I finally plan on building a few self bows I have my tree picked out. It's a pignut hickory has a nice useable 6 foot section of trunk. Anyway I am wondering about the best way to dry these stave whole for 5-6 month then rough out and dry in a hot box or would it be better rough out right away and let dry. (I plan on building a hot box to really reduce moisture as the final step regardless)I mostly want to prevent warping and twisting.

Cut, split, peel bark, seal backs and ends with poly or shellac. Id wait a few weeks then rough out a bow and leave it be for 4-5 months in 50% humidity, or less. If you have a hot box you can probably cut that time in half. I don't use a hot box, I just wait for the right time. But that's easy for me to say when I have a pile of staves all ready to go.

It may just be the trees I cut but about half the hickory I cut has a tendency to dogleg as it dries. It doesn't respond well to heat straightening.

I haven't done it but if I was going to speed dry hickory I would zip tie it tightly to a straight or slightly reflexed board to make it dry straight.

I have an acquaintance who uses hickory exclusively and has made a pile of bows out of it to sell. He halves logs and leaves them this way for 6 months in the dry before he staves them up. He says he gets much less warpage this way.

just clamp it down,, and proceed with courage,,

Cut it soon. Cut it during August and the summer's growth ring will be almost full thickness, and bark will pry off each stave in one big piece. This saves you a TON of work and worry. But, it does this because all of the sap is still up in the tree. That's a lot of moisture. So, you have to be cognizant of the amount and rate of moisture loss, otherwise, even hickory can check on you.

Pearlie gave good advice. Cut it. Seal the ends immediately. Two or three coats. Split it into stave-splits 3 or more inches wide. Remove the bark. Seal the back immediately with shellac, poly, etc. At least two coats. At that point you're pretty safe if you keep it out of the wind, sun, and heat for several weeks.

As long as the back and ends are sealed, at any given time you can grab a stave at your convenience and reduce it in size, which speeds the drying process safely, assuming the above criteria continue to be met... drying slowly. After just 3 or 4 weeks of slow drying a reduced stave... assuming all is well... it could be worked farther and/or introduced to an artificial heat/drying process which will accelerate the process and allow you to finish the bow sooner.

Good advice.

You can cut it and seal the ends. Remove the bark.

Get it to near bow dimensions and begin to floor tiller. Get it to bend an inch or so. It will dry faster. Leave the nocks a good inch wide and the handle full width. That is so you an make adjustments to track the string if need be.

My latest hickory did yield drying cracks so go ahead and seal the back.

But first make sure it is pristine...no nicks. Sand it with 220 grit. Then stain it and seal it.

More on my site.

http://traditionalarchery101.com

Jawge

IRC, TBB I suggested that sealing the back of hickory is unnecessary. I have only split or sawn out 8 or 10 staves, but have not sealed the backs and have had no cracking. I did have the staves in the garage where neither sun nor wind got to them.

I have four fresh staves in there now. Been about a month and no cracks.

I have used my car as a hot box to dry hickory staves during the summer. I used a digital kitchen scale to weigh the staves and monitor moisture loss.

Weight monitoring is much more reliable, IMO, than a meter.

I actually monitor mine by sound as I bounce it on the garage floor, but that technique took 30 years to develop.......When it sounds like spring steel it is ready. I have also went from live tree to finished bow in less than a month, but that takes extreme measures. Rough out toe near dimensions, and force dry when not working on it, pignut is about as safe as you get against overdrying (to include sitting in my vehicle in the sun when at work)

I actually monitor mine by sound as I bounce it on the garage floor, but that technique took 30 years to develop.......When it sounds like spring steel it is ready. I have also went from live tree to finished bow in less than a month, but that takes extreme measures. Rough out toe near dimensions, and force dry when not working on it, pignut is about as safe as you get against overdrying (to include sitting in my vehicle in the sun when at work)

I do the floor bounce too, Michael. A reduced stave will have a nice ring to it when it's ready.

Depends on how much gravel is mixed in with the concrete at pour time. I wrote a chapter in the TBB5 explaining it. :) :) :)

HUMMMMM I like to read that book. :) DBar

I remember reading that PD!

I monitor mine by telepathey ,, when the stave speaks to me,, I proceed,,:)

Here is what I have assembled so far. For felling and splitting-chainsaw, 3 wedges, and an axe. For the bow itself. Drawknife, hatchet, suform rasp, files various, a vise, and sandpaper. + a tillering tree.

Planning on a pyramid from pignut hickory 1 3/4 at the fades 66 inches long 3/8 at the nocks with a ridged handle section. I I can get one of my staves no to explode I will post some pics! Course it won't be till after this deer season but, no rush.

You might want to use a cabinet scraper while tillering. DBar

Jake, sounds like you're off to a good start. Keep us posted on your progress.

I check staves with my moisture meter. Then I use the Vulcan mind swap, same as Mr Spock. Surprisingly, I get the same reading. :) Jawge

Like Danznbar said, you will need a good scraper and a chainsaw file for the string grooves.

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