Seasoned versus Dry

[HoBow]

I have read extensively on the internet (this site among others) and have gotten different answers from people that appeared to know what they were talking about.  I have a stave that I dried in an old van for a 2 months and the moisture content is about 9%.  Does this mean the wood is seasoned or just dried.  Is there a difference?  If there is a difference, is there a long term quality difference in the final bow from a dried stave versus a well seasoned (3+ years) stave.  I am more interested in the long term quality difference than just knowing if it will make a good bow.  Thanks!

[Pat B]

There is a big difference between seasoned and dry. Dry only relates to the M/C of the wood but the  resins, et al in well seasoned wood has solidified and makes the wood more stable with relation to stresses and M/C and more resilient.
   I built a 60" osage static recurve that bends through the handle with a clean piece of osage that had been cut a month or 2 before. I had taken the wood down to bow size and put it in my hot box for a while. The wood was dry and the completed bow was zippy like I expected but the lower limb belly fretted. I'm convinced it was the lack of curing that caused the frets(along with my tillering!  ) I have since built 2 other bows with the same wood and even though they were only a few months older they fared better.
   I think for osage and similar woods at least a year and better yet 3 to 10 years. To an extent, if stored properly, the longer the better.

[Hillbilly]

I have had bows pick up a few pounds of weight over a couple years time. Seasoned wood is certainly best if you have it, but quick-dried wood can make a perfectly good bow, too.

[HoBow]

Thanks Pat, I've read that about the resins  How did the other two bows perform and last a year or two down the road?

Hillbilly-  How do you define quick dried wood because you can get the moisture content down below 10% in this south alabama heat pretty quick....

[Gordon]

I've not noticed any difference between "dry" and "seasoned" wood. But then I mostly work with white woods.

[Timo]

I have to side with Gordon on this one. I have found no differences in the two. (all things being equal)The main ingredient for a good bow is a dry stave, wether seasoned or not.

Most people now a days heat treat everything anyhow,so even a seasoned piece of wood will go through some changes?

As Hillbilly stated I to have had some bows gain weight.I have always attributed that to the weather,dry air/wet air. Cold clear winter days always show an increase in cast. (JMO)  

[artcher1]

Heat tempering does the same thing as seasoning. Shrinks the wood fibers down. Problem with Osage, you can't get on the wood as quick as with white woods. Arrow-making, where you can't really "toast" the wood,  is where you'll really notice the difference between just dried and seasoning. Performance wise that is. ART

[Hillbilly]

Jeff, I was talking about roughing out a stave from a freshly-cut tree, and drying it in a hotbox or car or over a heat/AC vent-going from tree to bow in a few weeks or less. I've made some bows like that which shot just fine. I'm like Art, I think it's easier to quick-dry hickory or other whitewoods than it is osage or locust.

[Dauntless]

Dry means dry, it's not too complicated.  As long as that stave isn't too thick, it should be uniformly dry.  Otherwise it might be still much more humid in the centre.

The traditional bowyer's bible series goes in detail about wood drying times and methods. It also spends quite a bit of time trying to demystify the concept of seasoned wood.

[adb]

I don't know... I think a good seasoned stave makes a better bow, especially yew. I'm talkin' about a stave that has been sitting for a minimum of a year. Maybe it's just my imagination, but a seasoned stave has always made a better bow for me than others I have force dried in the hot box. Less set, less chrysalling.

[Pappy]

Like others have said most white wood I haven't seen much difference but Osage ,I think
is better seasoned for at least a year and that if they are roughed into close to bow diminution's.If in a log 2 or 3 years I think is better,now that's not saying you can't make a good bow from
fresherr wood but I do believe it is better seasoned. 
   Pappy

[Lukasz Nawalny]

Few years ago I have made 4 longbows from yew sesoned 21 years - for this time 3 are broken, I have made about 50 yew longbows from " fresh " wood 1 -3 years sesoned and dry to 8 % in stave - only 2 on 50 are broken for this time. So I think even in yew to long could be not good. And all woods after sesoned should be dry in staves. Air dry wood have over 10 % humidity . Its my opinion.

[Ryano]

Yep, wood tends to harden as it ages or seasons. It definitely makes for a better more resilient piece of wood.

[sailordad]

i was given an hhb bow tha was made from a stave that was a little less than a year old
the guy that made the,had used for the first couple of years of its life.
he then started making those "fg" recurve bows,and placed this one in his garage rafters.
it remaine ther for about 5 yrs,and was the given to me.
when he gave it to me,he stated that he had tillered it to about 55lbs,that thing was pulling over 70 and still is
i really need to lighten that bugger up some

so i would say seasoned is better than dry.it takes longer to season wood,but i would be willing to bet
that a bow made from a well seasones stave wouldnt pick up that kinda weight after sitting for e few years

[Marc St Louis]

Ask professional musical instrument makers or those that make gun stocks what kind of wood they would rather use.  They'll pick seasoned wood over kiln dried wood everytime