Have some green staves cut a few months ago. Hickory, Osage,elm,Birch, and blk Locust. ends and backs are sealed. would you get to rough bow form on all now? steam reflex? take Osage and locust down to choosen ring now? Just want to prep them all for curing.

I would take the osage to a back ring, rough it out and thin to 5/8" for the entire length and width of stave. It'll dry pretty quick that way. Keep some shellac on the back. Leave them full width, at least 1-3/4". The key to even drying is even thickness. Don't leave them thick in spots. Don't start force drying them for a month or more after prepping them. Then it's safe to warm or dry things up a bit.

That's how I do it too. Two coats of shellac if youre going to steam and reflex. Leave plenty of thickness for the handle and dips, make the limb 5/8" thick from dips to tips if you have brought the back to a good unviolated growth ring (I actually take it down to the spring growth above the summer growth that will be the actual bow's back, and then it(spring wood) is removed with the shellac after drying). I make it 1 3/4" wide end to end. If I want to steam it into reflex or make alignment or twist corrections, I do it while it's still green.

I treat locust the same way as osage. And the whitewoods too once the bark is peeled off revealing the bow's back.

Cutty, I would do the same for the BL. These days the BL around here gets a good amount of insect damage.Removing the bark and going to a heartwood ring may help prevent the damage.

For whitewoods the bark should come right after cutting when cut during growing season.

Now, you can wait until the stave is ready.

Jawge

I do like Jeff said as well. Leaving the limbs full width.

THAT WAS A GREAT QUESTION, ONE THAT I HAVE MEANING TO ASK,

MANY THANKS: RON

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