wood too dry?...?..i guess

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

I moved last month from FL to Montana.  i brought a bunch of staves with me, mostly elm. i started making a bow the other day and got it completely tillered and noticed a crack completely across the back....in the garbage it went, so today i started a new one, a really nice stave, cured one year.  i got it braced and tiller was going super nice, no issues at all, again, a crack across the back.
       i have done enough bows to know how to tiller, and i have never EVER had a piece of elm break on me. they all make bows because it is so forgiving.
So the only conclusion i can come to is that it is way too dry out here in Montana. i know its dry, but i should still have enough moisture to make a bow i would think. the bows i already have made shoot fine. do you think if i kept a few staves indoors in my bathroom (where its most humid)  i would gain moisture back in the wood enough to  make bows again?.  otherwise i am stumped. - Ryan

[George Tsoukalas]

Was it a drying crack? Those usually go with the grain. Yours was across the grain? Going from ML to Montana would cause moisture to leave quickly. Hard to believe the stave was too dry. Jawge

[Dano]

I had the same problem when I moved here to Nevada from Illinois, I had dry staves that continued to check. What I've found is the last few % of moisture content is critical, I've had to start wrapping staves in saran wrap to slow the drying time down, even a cured stave will continue to dry in a drier climate. Also when it comes to re-hydrating a bow after heat corrections, I will wet the limbs with a damp cloth to help them along.

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

what do you thin would happen if i threw them in the pond over night..lol  just a though.   or i suppose just putting them in the bathroom as i figured on doing...its just a lot of staves to have to store in the bathroom from now on....

[sailordad]

how about getting a small humidifer and a hygrometer
put both in a spare room,or wherever works for ya.
run the humidifier to the desired level(the reason for the hygrometer)
and store the staves in there
i do that here in mn,except i use a dehumidifier in the summer and the whole house humidifier in the winter
i can maintain a constant 40% humidity (or whatever i chose)in my storage room

[Pat B]

one word...HICKORY! 

[Pappy]

Have they been in the dry all the time.I had some Hickory do that ,it had been in a open end shed
with no sealer ,it was dry rot on the outer layer. Had to cut up the hole bunch for the camp fire.
I checked small pieces on all of it to check it's bending strength and it all wood snap when you would get a reasonable bend on it so I trashed the pile. I hate it when that happens you think you have done everything right and it blows for no apparent reason. Not sure on elm but I doubt if it is to dry.
   Pappy

[Justin Snyder]

I  would never put them in a pond.  Too much chance of mildew. It can develop mildew between the growth rings also.

I have done like Dano and wiped them down with a damp rag a couple of times. I also built a "hot box." I put the bows in the box and put a pan of water in with it. This increases the humidity in the box and helps with re hydrating. I don't really need the heat to get the water evaporating since we already have plenty here. Also, keep it out of the direct sunlight as much as possible until it is sealed. I have had a lot of hickory check when set in the sun.  I do like the oily woods since they don't seem to have as much of a problem. Justin

[Jmilbrandt]

Now that you live in Montana head out into the woods and cut yourself some Rocky Mountain Maple. I have made quite a few bows out of it and it is one of my favorite woods. Last time I was in Montana I brought a car load of it back down to Utah with me I just cut it and headed down that next day. Didn't even bother sealing it the stuff hardly ever checks. I left it in my car for an entire day in 100+ degree weather and not one check on any of them. And it seems to hold up great even in the low humidity of the Utah deserts.

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

thanks guys,  i moved them indoors wher ei have a little more moisture.  in the mean time, i did drop one in the pond over night to see what would happen, i pulled in out in the am, work it down to bow dimensions and started to tiller. then once i got it to a brace height i left it un strung outside in the sahde for a few hours to dry the surface water out, then i tillered it full, got it finished and acted just like it used to in FL.    kinda solved the problem, now to see how it holds up in the next couple days.
       more or less an experiment but so far so good.  i know the west coasters put them in tide pools for a year, so i probably wont have an ill effects..but we will see.  overnight didnt seem to make it very wet on the inside.