those knots might make life difficult. I'd start with stripping off the bark to see what the wood underneath looks like, then level off the peak of the triangle with a hatchet

[High-Desert]

From the look of it, it looks useable....but you will be getting some practice taking twist out and aligning tips, which is a great skill to have. I'd get to work removing that bark. Either you will learn a bunch, and have a bow, or learn a bunch, and not have a bow. Make the goal to make it as far as possible, that way, no matter what you reach your goal.

[Jim Davis]

Whether or not this stave turns out, make plans, even go looking for a tree or two to cut along about the end of May when the bark should slip right off the staves you split.

This one looks possible, but you won't know until  you have the bark off. The twist and curve can probably be heat straightened, but a couple of knots look like they could be problems. Also, you haven't said how long the stave is. It may be possible to  remove the most curved part.

[BrewerMo]

Jim, I haven't measured it but it is around 7' long.

[PatM]

It's pretty riddled with knots.  Those woods in the background, can you go in there and just cut a better one?

[BrewerMo]

Pat, Yes I can. I have 50 acres of mostly woods. I need to read more about harvesting the correct way. Also how to pick out the best wood for bows.

[PatM]

It's not complicated. A straight tree with no or minimal signs of knots about 4-6 inches in diameter.  Cut tree down and split.