Neighbor sold me a hickory log cheap that he cut a slab off before it dulled his mill blade. Should I split off the bark sections and process into blanks or doesn't the back of the selfbow matter on this stuff? Not really interested in backing anything at this time. I'll use the shorter section for hatchet handles etc. It's approximately 12" across or so and 7' long on the big one. I'll get a pic up if I can figure out this new phones camera settings. Thanks for any general info on processing this stuff to use for bows, there's gotta be quite a few in there...

Pictures would certainly help. But generally yes, seal the ends if they haven't been already. I use shellac. If the ends are checked, dirty, or ratty looking, I'd cut them off to fresh good wood, making the log about 6' long, and then seal the ends. Split it into staves about 3" or 3.5" wide and if it was just freshly cut, you can usually pop the bark off in one big piece by lifting an end loose from the stave with a screwdriver and then just pulling it free. If the log has been laying around though, the bark might be stuck tight. If so, it will need removed with a drawknife sooner or later. The main thing now is to get it split apart and get the ends sealed.

When was it cut? How has it been stored?

Jeff, it hasn't been long as it was just unloaded the other day, but I'll get specifics shortly. I'm going to load up all his cutoffs for my woodstove. It's actually been milled on 2 sides but it's still a hefty chunk. I got some shellac already on your advise about the ironwood stuff, so I'll look close and trim then seal if needed. I'll take a couple pics and try to post shortly.

Thanks!

Ok sounds good. I'd eyeball it and try to make the most of it, get as much bow wood as possible by whatever methods. If all you're interested in, or all you have the capabilities to get are split staves then that's what you should do, and any 'waste'(extra) works great in the smoker :^)

I guess my pics are too big even though I think I set the phone camera to the smallest size. Anyhow, heading to camp on Thursday to drop off firewood and grab my splitting stuff. Not looking forward to that job in this humidity lol.

Neighbor says it's been cut since January, I see some long drying checks on the milled sides, but I'll do what I can with it.

Jeff, that's the plan for any scraps I accumulate, along with some apple and cherry on the property ;)

Since January? That's a long time for white wood to go unprocessed. How was it stored? How was it opened up by the sawmill? If it was opened up enough and able to lose its moisture and was in a building or at least under roof, it might have a chance, but if not it might be all smoker and firewood.

Sent you a pm.

Too long in the log yard, I wouldn't trust it for bow wood.

I split up a tornado downed hickory abut 3 months after it hit the ground, the wood had lost its structural integrity and was chalky.

PM returned. He says it was dropped since January, he sawed it recently and then cut a 7' piece off the log a couple days ago. Hopefully I can get a bow or 3 out of it, but if not I can think of a few uses...

He said he thinks the guy he got it from had it in the barn until he went to pick it up.

If it was kept in the dry it is probably OK.

Posting pics for Damon...

Thanks Jeff. I'll get it split in a couple days and take some more pics. Eric, the neighbor says the guy had it in a barn until he picked it up a month ago or so. Just recently milled and it's been dry until the last day or so. Hopefully it's got some blanks in it. We shall see...

Anything I should look for to tell whether it'll be useful as bow wood while splitting?

Unfortunately, in the absence of discoloration, it may not be easy to tell until you get to flexing the limbs. It can look fine, but be worthless as bow wood. If it's compromised, it probably won't break outright but the limbs will take a set... maybe early and excessive.

Like Eric noted, when I was working some hickory that was stored improperly, too long, and turned out to be junk, it just seemed 'different' than good hickory, maybe chalky, or a wee bit softer or something, but probably not in a way that someone without experience with it could discern.

I hope it works out for you. It doesn't look bad from over here :^)

All I can do is try it I guess. That and cut that big ironwood down and get it split up. The neighbor says he's gonna keep an eye out for stuff that'll make bows for me after a talk we had earlier. He seems pretty interested, maybe I'll hook us another one ;)

Thanks again, Jeff! And Eric, the tillering gizmo is coming in very handy on a father/son Osage pair of bows from the same stave. Thank you again as well!

I'll do some looking around at building hickory bows and maybe learn what to look for, if nothing else maybe some kids bows for the nieces and nephews. I'll learn something no matter what and I'll test em before I let any kids shoot em, lol

On a log that size I pop a chalk line on it and make the first split with a chain saw after which it splits easily with wedges, split off the heart wood, pop a line on the sapwood and cut a straight kirf with a skill saw to split out individual staves.

Here is a start I had to drag these along way off a ridge and reduced the weight to accomplish the drag, more pics to follow.

More

Splitting staves off the kirf.

Trimmed up,

I cut this hickory too late in the year to peal the bark off, it took me two weeks to clean up 17 staves. No more late cut hickory for me.

I should have proof read, so many typos.

The splits I drug off he hill weighed between 50 and 75# each before I reduced the weight by splitting off the heart wood.

This wood was tornado/straight line wind downed in late July, it was only on the ground a few days before I cut it up, the bark wouldn't slip.

Another thing; when I split this hickory on the ridge every split ran straight and true, because of this I had no issues with kirfing the splits with a skill saw to split out the individual staves.

Great pics and info, Eric. Very much appreciated!

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